Hos. 3

3:1 The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery. Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” 2So I paid 15 shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley to purchase her. 3Then I told her, “You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or become joined to another man, and I also will wait for you.” 4For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. 5Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings in future days.

Ps. 68

68:1 For the music director, by David, a psalm, a song.

God springs into action.

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries run from him.

2As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.

As wax melts before fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God.

3But the godly are happy;

they rejoice before God

and are overcome with joy.

4Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.

Exalt the one who rides on the clouds.

For the Lord is his name.

Rejoice before him.

5He is a father to the fatherless

and an advocate for widows.

God rules from his holy dwelling place.

6God settles in their own homes those who have been deserted;

he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity.

But sinful rebels live in the desert.

7O God, when you lead your people into battle,

when you march through the wastelands, (Selah)

8the earth shakes.

Yes, the heavens pour down rain

before God, the God of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

9O God, you cause abundant showers to fall on your chosen people.

When they are tired, you sustain them,

10for you live among them.

You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.

11The Lord speaks;

many, many women spread the good news.

12Kings leading armies run away—they run away!

The lovely lady of the house divides up the loot.

13When you lie down among the sheepfolds,

the wings of the dove are covered with silver

and with glittering gold.

14When the Sovereign One scatters kings,

let it snow on Zalmon.

15The mountain of Bashan is a towering mountain;

the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks.

16Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,

at the mountain where God has decided to live?

Indeed the Lord will live there permanently.

17God has countless chariots;

they number in the thousands.

The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor.

18You ascend on high;

you have taken many captives.

You receive tribute from men,

including even sinful rebels.

Indeed, the Lord God lives there.

19The Lord deserves praise.

Day after day he carries our burden,

the God who delivers us. (Selah)

20Our God is a God who delivers;

the Lord, the Sovereign Lord, can rescue from death.

21Indeed, God strikes the heads of his enemies,

the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion.

22The Lord says,

“I will retrieve them from Bashan.

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

23so that your feet may stomp in their blood,

and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.”

24They see your processions, O God—

the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor.

25Singers walk in front;

musicians follow playing their stringed instruments,

in the midst of young women playing tambourines.

26In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel.

27There is little Benjamin, their ruler,

and the princes of Judah in their robes,

along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

28God has decreed that you will be powerful.

O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power.

29Because of your temple in Jerusalem,

kings bring tribute to you.

30Sound your battle cry against the wild beast of the reeds,

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls.

They humble themselves and offer gold and silver as tribute.

God scatters the nations that like to do battle.

31They come with red cloth from Egypt.

Ethiopia voluntarily offers tribute to God.

32O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.

Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)

33to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times.

Look! He thunders loudly.

34Acknowledge God’s power,

his sovereignty over Israel,

and the power he reveals in the skies.

35You are awe inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple.

It is the God of Israel who gives the people power and strength.

God deserves praise!

Rom. 3:21–4:12

3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (although it is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed— 22namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. 26This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 28For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 30Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? 2For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 5But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

8blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”

9Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! 11And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.