READING FOR MARCH 4, 2026: HOSEA 13, MATTHEW 23, PSALM 17:1-7 HOSEA 13 This chapter represents a kind of summary of the sins of Israel up until the then- current time and what God’s response has been all along and will be going forward. Having looked at the next chapter, this writer can say that hope is coming in the book’s final chapter. So, hang in there for today’s last expression of God’s judgment. Interested in seeing how a different theological perspective might render all this sin and judgement, this writer sought a more progressive analysis of Hosea. Not finding one, this writer asked AI to produce one. Thus, as a change of pace, this chapter’s analysis will include thoughts from a progressive viewpoint.
| Verses | Progressive view | Writer’s view |
| "Ephraim spoke, and there was trembling" (v.1) | This signifies the loss of moral authority. When a people’s influence is no longer rooted in justice and truth but instead in power or wealth—it becomes "dead". | Because Ephraim’s trust was in themselves instead of the true God, they had no basis for confidence. Anxiety was inevitable. |
| They sin more and more, and make for themselves cast metal images, idols skillfully made from silver (v.2) | The obsession with "skillfully made" silver idols represents the human tendency to worship our own creations or systems (nationalism, consumerism) rather than the living source of life. | They served nearby gods (Baal) and then made their own gods to fit their own desires rather than worship the God who has always existed and will never change. They made gods they wanted rather than what the Bible reveals to us. |
| As they became satisfied, their hearts became proud; therefore, they forgot Me. So I will be like a lion to them (v. 6-7) | Radical self-sufficiency often leads to a lack of empathy and a disregard for communal responsibility. Rather than literal divine violence, this [lion] is interpreted as a metaphor for the raw, destructive forces unleashed when a society's social fabric unravels. | When believing that we have been the source of our own blessings, we become false gods and enemies of the true God. It is His love which causes His discipline. For those who don’t repent, His holiness will lead to eternal punishment. |
| Where then is your king, that he might save you in all your cities; and your judges, to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes? (v. 10) | This critiques the "monarchy as a political system" and human reliance on authoritarian leaders. It suggests that no political office can provide salvation or security that only comes from a collective alignment with the Divine. | Political leaders can’t ultimately save us. Churches should not focus on this rather than on the gospel: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9) |
| "O Death, where are your plagues? O Grave, where is your destruction?" (v. 13) | It points toward a future where even the most devastating social and physical deaths do not have the final word. | Paul quotes this verse as part of the hope those who are saved have in Christ: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56-57) |
MATTHEW 23 This chapter, all words of Jesus, falls into three distinct sections:
1) a warning to the disciples and the crowd about the scribes and Pharisees,
2) a blunt recitation of seven “woes” directed at the scribes, Pharisees, and all hypocrites (including us), and 3) weeping over Jerusalem but with a last-ditch offer to them.
Warning. This begins with unusual guidance to do what the Jewish leadership says, but don’t imitate their deeds. The late Art Holmes, philosophy professor at Wheaton College, wrote a book entitled READINGS FOR MARCH 4, 2026 CONTINUED: MATTHEW 23, PSALM 17:1-7 All Truth Is God’s Truth. Its point was that all truth is ultimately from God, even if its immediate source is flawed or evil. The Apostle Paul made this same point in Philippians 1:15-18. Jesus then lists some of the Pharisees’ specific ungodly characteristics: piles on needless rules without any support; makes religious displays to be noticed; loves places of public prominence; enjoys being called by honorific titles such as teacher, father, and leader. On this last point Jesus takes a more egalitarian view. Let’s all consider ourselves equally brothers (and sisters) in Christ. Let’s strive to serve each other. Let’s never exalt ourselves but intentionally humble ourselves. This represents true Biblical “egalitarianism” more so than how that word is often used today.
Woes. We sometimes hear of people rejecting Jesus because they perceive the church is hypocritical. Here we see that no one could oppose hypocrisy more than Jesus does. If anything, Jesus is harsher here than John the Baptist was earlier. He directs seven woes right at the Pharisee, scribes, and hypocrites for doing the following:
1) blocking others from the kingdom (which in turn also blocks themselves),
2) profiting from poor widows (think aggressive appeals for money),
3) mission trips without a Gospel motivation and result,
4) concern for money rather than true worship,
5) focusing on minor nonessentials while neglecting the foundational Gospel message,
6) preoccupation with external appearance rather than purity of the inner person, and
7) boasting about how well they would have treated God’s prophets, even as they would later reject God’s messengers sent to them. Jesus said they will be guilty of murdering all the Old Testament prophets. When we reject God’s Word today, does our guilt extend to the murder of Jesus and all His prophets (Heb. 6:6)?
Weeping. Here is one of the key passages indicating that humanity has free will. God’s perfect will is that all of us will be saved. Because we are made in His image, God’s permissive will allows us to reject Him, as Adam and Eve did much to their great loss. This causes God sorrow even while He still hopes we will welcome Him “who comes in the Name of the Lord” (vs.39).
PSALM 17:1-7 It appears that David really thought about this prayer before he prayed it (vs.1). David, as we have seen, often expresses his raw emotions to God. Here he seems to have processed his thoughts more before offering God his requests. Maybe that would be a good plan to follow during normal times when we are not experiencing great emotional turmoil. Consider the words from James, the half-brother of Jesus: “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you could spend it on your pleasure” (James 4:3). How about 1 John 5:14? “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Remember we are speaking to the creator God who alone possesses all the attributes we discussed when studying Job 12. David affirmed that God is aware of his past actions (vs.4-5), motivations (vs. 3a), and intentions (vs. 3b). He also states his desire for God’s lovingkindness and overall belief that God saves those who take refuge in him. All these statements precede David’s specific requests. Maybe these sorts of affirmations are appropriate or even necessary to include before making our requests. Remember that the beginning of the prayer Jesus taught us 1) affirms the close fatherly relationship we enjoy with God; 2) affirms God’s position in heaven of total authority; 3) affirms the complete holiness of God’s character; 4) affirms our desire for the coming of God’s Kingdom; and 5) and affirms our desire for God’s will. All this occurs before we ask for our daily needs. It is always wise to remember with whom we are speaking before asking for what we desire.
