Hosea 14

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 14

COMMENT

Chapter 14 begins with a plea by the prophet of repent, or return to the Lord. 

God responds in verse 4  "I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them."

What is the difference here, why does God turn His wrath away now? One can only surmise that this repentance is genuine. Perhaps Israel is tired of playing games or tired of not being able to gather God's forgiveness through their false actions and lips. Perhaps they have realized that God is mightier than they imagined. Or perhaps God has opened their eyes to these truths, both by His actions and His will. 

Whatever the case, listen and meditate on verse 9.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.

Hosea 13

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 13

COMMENT

Ephraim spoke, and the people revered his words. But those words were dishonest or not spoken in righteousness. Ephraim was a whore, and had sold out to other gods. 

God is still God, even when others say He is not, and God is the only one who offers salvation, through His Son, for those who believe. Those who are not saved, even though they might think otherwise, fear the Lion. Rightfully so. 

When the loin attacks, the prey wonder who will save them. But there is no one to save them from the apex predator. Their trust in other gods and idols has left them vulnerable. Their destruction is coming. And it will be devastating and complete, horrific and tragic.

Hosea 12

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 12

COMMENT

Here's what I see as I read this chapter. Israel is still guilty before God, and is deserving of punishment. The striving of Jacob, and his defeating of an angel is an interesting note in the chapter, and perhaps hints at a return to God, but the sins and arrogance of Israel are again brought in to view. 

Vs. 9,10: I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables.

God is still in charge. I wonder if the idea of again dwelling in tents means the taking away of their homes and making them nomads again. 

Hosea 11

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 11

COMMENT

I believe this chapter describes the love of God. Not that wishy-washy, prosperity gospel kind of love where God wants you to have everything. But the kind of love that shows what God does for us, and that He wants the best for us, and that best is Him. 

God cared for Israel, yet in spite of His care, they turned away to other Gods. Since they continually refused to accept His care, He gave them over to other rulers. Rulers who did not love them, who would not treat them kindly. And still, God did not desert them. For He is God, and does not love as man loves. 

Hosea 10

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 10

COMMENT

The more Israel prospered, the more altars they built, and not altars to the God of heaven. So how does that fit in to your prosperity gospel preaching? Haven't heard you use that text!

God will break down their altars. Does this speak to America too? Verses 3 and 4 tell me that could be true. 

Verse 10: When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity.

Do those words scare anyone else? Did they bother Israel? 

Verse 12: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Time to seek the Lord. It is always that time.

Hosea 9

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 9

COMMENT

Israel has played the whore and has forsaken God. As a result, they must face the consequences.

But MY God is a God of love! He would not punish or withhold His mercy! (Many would say)

Yeah, right. What good parent would discipline a child? Love does not mean giving you what you want. In fact, that is more likely the opposite of love. Those who speak in such a way basically prove that they do not really know God.

Israel has been in full-out rebellion or rejection of God. God in turn is removing His mercy, that they might repent. This is not a one-step process. Israel at first gives lip service to God, but does not have a truly repentant heart. God sees through this. The retribution is severe! I would not wish the events on this chapter on anyone. Perhaps chapter 10 will bring a better message!

Hosea 8

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 8

COMMENT

Israel claims to know God. (Vs. 2) But their actions show otherwise. I wonder how many today are int he same boat. It is what makes Jesus' comment in Matthew 7:23 so frightening, when He says, "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

There is a difference between knowing Jesus and thinking you know Jesus. It is proved by one's actions. Do we love God? Do we love others? Just following a ritualistic law, even if it is good stuff, is not evidence of knowing Jesus. In fact, it may show just the opposite.

Punishment is coming to Israel because they do not know God. They think they do, or at least they claim they do. But the God who knows the heart is not fooled. 

Vs. 14: For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds. That is just as scary as Matthew 7:23!

Hosea 7

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 7

COMMENT

It sounds as if they are trying to put one over on God, that by proclaiming a repentance, but one that is not true, they can somehow fool God. But not only is God not fooled, but He has not forgotten their past. In some regards, it is almost as if even they believe their own lie. Or perhaps they just do not know God in a way that enables them to sincerely repent, and taking as many as possible along with them in their folly.

Vs. 10: The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this.

Vs. 13-14: Woe to them, for they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

God would restore them, if they had truly repented. This is a scary thought, because I believe it is possible to believe a lie, to deceive ourselves because of what we want to be true. I believe the Bible calls it having itching ears. 

Some want to hold God to a standard that they have no business holding Him to. They say He does not fulfill His promises because the responses are not as they would have them to be. But one thing they do not take into account, that God knows the heart. He knows if the repentance is sincere, or if it is just to somehow regain God's favor. God never promised us heaven on earth, in fact, just the opposite. We are told that times of heartache and suffering would come. He tells us to pick up our cross. But that does not sell in today's Christian marketplace. 

Hosea 6

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 6

COMMENT

So much in this chapter. The Israelites decide to return to the Lord. "for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up." (Vs 1) Verse 2 seems to allude to what God will do for us in Christ. They speak of wanting to know the Lord. 

But God seems to doubt either their ability or sincerity. He tells them, "Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away." (Vs 4) Ouch! And in verse 6, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." Sound familiar? God desires mercy over sacrifice, knowledge over burnt offerings. 

But for Judah, a harvest is appointed when God will restore the fortunes of His people. Our efforts, our promises are nothing. True faithfulness comes from God and the promises that He makes.

Hosea 5

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 5

COMMENT

Guilty. They are all guilty of sin, the priests, Israel, you, me, all! The line, "For the spirit of whoredom is within them, for they do not know the Lord." (Vs 4) is so full of condemnation. This is more than a simple mistake, it is flat out rebellion. Own it! (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.")

Also, "Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. (Vs 4) It's true. Outside of some divine intervention, salvation is out of reach!

God is the answer, but they tried other remedies. (Vs. 13) But to no avail. When will it end? When they acknowledge their guilt and seek God's face. When they truly repent of their behavior and attitudes. What will bring this about? Only their distress. Only God, in love, taking away His mercy so that they can see again, and not be blinded by the good things of God, which sometimes get in the way of truly seeing God. 

Hosea 4

 SCRIPTURE

Hosea 4

COMMENT

Understanding. The people of Israel were unfaithful. Not only unfaithful, but engaging in activities that violated God's standards. As a result, they would suffer. They destroyed themselves for a lack of knowledge. The priests were held to account, because they had forgotten the law of God.

There is a special accountability for leaders. I think of the leaders of today and the crap they spew from their lips in the name of God. Their lack of knowledge is appalling, and perhaps a reason that we are headed where I believe we may be headed as a country. You can blame the politicians all you want, but ultimately we are responsible for a generation that seeks pleasure, relief, and freedom from obligation. For a generation that does not know the meaning of individual responsibility or hard work. For a generation that wants what the government can give it, ignorant of the cost or who will ultimately pay for it. 

We have forsaken God because we do not know nor do we understand Him. We attribute love to Him, and then define that love by His gifts. When things are not as we desire, we just say that He does not exist. We have no understanding or knowledge of God or truth. The only truth we will accept is our own truth. Or the truth that is put out to garner our votes. We are the whores this chapter speaks of. That is a hard truth to accept. And yet, God loves us. He pursues is in His ways. If that means He must remove His mercy for a time, He will do that. Will it lead to our repentance?

Hosea 3

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 3

COMMENT

Hosea is told to love a woman who is loved by another man, and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins. That is not just Israel this speaks of, but all who are called by God to be His children. All have gone astray. Not one does what is good. Yet God loves us, and just as He instructs Hosea to, God pursues his children. 

He instructs Hosea to offer the price of a slave for her. Fitting, the price of a slave for a slave to sin. You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so I will be to you. I believe this speaks of the repentant lifestyle that accompanies true conversion. We know belong to God Himself. We have been bought and are now His. Though we live still not seeing Him face to face, we reside as His children. Though we might suffer as one who has nothing, in reality we have everything that matters as a child of God. Seeking God, we will find Him. He will restore us in His time to all good things.

Hosea 2:16-23

 SCRIPTURE

Hosea 2:14-23

COMMENT

Ever had a relationship that was strained? That is what I think about when I read verse 16. We had a strained relationship with God, even calling him, "My Baal." That would be like calling your spouse by another name, and doing it constantly. But God reaches in and removes the names of the Baals, and our memory of them. That is the beginning of the restoration of the relationship. God restores the relationship. He creates safety. He protects. God does the healing.

Jezreel. God sows. God is the initiator. God is the provider. God is the protector. I am His people. He is my God. God restores the relationship, I respond. 

Hosea 2:1-13

SCRIPTURE

Hosea 2:1-13

COMMENT

I am still thinking about the idea that mercy is a gift from God, and not something that we should expect because we deserve it or because He owes it to us. And that God will withhold His mercy if He needs to. He does this out of love. That is a hard one for me to accept. But I have to think about mom's letter.

My mother wrote a letter to her children, and put it in her safety deposit box. She wrote it when we were still children living in her home. We did not read it until after she passed. I was in my 40's at the time. In one part of it, she explained that she would have given us everything she owned if she thought it would be the right thing to do. But she know that it was not. she knew that such a gift would spoil us and end up being wasted. I believe she was right. So she withheld it. And I appreciate her for it. I truly believe that if she thought it was the right thing to do, she  would have done it. I also believe that if she had done that, I would have misused my portion, and might have even blamed her for wasting it. She chose to withhold, an act of love.

In this passage, I believe we see the abuse of God's mercy. Even today, some say that because God is merciful, I can do whatever I please and God will forgive me. God equates such an entitled attitude by equating it with being a whore. He removes His mercy because of this attitude. But not as purely a punishment, but also as an act of love, to lead them back to Him. 

In verse 7 she states, "I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now." The start of the journey home? She still has to endure the consequences of her actions. Repentance is more than a return to home because it is a better place than where we currently are. It appears this still needs to be discovered, as God's mercy has yet to return.

Hosea 1:10-11

 SCRIPTURE

Hosea 1:10-11

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

COMMENT

Does this contradict the idea where God just called Israel, "Not my people," and told them he is not their God?

I have to admit, I am not an Old Testament scholar, but also do not want to shy away from the Old Testament. But is is confusing. My best thinking at this point is this, Israel has left God. While God has called Israel His chosen people, not all Israel are Israel. By that I mean that not all who call themselves or a a part of the physical Israel and a part of the chosen Spiritual Israel. 

Israel had shunned God's mercy. God had favored them, and they drifted away from the source of their blessing and became enthralled with the gifts, forgetting about the giver. So God, in an act of mercy, withdrew his favor and mercy from them. Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary says this, "Mercy is remembered in the midst of wrath; the rejection, as it shall not be total, so it shall not be final. The same hand that wounded, is stretched forth to heal." I find that powerful. God is not interested in our prosperity, He wants our soul to be righteous. If we cannot handle that in prosperity, then to heal us spiritually, the only recourse is to remove the prosperity that we might see the mercy. 

We should note that in the end, God's mercy is restored. "And in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.' And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head." (See Romans 9:25,26 and 1 Peter 2:10 also.) Some might take offense when God removes His mercy. But that is because they are only thinking of themselves, and not of God, His righteousness, or even their own righteousness. They are still focused on the gifts, and not the giver, who is the source of righteousness. But the gifts are not the answer. They do not offer absolution. They do not remove fear or anxiety or healing of any kind. They are just material items. Peace comes through trust. 

Even God's mercy is a gift. I don't know that I ever really truly thought about that. But is not a gift like a car, house, or cash. It is a gift like the air we breathe or the rain that waters the crops. So when God withholds that gift, even for a moment, it is then that we fully recognize the value of that gift.

Hosea 1:4-9

 SCRIPTURE

Hosea 1:4-9

And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

COMMENT

Imagine, with all of the political correctness going on today, that someone were to name their children such names. Think of the damage to their psyche. 

Jezreel means, "God will sow." Not bad as far as names go. But let's think about the meaning. We hear so much about Karma, and people defend it using the words, "A man reaps what he sows." And this is true, but not in the karma way that most want to use it. If you sow bad actions, expect bad results. That won't keep you from winning the lottery, but it will have consequences. Here, it states that God will sow. It is not man's actions that determine his fate, it is God's. And sow He will as He promises to put an end to the house of Israel.

The daughter's name is No Mercy. Interesting for a God of mercy to say that He will have no mercy on Israel, but will have mercy on Judah. But isn't that how mercy works? Isn't mercy up to the giver? The receiver can beg and plead, but cannot force mercy out of another. If he could, would it be mercy? We know that God is merciful, but being merciful does not mean mercy in every instance. That is what we want. But that is not how mercy works.

The third child, a son, is called Not My People. Maybe those are typical names for the children of prophets, but this seems harsh as well. All along, Israel was the chosen people. Now they have lost that status? Or perhaps is it just transferred to Judah alone? I must say, this is a powerful and confusing turn of events for the people of Israel.

Hosea 1:2,3

SCRIPTURE

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

COMMENT

So basically, Hosea was TOLD to take a wife of unfaithfulness. Someone who maybe was a prostitute, or perhaps just a woman who Hosea know would not remain faithful. God immediately sets the reasoning, as this would be a parallel to what was going on in the rest of Israel. That is a tough thought, to wed to someone who was either already a prostitute, or even someone who was not but would not remain faithful, or both! 

God, however, is faithful. In spite of what Israel was doing, or what we do, God lives up to His promises. Not the promises we want to hear, but the ones that He actually makes. Israel was His chosen people. They did not deserve it. In fact, according to Scripture, God would have been justified in divorcing them, for they had been unfaithful. But God did not. He suffered through their unfaithfulness. I have a feeling that the picture we are about to see would make many an evangelical blush. How could God ask such a thing? But maybe what we need to really ask is, how could Israel do it? Or better yet, how could we?

Why Hosea?

Hosea

I have always been intrigued by the book of Hosea. The idea of God telling one of his prophets to marry a prostitute seems to really go against everything one would think about God. But perhaps that is part of the reason He did it. Things needed to be shaken up! I a world where someone like Paul would not be hired by most churches, God seems to constantly use such people to accomplish His purposes.

According to Bible.org, "The Book of Hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the Lord." (Here) I think that that is a constant danger for believers, and worthy of pursuit and understanding.