Day #202

Sermon - Audio
Hosea 1-7 - Audio
Hosea 1-7 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Chapter 1

1 - "Word of the LORD" - This designates Hosea as a prophet. He is speaking on behalf of the LORD. The name Hosea means "salvation." This will actually become a big theme in throughout this book.

1 - Hosea lived in a time of great wealth and prosperity (reign of Jeroboam II). However, it was a time of great spiritual distress. People were turning away from the LORD, and focusing on their materialism/wealth and own abilities.

2 - Here's where it starts to get weird. The LORD commands Hosea to take a harlot as his bride. Here is one of the keys to understanding the book of Hosea...Let me explain:

*This call to Hosea is a picture of the LORD's relationship with Israel. He takes for himself a bride that continuously chooses against Him. Israel is unfaithful time and time again which causes strain in this "marriage." Just as a husband is hurt and angered by a wife's unfaithfulness, so is God with Israel's (and the church's) unfaithfulness.

*This is not a small thing, Calvin explains the implications for Hosea:

"Here interpreters labour much, because it seems very strange
that the Prophet should take a harlot for a wife. Some say that this
was an extraordinary case. Certainly such a license could not have
been borne in a teacher. We see what Paul requires in a bishop, and
no doubt the same was required formerly in the Prophets, that their
families should be chaste and free from every stain and reproach. It
would have then exposed the Prophet to the scorn of all, if he had
entered a brothel and taken to himself a harlot; for he speaks not
here of an unchaste woman only, but of a woman of wantonness, which
means a common harlot, for a woman of wantonness is she called, who
has long habituated herself to wantonness, who has exposed herself
to all, to gratify the wish of all, who has prostituted herself, not
once nor twice, nor to few men, but to all. That this was done by
the Prophet seems very improbable."

3-5 - Hosea listens to the LORD and becomes man who will most likely be looked down upon within his community. One could say that Hosea will become a symbol of what it means to live out God's story and not yours. Hosea would never have chosen this path.

3-5 - Gomer, more than likely, was excited that Hosea took her to be his wife, but after some unknown period of time, she became a prostitute once again.

*This is exactly what happened time and time again with Israel. They accepted God after a hard period of time and then quickly forgot about Him.

*The name Jezreel means "Scattered" - Israel will be soon scattered by the Assyrian army as discussed by the other prophets. See (2 Kings 17:20-23) for the conquering.

*The "bow" was a symbol of power, the breaking of it symbolizes their loss of it.

6 - Lo-Ruhamah means "No Mercy." I think this one speaks for itself.

8-9 - Lo-Ammi means "Not My People." It isn't that God desired to reject them as His people, but it is the people that have chosen against Him. God is not into playing games, and eventually justice must be served.

10-2:1 - Very tough verses to explain. It really depends on if you see the church as the "New Israel." Since I do, that is how I will explain it, and these verses are some evidence of this belief:

*Judgment will not last forever, redemption will some day come.
*There will once again be a "people of God" called "sons of the living God"
*They will be gathered once again...many see this being fulfilled within the church
*The mercy that is shown, is seen through Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

Chapter 2

2-5 - The discussion shifts back to Israel's judgment. "She is not my wife" means that God no longer sees Israel as His bride, but that they have broken the relationship through continuous adultery. We see the phrase 'I will go after my lovers" come from Israel. This is showing that Israel continuously went after the fleeting things of this world and basically prostituted themselves to them.

6-13 - God's Response:
*He will allow them to chase after their lovers...therefore, destroying themselves
*God will take back/stop the blessings and protection He has been giving them
*God will not provide for them
*Much like a divorce, the relationship is broken and the party who is hurt and angered (God) will not support the adulterous party (Israel).

14-20 - Once this happens God's people will once again understand how good He really is, and they will want to restore the relationship.

*Spurgeon states: "‘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."

*Valley of Achor = Valley of "Trouble" - In Joshua 7:26, we see this is the location of Achan's sin. God will transform this valley.

*God's people will once again have joy in Him / take pleasure in Him.

*There is a big difference between the words "Husband" and "Master." God longs for intimacy in relationship with His people. This happens by His bride seeing God as their "husband."

*The word "Baal" is used multiple times, basically this is coming up as an example of the idols of idols.

*This relationship is "forever," it will not be broken again.

21-23

*All three of Hosea’s children, named as marks of judgment, now have their names restored and made into marks of love, mercy, grace, and restoration!

1 Peter 2:9-10 (So Awesome!) "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Chapter 3

1 - Hosea is told to go back and love Gomer after she commits adultery!

*In Matthew 19:7-8 we see that God permits divorce in light of adultery, but He also shows that that it is not commanded as well. God desires reconciliation.

Q. Can you imagine how hard it would be to love Gomer after all this? You had compassion on a prostitute who dedicated her life/love to you and is now cheating on you.

*Hosea will be come a living example/lesson to the nation of Israel.

2-3 - Hosea purchases Gomer out of prostitution. He doesn't need to do this, but chooses to do so. Hosea wants to draw her back in to exclusive relationship with him.

4-5 - Back to Israel: These hard times will draw His people back to seek His face.

Chapter 4

1-4 - Some of the many charges are given against Israel. Once again we see courtroom language being used. God is the plaintiff, jury, and judge. Let's see some of their charges:

*They sought their own knowledge/wisdom
*They followed their own ways
*Truth was rooted in human wisdom, they neglected the absolute truth of God
*Mercy was not shown among the community
*They didn't restrain their tongues
*They committed adultery
*They stole from one another
*They lied to one another
*They committed murder, and one bloody deed led to another
*They don't listen to the priests

*The lack of knowledge: Notice that the people of Israel's actions display what knowledge they have of God. It isn't a head knowledge that the necessarily lack, but their heart/actions show what they truly believe to be true about God. With God there is no separation between knowledge and action.

9-14 - All will fall under this judgment, no one is immune to it. Each time His people did the above mentioned things it was seen as an act of adultery to God. Too many times we don't understand the fullness of what our sin is to God. This helps us get a picture. Adultery is never good, always ugly, and is not acceptable even among those who don't know God.

15 - God is telling Judah not to follow after Israel's ways.

16 - Israel is like a stubborn calf who won't listen to their shepherd. This calf will be devoured by lions because of their stubbornness.

*Ephraim was the largest tribe of Israel.

*The closing statement in chapter 4 is just scarry..."God will leave them alone." We sing a song at church that goes, "if God is on our side, who can be against us. If God is on our side we won't be afraid..." The opposite is true. If God is not on our side, who can we stand against?

Chapter 5

1-3 - Much of the same, just an intro to the next part

4-13 - Some things to see here, the steps of their fall:

*Israel's downfall started with exaltation of self, or PRIDE
*Therefore the LORD has withdrawn Himself
*Israel has committed adultery
*The LORD will bring them to ruin

Q. What areas in my life do I see pride seeping in? What must I confess to Him? How can I bring glory to him in these areas, and not myself?

*"walked by human precept" - Judah/Israel chose to walk by human wisdom and not God's wisdom.

*"moth/rottenness" - God will eat away at them and ruin them.

*"like a lion/young lion" - God will also come at them quickly and harshly. However, He will leave them at the point where they can repent and turn to Him.

Chapter 6

A further list of indictments [ chapters 6–7 ]. Except for a brief dramatization of the nation’s return to God at the outset of the passage (6:1–3), the material continues in the same vein as the preceding two chapters—an expanding list of God’s accusations of misconduct. We need to let the images and metaphors penetrate our mind and emotions and then reflect on the universality and contemporary relevance of what God is saying through his prophet Hosea. -ESVLB-

*The above paragraph lists the events in this chapter.

1-3 - A cry from Hosea to God's people: "Return to the LORD!"

*Interesting verbiage used by Hosea here in connection with Christ. Jesus was torn and stricken for our sake, and he rose on the third day.

*God blesses the pursuit of wisdom/knowledge that comes from Him.

*A farmer anticipated rain for His crops, God is refreshing like the rain and helps us grow. The grace of God is a gift much like rain is to the farmer.

4-11 - More of the Issues with Israel/Judah. They actively tried to ruin/break the covenant.

Chapter 7

1-3 - It's almost as if God's people forgot that God was watching them! That He knew what was happening. Our God is not "out of touch."

4-16 - Again, much of the same...they are running away from God and their pride and stubbornness will get them.

Q. It's easy to be hard on Israel, but analyze your life today. In what ways/areas are you not honoring God? In light of the beautiful truth founded in Jesus, what are you taking for granted? What things are you holding on to?

Q. What do you think of Hosea's willingness to do what God has asked?

Q. Is it biblical to be prideful in anything other than God?