WE ARE TRUE NORTH CHURCH, A NON-DENOMINATIONAL, CHURCH, IN PITTSBURGH, PA SERVING THE NORTH HILLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS

The name Samuel means “name of God” or “his name is El,” where El is the name of the God of strength and power. His parents were a Levite named Elkanah and Hannah, who was unable to have children for many years. Elkanah and Hannah were devout Jews who visited the sanctuary at Shiloh every year to worship and sacrifice (1 Sam. 1:3).

Hosea the man and Hosea, the book. Hosea the man wrote about the life that God commanded him to live. The book of Hosea is the story of a man’s obedience to God, a sacrificial obedience that illustrated both Israel’s disobedience and God’s steadfast love for his people. But...would you obey if God told you to marry the town harlot? That was what Hosea had to do, as a way of illustrating the behavior of the nation of Israel.

So many people begin their reading of the Bible with great intentions and they start with Genesis. I’m glad that the Year 1 PATH Journal began in John, to get us into the good habit of SOAP journaling and Bible reading. People sometimes avoid the Old Testament, thinking that it is not relevant to us today or too intimidating to read. Do not be afraid of the Old Testament; it is filled with exciting and beautiful stories of God’s people...