Daily Devotional

“The Lord said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel’ ” (Hosea 3:1). 

While it is uncertain when raisins first caught on—most likely by accident—these dried grapes have been popular for a very long time. The Romans, Greeks, Armenians, and Phoenicians 

all traded raisins, and the fruit increased in value. In the ancient Roman Empire, a slave could be purchased for a couple containers of raisins. Roman doctors prescribed them as a cure for a variety of ailments and conditions. And in both Greece and Rome, they were used as awards for champion athletes. 

Like grapes, raisins are a good source of fibre, potassium, and some vitamins and antioxidants, which of course are in a more concentrated form. The sugar, too, is concentrated in raisins, which can give you a quick burst of energy. 

The Bible mentions raisins in several places. They were usually presented in cakes—as food for soldiers or as a special gift. The prophet Hosea carried to the Israelites a message from God, who mourned His peoples’ love for the “raisin cakes of the pagans,” because they had turned away from Him and were engaged in idolatry. 

Hosea was told to go and reclaim his wife who had wandered from him and was engaged in an adulterous relationship, so he bought her back and took her home. It must have felt strange to be playing a role in that kind of living parable. This faithful prophet experienced, all too keenly, some of the deep sorrow that God felt in seeing His people stray far from Him and worship other gods. This spiritual adultery caused untold heart- ache and ruin. 

The raisin, popular and sweet, had found its way into the Israelites’ pagan worship services, where raisin cakes were presented to false gods and then eaten. But how much better it would have been for them if they had satisfied themselves with the much sweeter words of God that the psalmist called “sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). 

Dear Jesus, help me always to find total satisfaction in Your sweet words of truth.