Let’s
meet Hosea…
The Prophet with a Broken
Heart.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
INTRODUCTION …
It is about 750 B.C. Already the prophet Amos has visited Bethel and denounced the sins of the Northern House of Israel. God’s people had fallen into idolatry and all the immorality that accompanied it. Here is the sorry description of God’s people … from the Living Bible Translation.
Hosea 4:1 Hear the word
of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has filed a lawsuit against you,
saying: "There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in
your land. 2 You curse and lie and kill and steal and
commit adultery. There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another. 3 That is why your land is not producing. It is filled with
sadness, and all living things are becoming sick and dying. Even the animals,
birds, and fish have begun to disappear.
The Religious leaders are especially to blame ….
4 "Don't
point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! Look, you priests,
my complaint is with you!
5 As
a sentence for your crimes, you will stumble in broad daylight, just as you
might at night, and so will your false prophets. And I will destroy your
mother, Israel. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don't know
me. It is all your fault, you priests,
for you yourselves refuse to know me. Now I refuse to recognize you as my
priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless
your children. 7 The more priests there are, the more
they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the disgrace of
idols.
The people have been led astray by these ‘blind leaders of the
blind ‘ and both will be punished …..
8 "The
priests get fed when the people sin and bring their sin offerings to them. So
the priests are glad when the people sin! 9 ‘Like
priests, like people'--since the priests are wicked, the people are wicked,
too. So now I will punish both priests and people for all their wicked deeds. 10 They will eat and still be hungry. Though they do a big
business as prostitutes, they will have no children, for they have deserted the
LORD to worship other gods.
The worship of pagan ‘gods’ was often
accompanied by immorality. So-called goddesses were provided in pagan
ceremonies …. Note that the House of Israel is described as a prostitute
( vs. 12,15) … something relevant to an understanding of the Book of Hosea.
11 "Alcohol
and prostitution have robbed my people of their brains. 12 They
are asking a piece of wood to tell them what to do! They think a stick can tell
them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played
the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. 13 They offer
sacrifices to idols on the tops of mountains. They go up into the hills to burn
incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and other trees.
"That is why your daughters turn
to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Why
should I punish them? For you men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores
and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You will be destroyed, for you refuse
to understand.
Bear in mind that a division has taken place among the Twelve tribes. Ten tribes, being addressed here by
the prophet, are the House of Israel with its capital at Samaria. In the South the House of Judah
exists with its capital at Jerusalem.
15 "Though ( the House
of) Israel is a prostitute, may ( the House of ) Judah avoid
such guilt. O Judah, do not join with those who worship me insincerely at
Gilgal and at Beth-aven. Their worship is mere pretence as they take oaths in
the LORD's name. 16 Israel is as stubborn as a heifer,
so the LORD will put her out to pasture. She will stand alone and unprotected,
like a helpless lamb in an open field. 17 Leave her
alone because she is married to idolatry. 18 The men of
Israel finish up their drinking bouts and off they go to find some prostitutes.
Their love for shame is greater than their love for honour. 19 So
a mighty wind will sweep them away. They will die in shame because they offer
sacrifices to idols.
……………………………………
But for young Hosea the sun is shining brighter than ever this particular day. For he is about to marry Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. Little does he know that she will later prove unfaithful to him.
Hosea 1: 1 The LORD gave these messages to Hosea son of Beeri
during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah,
and Jeroboam son
of Jehoash was king of Israel.
2When
the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, "Go
and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other
men.
The curious command in verse 2 may well mean that, in
retrospect, when Hosea wrote this in his old age, he realised Gomer’s
potential for waywardness. But at the
time of their marriage it is doubtful that such was evident.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
(1) THE ‘PROPHETIC’ CHILDREN
(a) Child No. One
Hosea 1:3 So Hosea
married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea
a son. 4 And the LORD said, "Name the child Jezreel,
for I am about to punish King Jehu's dynasty to avenge the murders he committed
at Jezreel. 5 In fact, I will put an end to Israel's
independence by breaking its military power in the Jezreel Valley."
A son is born and given a
prophetic name. Jezreel ! It
means “God will scatter” and everywhere
the little fellow walked the streets of Israel, those who saw him knew that he
was a walking sermon. For his
father was a prophet. And the very name of this child meant that God was about
to scatter Israel unless they repented.
Their King was responsible for appalling massacres. (4)
Hosea preached this same message ! Judgment is coming , he cries ….
Hosea 8: 1 "Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an
eagle on the people of the LORD, for they have broken my covenant and revolted
against my law. 2 Now Israel pleads with me, `Help us,
for you are our God!' 3 But it is too late! The people of
Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them.
Why is God bringing
judgment upon Israel ? Because they
sought other ‘lovers’ … the idol gods of pagan nations. ( 8:9)
Hosea 8: 4 The people have appointed kings and princes, but
not with my consent. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold,
they have brought about their own destruction.
5 "O
Samaria, I reject this calf--this idol you have made. My fury burns against
you. How long will you be incapable of innocence? 6 This
calf you worship was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it
must be smashed to bits.
7 "They
have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of wheat
wither, producing no grain. And if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. 8 The people of Israel have been swallowed up; they lie among
the nations like an old pot that no one wants. 9 Like a
wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold
themselves to many lovers. 10 But though they have sold themselves to many lands, I will
now gather them together. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great
king!
Hosea is saying that because the House of Israel had worshiped the
gods of many nations, they will soon find themselves conquered by the Assyrian
King and his army. (10)
11 "Israel
has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for
sinning! 12 Even though I gave them all my laws, they
act as if those laws don't apply to them. 13 The people
of Israel love their rituals of sacrifice, but to me their sacrifices are all
meaningless! I will call my people to account for their sins, and I will punish
them. They will go back down to Egypt.
14 " (The House
of )Israel has built great palaces, and (the House
of ) Judah has fortified its cities. But they have both forgotten their
Maker. Therefore, I will send down fire on their palaces and burn their
fortresses."
Judah, too, will be
punished. But repentance under good King Hezekiah averted that judgment for about a century.
………………………………….
(b) Child No. Two
…
Hosea 1: 6 Soon Gomer became pregnant again
and gave birth to a daughter.
And the LORD said to Hosea, "Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah--`Not
loved'--for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them.
7 But I, the LORD their God, will show love to the
people of Judah. I will personally free them from their enemies without any
help from weapons or armies."
A year passes. A
daughter, Loruhamah is born. The
name means, “not loved” or “without mercy.”
Thus the prophetic message enshrined in the names of Hosea’s children
continues. Not only is God going to
scatter Israel out of their land but He shall do it ‘without mercy.’
The Assyrians did come and conquer the House of Israel , but God sent a plague to destroy the Assyrian army when it laid siege to Jerusalem. (7)
…………………………………….
(c) CHILD No. Three
Hosea 1:8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah,
she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. 9 And
the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi--`Not my people'--for Israel is
not my people, and I am not their God.
Lo-Ammi !! And the meaning is “Not mine !” But it seems that this not only refers to
the Lord disowning Israel but that this child is not Hosea’s ….
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
(2) THE
UNFAITHFUL NATION
Now the illustration is
made clear. Just as Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea by seeking other lovers, so
Israel was unfaithful to their God ….
1 "But
now, call Israel to account, for she is no longer my wife, and I am
no longer her husband. Tell her to take off her garish makeup and suggestive
clothing and to stop playing the prostitute. 3 If she
doesn't, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will
leave her to die of thirst, as in a desert or a dry and barren wilderness. 4 And I will not love her children as I would my own because
they are not my children! They were conceived in adultery. 5 For
their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way.
She said, `I'll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and
drink, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil.'
6 "But I will fence her in with
thornbushes. I will block the road to make her lose her way. 7 When
she runs after her lovers, she won't be able to catch up with them. She will
search for them but not find them. Then she will think, `I might as well return
to my husband because I was better off with him than I am now.' 8 She doesn't realize that it was I who gave her everything
she has--the grain, the wine, the olive oil. Even the gold and silver she used
in worshiping the god Baal were gifts from me!
BAAL
So now the Lord will
withhold His goodness… her poverty-stricken plight may cause her to reconsider
her foolish ways ….
9 "But now I will take back the wine
and ripened grain I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away
the linen and wool clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness. 10
I will strip her naked in public, while all her lovers look on. No one
will be able to rescue her from my hands. 11 I will put
an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath
days--all her appointed festivals. 12 I will destroy her
vineyards and orchards, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them
grow into tangled thickets, where only wild animals will eat the fruit. 13 I will punish her for all the times she deserted me, when
she burned incense to her images of Baal, put on her earrings and jewels, and
went out looking for her lovers," says the LORD.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
(3) THE WAYWARD
WIFE
Eventually Gomer left her home, her husband and her children. She is the Prodigal Wife of the Old Testament.
And yet Hosea loves her still. He even takes gifts of food and clothing to her ! She is ignorant of the source of these gifts.
Hosea 2:8 She doesn't
realize that it was I who gave her everything she has--the grain, the wine, the
olive oil. Even the gold and silver she used in worshiping the god Baal were
gifts from me!
But eventually Hosea stops giving in the hope that her poverty-stricken
condition will bring her to her senses.
Her new lover no longer cares for her and she finds herself ready for
sale in a slave market !
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
(4) THE
LOVING HUSBAND
Hosea 3:1 Then the LORD said to me, "Go and get your wife again. Bring her
back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the LORD still
loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them
choice gifts."
2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces
of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. 3 Then I said to her, "You must live in my house for many
days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual
intercourse with anyone, not even with me."
Hosea goes to the slave market and buys her ! For half the price of a slave. (2) And takes her home.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
(4) THE GRACIOUS GOD
All of which is illustrative of God’s dealing with His people.
Hosea 1:This
will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly
committing adultery against the LORD by worshiping other gods."
………………….
Hosea 3:4 This illustrates that Israel will be a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, temple, priests, or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return to the LORD their God and to David's descendant, their king. They will come trembling in awe to the LORD, and they will receive his good gifts in the last days.
It is revealed to the prophet … and this is the
substance of Chapters 4 – 12 … that God was once married to Israel (Isaiah
54:5) He loved her and cared for her
and provided for her.
To no avail. Israel sought other ‘lovers’ ( gods). Like
Gomer they were unfaithful to their Husband. For a time God continued to
provide for them. But they took the grain of wheat and offered it to Baal.
So the provisions ceased. And the Assyrians came to punish His people.But one day, says the Husband, I will bring her back to myself …. And we will resume our married life together. (19-20) And I will provide for you again … (21-22)
Hosea 2:14 "But then I will win her back once
again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. 15 I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley
of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she
did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.
16 "In that coming day,"
says the LORD, "you will call me `my husband' instead of `my master.' 17 O Israel, I will cause you to
forget your images of Baal; even their names will no longer be spoken. 18 At that time I will make a covenant with all the
wild animals and the birds and the animals that scurry along the ground so that
they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all
swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. 19
I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice,
unfailing love and compassion. 20 I will be faithful to
you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as LORD.
21 "In that day," says
the LORD, "I will answer the pleading of the sky for clouds, which will
pour down water on the earth in answer to its cries for rain. 22
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapes,
and the olive trees for moisture. And the whole grand chorus will sing
together, `Jezreel'--`God plants!'
22 "At that time I will plant
a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself! I will show love to those I
called `Not loved.' And to those I called `Not my people,' I will say, `Now you
are my people.' Then they will reply, `You are our God!' "
Notice the
phrase “In that Day ...” and “ at that time.”
What day ? What time ? When was this fulfilled … now read on
!!!……….
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
LESSONS
TO LEARN … & QUESTIONS
TO ANSWER !
(1) Learn that it is almost impossible to derive any benefit from this …or any
of the prophetic books .. without a grasp of the times in which they occurred.
The Divided kingdom, the attacks of Assyria and later, of Babylon , and the
return under Zerubbabel. All this is essential knowledge for an understanding
of these Scriptures.
…………………………………………………
(2) Learn,
too, that sin is not just a matter of breaking God’s law. It breaks His heart.
( Sidlow Baxter.)
………………………………….
(3) Learn, too,
the necessity of seeing these Old Testament passages through New Testament
spectacles ! For Hosea is quoted a number of times in the New Testament to
reveal truths we would never see if shut up only to the prophet’s writings.
Hosea 1:10-11, for example is quoted in Romans 9:24-26.
Paul applies it to the regathering of Jew and Gentile into the Christian church
! Follow this carefully !!
Hosea 1:10 Yet the
time will come when Israel will prosper and become a great nation. In that day
its people will be like the sands of the seashore--too many to count! Then, at
the place where they were told, `You are not my people,' it will be said, `You
are children of the living God.' 11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite
under one leader, and they will return from exile together.
What a day that will be--the day of
Jezreel--when God will again plant his people in his land.
12 In that day you will call your brothers Ammi--`My people.' And
you will call your sisters Ruhamah--`The ones I love.'
…………………
Notice Paul’s inspired interpretation … he applies it to Gentiles ( non-Jews) coming into the Christian church.
Romans 9:25 Concerning
the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,
"Those who were
not my people,
I will now call my people.
And I will love those
whom I did not love before."
26 And,
"Once they were told,
`You are not my people.'
But now he will say,
`You are children of the living God.'
"
………………………………………
Hosea 1:10 Yet the
time will come when Israel will prosper and become a great nation.
The Church
is spoken of as a nation in the New Testament, made up of saved Jews and
Gentiles. ( 1 Peter 2:9 And in that
day its people will be like the sands of the seashore--too many to
count!(Hosea 1:10) A “great multitude no man can
number” is John’s way of expressing it. ( Revelation 7:9)
Then, at
the place where they were told, `You are not my people,' it will be said, `You
are children of the living God.' ( Not only
quoted by Paul in Romans 9 but by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:10 … and
applied to the Church !)
11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite
under one leader, and they will return from exile together. What a day that
will be--the day of Jezreel--when God will again plant his people in his land.
The prophetic names of the children will be reversed. There will be no more division (11) but “all
one in Christ Jesus.” He is the “Leader” of vs.11.
Hosea is
using the language of the Old Testament to describe the blessings of the
Messianic Age.
There may well be a reference to the return from Babylon
when “all Israel” gathered as one back in their land … but a greater, vaster,
wider fulfilment points us to the price paid at Calvary to set us free from the
bondage of sin and permit our return to the Father’s House.
“There will be peace in the valley
for me , some day …”
…………………………………….
(4) And learn, too, that although
Homer paid the price for Gomer’s freedom, she might well have refused to love
him again. How foolish and despicable if such had been her attitude. Yet there
are those today who refuse to return to the Lover of their soul, in spite of the
infinite cost of the redemption price He paid.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
