For the month of October, I am going to be studying The Book Of Hosea, A TALE OF THE PROPHET AND THE PROSTITUTE, in The King James Version of the Holy Bible.
“The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.”
-Hosea 1 (KJV)
THE PROPHET AND THE PROSTITUTE
“The word of the Lord.” Plainly said, Hosea was a prophet. He spoke forth the “word of the Lord,” and applied that word to his life, and to the people and circumstances around him. Hosea was a man, but he was a man God used to speak through.
“Hosea the son of Beeri.” The name Hosea means "salvation." It comes from the same Hebrew root (hoshea) as the names Joshua and Jesus. Throughout the book, Hosea will show us that salvation is found in turning to the LORD and away from our sin.
“Son of Beeri.” This tells us the name of Hosea's father. We also know that he had a wife named Gomer:
“So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.”
-Hosea 1:3 (KJV)
He also had two sons and a daughter:
“And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.”
-Hosea 1:4 (KJV)
“And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.”
-Hosea 1:6 (KJV)
“Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.”
-Hosea 1:9 (KJV)
“Kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” Hosea's ministry spanned the years 760 to 720 B.C. during the days of the divided monarchy. This was after days of David and Solomon, when the people of God divided in a civil war, creating two nations: Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. This is some 250 years after the time of King David, and some 650 years after Israel came into the Promised Land.
“Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah,” Hosea's ministry was in the northern kingdom of Israel. We know this because in Hosea 7:5 he calls the king of Israel our king, and because his ministry is focused towards the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital city Samaria. But for the benefit of his readers in the southern kingdom of Judah, Hosea gives them a reference point for the days of his ministry according to the “kings of Judah.”
Hosea began his ministry in the days of Jeroboam II. From a political and economic standpoint Jeroboam II was a successful and good king as we read in The Second Book of Kings:
“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.”
-2 Kings 14:23-29 (KJV)
Israel prospered politically and materially under his reign, but it was a time of significant spiritual and moral decay. The terrible result of this decay wouldn't become evident until the days of Jeroboam II were finished.
A dramatic example of this is seen in the lives of the six kings that followed Jeroboam II during the time of Hosea's ministry. Of those six kings, four were violently overthrown and one died as a conquered exile in Assyria.
Kings of Israel during the Ministry of Hosea, 760 to 720 B.C.
Dynasty of JehuJeroboam II793-752 B.C.Gave throne to his sonZechariah753-752 B.C.AssassinatedDynasty of ShallumShallum752 B.C. (one month)AssassinatedDynasty of MenahemMenahem752-742 B.C.Gave throne to his sonPekahiah724-740 B.C.Overthrown in coup d'etatDynasty of PekahPekah752-732 B.C.AssassinatedDynasty of HosheaHoshea732-722 B.C.Died in exile
Hosea began his ministry at a time when things were so politically successful and economically prosperous that people just didn't look to the Lord the way that they should. The seeds of idolatry, spiritual failure, and moral corruption sown in days of Jeroboam II produced a tragic harvest in the following years.
Significantly, Jeroboam I was the first king of a divided Israel, leading a popular revolt against the high taxation of Rehoboam, son of Solomon. Jeroboam II followed in the wicked footsteps of Jeroboam I.
“The Lord said to Hosea.” God's first word to Hosea was something for his own life. This is how God almost always works. Hosea probably would have preferred it if God gave him a word for someone else. But before the prophet can speak to the nation, he first has to hear from God for himself.
“Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms.” The word God had for Hosea wasn't easy. Hosea was told to take a prostitute for a wife. Why? Because “the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord."
Through His command to Hosea, God brings to life a consistent picture used throughout the Old Testament. In this picture, the Lord is the husband of Israel, and their passionate, chronic attraction for idols was like the lust of an adulterer. His people were as unfaithful as a prostitute was.
In this vivid picture, we see how our idolatry and rejection of the Lord feels to God. When we put anything in front of the Lord, it hurts Him like unfaithfulness hurts the victim of an adulterous marriage. By commanding Hosea to “take … a wife of whoredoms,” God will put Hosea in the place where he feels what God feels, and it won't feel good.
"We cannot say that God grieves exactly as we grieve, if only because He controls all things and always works them out in accordance with His own good pleasure. Nevertheless, there is a parallel between God's feelings and ours."
-C. Boice
Many commentators press the idea that Gomer was not a prostitute when Hosea first met and married her, she only became that later and Hosea knew from the Lord that she would become that. This may be the case, but we don't know this from the text. It could go either way.
“So he went and took Gomer.” We can assume that Hosea would never marry a prostitute except by the commandment of the Lord. It showed a lot of obedience for him to actually carry out this difficult command.
As will be made clear, when Hosea married Gomer, she did not give up her career as a prostitute. It wasn't that Hosea found a fallen woman and through love and kindness restored her to virtue. He married a prostitute, no doubt hoping she would give up her sin and be devoted only to him, and she stayed a prostitute.
No doubt, this happened after the pattern of human nature. When Hosea and Gomer first married, she probably promised eternal love and devotion. She probably showed every sign of being committed to Hosea. But after a while, and in difficult circumstances, she fell back into prostitution. Perhaps it was out of boredom. Perhaps it was out of a feeling of neglect. Perhaps it was out of a sense of need. Sadly, we share the same inexcusable reasons for our idolatry, when we prefer another god to the Lord God.
Some commentators believe this never really happened, and that Hosea is only telling a vivid story. They think it could never have happened because God would never have a prophet marry a prostitute. But Boice rightly observes, "If Hosea's story cannot be real (because 'God could not ask a man to marry an unfaithful woman'), then neither is the story of salvation real, because that is precisely what Christ has done for us."
“Call his name Jezreel.” The first son born to Hosea and Gomer was "Jezreel" and the name spoke of two things. First, Jezreel means "Scattered," and Israel would soon be scattered in exile by an conquering Assyrian army. Second, Jezreel refers to the Valley of Jezreel, where Jehu, the founder of the dynasty that put Jeroboam II on the throne - massacred all the descendants of Ahab, thus establishing his throne as we read in The Second Book of Kings:
“So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.”
-2 Kings 10:11 (KJV)
God directed Hosea to name his son Jezreel to confirm His promise to “avenge the blood of Jezreel” by judging the “house of Jehu.”
Obviously, this was not good news to Jeroboam II. It said that his dynasty, the dynasty of Jehu, was coming to an end. In fact, after the death of Jeroboam II in 752 B.C. his son Zechariah barely reigned only six months before being assassinated:
“In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.”
-2 Kings 15:8-10 (KJV)
That was the end of the “house of Jehu.”
“Cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.” Just as the house of Jehu would fall, so would the whole kingdom of Israel. Before the prophetic ministry of Hosea was finished, Israel was defeated, destroyed, and taken captive by the mighty Assyrian Empire as we also see in The Second Book Of Kings:
“And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.”
-2 Kings 17:20-23 (KJV)
“Break the bow of Israel.” The bow was a symbol of power in a day when it was the principle instrument of warfare. Thus a broken bow symbolized the loss of power.
“Call her name Loruhamah.” The name “Loruhamah” means "No Mercy." Every call to this child with the unfortunate name would remind Hosea and everyone else of coming judgment and exile.
“But I will have mercy on the house of Judah.” The army of Assyria that destroyed Israel also attacked Judah, but they did not conquer them. Instead, God miraculously fought on behalf of Judah against Assyria when the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 soldiers in the camp of Assyria in one night as we read in The Second Book of Kings:
“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”
-2 Kings 19:35 (KJV)
The fact that God had no mercy to Israel and had mercy towards Judah shows two things. First, it is true that Judah and her kings were more faithful unto the Lord during these years, as exemplified by King Hezekiah:
“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.”
-2 Kings 18:1-8 (KJV)
Second, it does not really matter if Judah was more worthy of mercy than Israel was, because by its very nature mercy is mercy. If one deserves leniency, then leniency is a matter of justice, not mercy. Mercy is only shown to the guilty. Therefore it is within the wise and loving heart of God to show mercy to whom He will show mercy as we read in The Book of Romans:
“For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
-Romans 9:15 (KJV)
But no one is ever unfair for not showing mercy.
“Call his name Lammi.” The name Loammi means "Not My People." Every call to this unfortunately named child reminded Hosea and everyone else that the people of Israel had pushed away the Lord God, and should no longer be considered His people.
Since Gomer did not give up her prostitution, there may have been a cruel irony in the name Loammi. Perhaps this son really was not the son of Hosea, but of another man. Perhaps the appearance of the child made this evident. The message God had to deliver to Israel through Hosea was hard enough, but God also made Hosea have to live it.
For you are not My people, and I will not be your God: This is not so much of a sentence or a penalty, as it is a simple stating of fact. It isn't as if the people really wanted to be the people of God, yet God will not have them. Instead, the people of Israel rejected God, and here the LORD simply recognizes that fact. He won't play "let's pretend": "You pretend to be My people and I will pretend to be your God." The time for those games is over.
“Yet the number of the children of Israel.” Though God has promised judgment, the days of judgment won't last forever. After judgment, there will come a day of prosperity, increase, and blessing.
“Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.” God would fulfill the promise of Loammi, but the judgment would not last forever. One day Israel will return to the Lord, and once again be called “sons of the living God.”
“Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together.” God promised a restoration so complete that the division caused by the civil war of Rehoboam and Jeroboam I, a division that stood for 170 years, would one day be erased.
We can say that one way this promise is fulfilled is in the church, where God brings together Israel, Judah, and even Gentiles, into one body, as we read in The Book of Ephesians:
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:”
- Ephesians 2:14-16 (KJV)
“For great will be the day of Jezreel!” The first child of Hosea and Gomer was named Jezreel as a sign of judgment. But God promises a restoration so complete that Jezreel will once again be a name of greatness, not judgment.
Say to your brethren, "My people," and to your sisters, "Mercy is shown": This shows that the redemption is complete. The child named Jezreel has his name redeemed, and now the next two children (Loruhamah, "No Mercy" and Loammi, "Not My People") have their name redeemed as Israel is once again regarded as "My People" unto the Lord and "Mercy is shown" unto them. What was a sign of judgment is now evidence of redemption.
Christian brothers and sisters, this is once again proof that Our Lord keeps His word!
-God bless!
-------------
Hosea 2-King James Version-SIN, JUDGMENT, AND RESTORATION
“Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah. Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms. For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”
-Hosea 2 (KJV)
SIN, JUDGMENT, AND RESTORATION
“For she is not My wife.” God paints Israel as an adulterous wife, who is no longer worthy to be compared to a wife. This shows that the relationship is broken.
Israel lewdly offered herself to other gods, in the way that a woman lewdly offers herself to lovers. This is communicated by the phrase “her adulteries from between her breasts.”
"The reference to her 'breasts' may imply that she had laid bare her bosom to entice her lovers. If she did not change, she would be stripped naked."
-M. Hubbard
“Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness.” God warns Israel that if she will not put away her harlot-like ways, she will be judged. Though the relationship is broken, blessing continues, but will be taken away if Israel does not turn.
“I will not have mercy upon her children.” If Israel as a whole is represented as an unfaithful wife, then her children represent the individual people of Israel. If they do not turn back to the Lord, they will personally experience His judgment.
“I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax.” Israel justified her harlotry because she received things from her "lovers." She looked at all the good she seemed to get from her sin, and it seemed like a good deal. Israel didn't understand the passing pleasures of sin as we see in The Book of Hebrews:
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”
-Hebrews 11:25 (KJV)
“I will hedge up thy way with thorns:.”To bring Israel to repentance, God promised to set a hedge of thorns on the sides of her path, so that it would hurt whenever Israel went off the correct path, and so the wrong paths would be hard to find.
When God hedges our “way with thorns,” we usually don't like it. We sometimes think God is against us when the thorns hurt and we can't find the wrong paths. But it is really one of the sweetest expressions of God's love to “hedge up thy way with thorns” and to wall us in.
“I will go and return to my first husband:.”When God allows the passing pleasures of sin to pass, we often then see how good it was to follow the Lord. In a marriage sometimes the grass can seem greener even with the best spouse; in our walk with the Lord our idols seem attractive until God exposes them. Then we are ready to return to our “first husband;” the Lord.
“For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil.” Even when Israel went after other gods, the Lord still provided for her. This showed His great, unselfish love to Israel. Even though Israel took what God provided and “prepared for Baal,” He still loved them.
When Hosea provided for Gomer, she spent it on her adulterous lovers. It's as if Hosea went to the house of Gomer's lover, where she lived apart from her husband and in adultery. He knew that this scoundrel of a man couldn't provide for Gomer, and that she lived in poverty and rags. Hosea knocked at the door. He spoke to the man who answered, "Are you the man living with Gomer?" The man wondered what business it was of Hosea's; then he revealed: "I'm Hosea, her husband. I've brought these groceries and money so she can be provided for." When Hosea left, Gomer and her lover must have thought he was a fool. What a great dinner they had together with the food Hosea brought! But this is how the Lord loves us, lavishing blessing on us even when we are worshipping idols, providing us with blessings we waste on other gods.
Which they “prepared for Baal.” This principle shows how offensive idolatry really is to God. Whatever we give to an idol, we have received from God.
God gives to man the trees of the forest and the iron in the ground. He gives man the brains to make an axe and nails from the iron, and the energy to cut down the tree, the skill to fashion the wood into beams. God gives man the cleverness to make a handle from the wood, and head from the iron, and combine it into an effective hammer. Then man takes the beams, the nails, and the hammer and he nails God to the cross, where God willingly stretched out His arms, dying on the cross to take the guilt and penalty man's sin deserved, and to make a new, restored relationship between God and man possible.
“Therefore will I return, and take away my corn.” God gave grain to Israel, and she gave what He provided in sacrifice to Baal. So God will take away this provision, and as Israel feels her need and deprivation. Perhaps she will turn back to the Lord.
“But Me she forgat.” During the time of Jeroboam II, Israel enjoyed great prosperity. But she used her prosperity for idolatry and the pursuit of ungodly pleasures, so God will take away her prosperity.
“I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” Once Israel has felt the discomfort of her deprivation, then she will listen to the voice of God once again, and He will allure her back to Himself.
"This is a singular kind of power: 'I will allure her;' not, 'I will drive her' not even, 'I will draw her,' or, 'I will drag her;' or, 'I will force her.' No, 'I will allure her.' It is a very remarkable word, and it teaches us that the allurement of love surpasses in power all other forces. That is how the devil ruins us; he tempts us with honeyed words, sweet utterances, with the baits of pleasure and the like; and the Lord in mercy determines that, in all truthfulness, he will outbid the devil, and he will win us to himself by fascinations, enticements, and allurements which shall be stronger than any force of resistance we may offer. This is a wonderfully precious word: 'I will allure her.'"
-C.S. Spurgeon
“The Valley of Achor for a door of hope.” Achor means "trouble," so the Valley of Achor is the "Valley of Trouble." It was a place of trouble, where Achan's sin was discovered and judged in The Book of Joshua:
“And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.”
-Joshua 7:26 (KJV)
God's restoration is so great that He will transform the "Valley of Trouble" into “a door of hope.”
“She shall sing there, as in the days of her youth.” When Israel is restored, she will be restored to joy. The passing pleasures of sin are forgotten and the true pleasures of God are restored.
“I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth.” In Hebrew, the name "Baal" comes from the word "Master" and the two words sound alike. It was the Baals, the idols of the nations, that wanted this "master-slave" relationship with man. But not the Lord God; He wants a love-based, commitment-based relationship with His people.
“I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth.” Ultimately, this blessing of restored relationship will result in a transformed earth, changed both ecologically (beasts of the field and birds of the air) and politically. This blessing will be fulfilled in the millennial earth, but we can come to know the transforming power of restored relationship right now.
When the relationship with the Lord is ultimately restored, it will never be broken again. Relationship will be restored on a solid foundation, “in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies,” and will result in deeper and deeper relationship; “thou shalt know the Lord.”
“The earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil.” When relationship is where it is supposed to be, God abundantly provides. This is the same principle Jesus taught in The Book of Matthew:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
-Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
“They shall hear Jezreel.” The name "Jezreel" means "Scattered," and could be used in a negative sense, as in The Book of Hosea:
“And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.”
-Hosea 1:4-5 (KJV)
“Jezreel was also the word used to describe the good scattering of seed, sowing. Here, the Lord promises glorious redemption of the name Jezreel, which was first given as a sober reminder of scattering in judgment. Now it becomes a prophecy of the promise, "I will sow her unto me in the earth." God will restore His people to abundance and blessing. Scattering will be transformed into sowing.
“I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy.'' Hosea's second child, a daughter, was named Lo-Ruhamah, meaning "No Mercy." That name, originally given as a marker of judgment is now transformed into a mark of restoration.
“I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people.” Hosea's third child, a son, was named Lo-Ammi, meaning "Not My People.” That name, originally given as a marker of judgment, is now transformed into a mark of restoration.
“And they shall say, Thou art my God.” With this, the restoration is complete. The LORD relates to His people as their God, and His people relate to Him as His people. This is relationship, full of warmth and love, and what God longs for.
Think about it: Which one of the pagan gods of the nations ever wanted the love of their followers? Which of them ever asked, "Do you love me?" False gods don't want our love, they want our fear, our obedience, our slave-like sacrifice and devotion. But the true God, the living God, isn't satisfied with just our fear, our obedience, or even with our slave-like sacrifice and devotion. He wants our love, freely given and enjoyed in relationship with Him. If we miss this, we miss the heart of God's work in us and for us.
We see complete restoration. All three of Hosea's children, named as marks of judgment, now have their names restored and made into marks of mercy, grace, and restoration. God is that good!
Yes, Christian brothers and sisters, God is that good and His name should be shared with the lost!
God bless!
-------------------
Hosea 3 KJV- THE RESTORATION OF AN ADULTEROUS WIFE
“Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.”
-Hosea 3 (KJV)
“Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend.” God directs Hosea to go back to his wife, even though she is committing adultery. It isn't in the past; it is in the present; yet he is commanded to go back to her and to love her.
“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.”
-Deuteronomy 24:1 (KJV)
“He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
-Matthew 19:7-8 (KJV)
This shows us that though The Book of Deuteronomy and The Book of Matthew permit divorce when adultery breaks the marriage union, it by no means commands divorce. If God commanded divorce in the case of adultery, the He would go against His own command here.
This also shows us an important principle about love: Hosea is directed to love, even when it must have been hard to love. We are filled with many romantic illusions about love, and one of these illusions is that love has very little to do with our will - we are just "captured" by love and follow whatever course it leads. But in principle, the Scriptures show us another way: That love is largely a matter of the will, and when we direct ourselves to love someone God tells us we must love, it can and will happen. This is why "We're not in love anymore" isn't valid grounds for a bad relationship or divorce. It assumes that love is something beyond or outside of our will.
“According to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel.” Why did God command Hosea to go back to his still-unfaithful wife? Not only for the sake of Hosea and his wife Gomer, but also so that they would become a living lesson of the Lord's relationship with His people. They were still steeped in spiritual adultery, yet the Lord still loved them.
When we think of the greatness of God's love and compassion towards us, it should make us much more loving, compassionate, and forgiving towards others.
“So I bought her to me.” Hosea didn't really need to "buy" His own wife, to hire her as a prostitute. She was his wife! But as a display of love and commitment, he goes the "extra mile," beyond what is expected or even reasonable.
In providing this way for his own wife, Hosea also showed her: "I can give you what the others can. You don't need them. Let me show you how I can provide for your needs."
Boice takes “bought her to me,” to mean that Gomer was sold as a slave and Hosea bought her out of her slavery. This is possible, but not necessary. It seems more natural to regard the payment as "buying her out of prostitution."
“Thou shalt abide for me many days.” The point of paying Gomer wasn't just to get her to give up her trade as a prostitute. It was to bring her into relationship with Hosea, her husband. Relationship and living together was the goal.
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim.”
a. In her fallen state, Israel will not have the national or political leadership she needs.
b. In her fallen state, Israel will not have the spiritual service she needs.
c. In her fallen state, Israel will not have the supernatural guidance and direction she needs.
“Shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God.” In this time of political and spiritual ruin, Israel will “return, and seek the Lord” again. This will mark their restoration, and there will be no restoration until they turn back to the Lord.
“And David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.” This shows that this prophecy will be ultimately fulfilled in the millennial kingdom, where David will reign over Israel:
“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.”
-Isaiah 55:3-5 (KJV)
“But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.”
-Jeremiah 30:9 (KJV)
“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.”
-Ezekiel 34:23-25 (KJV)
Christian brothers and sisters, remember, any individual right now can enjoy this blessing of restored relationship if they will turn back to the Lord!
-God bless!
---------------
Hosea 4- King James Version- ISRAEL'S SIN AND GOD'S REMEDY
“Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall. Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The Lord liveth. For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
-Hosea 4 (KJV)
"What we should call a lawsuit, in which God is plaintiff, and the Israelites defendants. It is Jehovah versus Israel and Judah."
-A.C. Clarke
“There is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.” Each of these three points is connected. When people forsake the knowledge of God, soon truth and mercy are both gone. Truth must be rooted in something more than personal opinion, and mercy means going beyond self-interest.
True wisdom and understanding always begin with the knowledge of God:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
-Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)
Alexander Pope, a famous writer, once wrote: "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; the proper study of mankind is man." Charles Spurgeon, responded to Pope's statement: "It has been said by someone that 'the proper study of mankind is man.' I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father."
It all connects back to leaving the knowledge of God. Soon, truth and mercy are things of the past, and people no longer practice restraint. When man will not or can not restrain himself, bloodshed and destruction follow.
Our modern age is completely set against the idea of restraint. You see it in modern advertising slogans:
- "To know no boundaries"
- "No rules, just right"
- "Just do it"
- "Break all the rules"
- "Peel off inhibitions. Find your own road"
- "Living without boundaries"
The message is the same: You make your own rules. You answer to no one. You are the one that matters. Your universe revolves around you. You should only restrain yourself if you want to.
“The ultimate result is bloodshed after bloodshed. In the ancient Hebrew, this is literally "bloody deed touches bloody deed." "Apparently violent crimes had become so common that one seemed immediately to follow another, as if touching it."
-T. Wood
Comments