Hosea Summary
Vital Statistics
Purpose:
To illustrate God’s love for His sinful people.
Author:
Hosea son of Beeri (“Hosea means salvation)
To Whom Written:
Israel (the northern kingdom) and God’s people everywhere.
Date Written:
Approximately 715 B.C. recording events from about 753-715 B.C.
Setting:
Hosea begins his ministry during the end of the prosperous but morally declining reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (the upper classes were doing well, but they were oppressing the poor). He prophesied until shortly after the fall of Samaria in 723 B.C.
Key Verse:
3:1 - Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover [fn] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."
Key People:
Hosea, Gomer, their children
Key Places:
The northern kingdom(Israel), Samaria, Ephraim
Special Features:
Hosea employs many images from daily life – God is depicted as husband, father, lion, leopard, bear, dew, rain, moth, and others. Israel is pictured as wife, sick person, vine, grapes, early fig, olive tree, woman in childbirth, oven, morning mist, chaff, and smoke, to name a few
Megathemes:
Theme
Explanation
Importance
The nation’s sin
Just as Hosea’s wife, Gomer was unfaithful to him, so was the nation of Israel had been unfaithful to God. Israel’s idolatry was like adultery. They sought illicit relationships with Assyria and Egypt in pursuit of military might, and they mixed Baal worship with the worship of God
Like Gomer, we can chase after other loves - love of power, pleasure, money, or recognition. The temptation in this world can be very seductive. Are we loyal to God, remaining completely faithful, or have other loves Taken His rightful place?
God’s Judgment
Hosea solemnly warned Judah against following Israel’s example. Because Judah broke the covenant, turned away from God, and forgot her Maker, she experienced a devastating invasion and exile. Sin has terrible consequences
Disaster surely follows ingratitude toward God and rebellion. The Lord is our only true refuge> If we harden our hearts against him, there is no safety or security anywhere else. We cannot escape God’s judgment.
God’s Love
Just as Hosea went after his unfaithful wife to bring her back, so the lord pursues us with his love. His love is tender, loyal, unchanging, and undying. No matter what, God still loves us.
Have you forgotten God and become disloyal to Him? Don’t let prosperity diminish your love for Him or let success blind you to your need for His love.
Restoration
Although God will discipline His people for sin, He encourages and restores those who have repented. True repentance opens the way to a new beginning. God forgives and restores
There is still hope for those who turn back to God. No loyalty, achievement, or honor can be compared to loving Him. Turn to the Lord while the offer is still good. No matter how far you have strayed. God is willing to bring you back.
The Blueprint:
Hosea’s Wayward Wife (1:1 – 3:5)
Hosea was commanded by God to marry a woman who was unfaithful in marriage and would cause him many heartaches. Just as Gomer lost interest in Hosea and ran after other lovers, we too can easily lose appreciation for our special relationship with God and pursue dreams and goals that do not include Him. When we compromise our Christian lifestyles and adopt the ways of the world, we are being unfaithful.
God’s Wayward People (4:1 – 14:9))
Israel’s sinfulness
Israel’s punishment
God’s love for Israel
God wanted the people in the northern kingdom to turn from their sin and return to worshiping Him alone, but they persisted in their wickedness. Throughout the book Israel is described as ignorant of God, with no desire to please Him. Israel did not understand God at all, just as Gomer did not understand Hosea. Like a loving husband or patient father, God wants people to know Him and turn to Him daily.
-----------------------------------------End of Notes -------------------------------------------------
Monday, April 26, 2010
Chapters 12-14
Hosea Chapter 12
Why was the east wind mentioned in verse 1?
The east wind is considered to be one of the most dangerous and destructive of all winds. It was and still is considered parching, wasting ad injurious winds in most countries. What God is telling them that they have put themselves in harms way by trusting all the superpowers of the time and not trusting God. They have paid off these superpowers and made deals with them instead of falling on their knees and depending on the Lord.
What does Jacob have to do with Hosea’s prophetic word? (verse 2-6)
When we go back into the book of Genesis and read about Jacob you see that he took his brother by the heel in the womb. The phrase “heel-catcher’ symbolized a person who could not be trusted a person who achieved what they wanted by any means. They would perform dishonest acts and trough crafty and cunning means to deceive people to get what they wanted. They were considered to be a double-dealer. God is telling Israel that they remind Him of Jacob’s double dealing. We see that the patriarch Jacob struggled with God (Gen:32:24-30) and didn’t want to submit to God, we see the same thing happening in Israel at the time of Hosea. Can you image physically wrestling with God. Well Jacob won the match but why did God allow him to win. We see that after winning and while hanging onto God he wept. First what is meant by prevailing against God? We actually prevail against God when we lose and have to surrender to God. He tell on to God and sought favor, he wanted Gods blessing. God is telling Israel to hold onto Him with all their heart and surrender. We cannot ever return to God without His help, we need to have a true dependency on His loving Kindness.
What type of punishment will befall Israel?? (verse 7-11)
At this point we know that Israel still hasn’t turned back to God. They are both being cunning and deceitful which is why they were called Canaanites. A Canaanite probably meant some form of merchant because they were known for that. Now remember that Israel was probably also in a prosperity at this time. But God will now make them lose everything and they will be forced to live in tents. This is because they will be exiled and be forced to give up everything.
What is the connection between Jacob flee to Syria and Israel? (verse 12)
Israel like Jacob was going to be exiled. Jacob fled his brother Esau when he went to his Uncle Laban house in Syria in search for a wife. This was the connection that Israel was now to be exiled also.
What is the reproach being given to Israel.? (verse 13-14)
No matter how many prophets God sends, Israel still doesn’t listen. He will give them back to slavery by using Egypt. This is where they will be exiled to..
Hosea Chapter 13
Why was meant by the morning clouds and why? (verse 1-3)
The answer is pretty simply, just like morning clouds or early dew, etc. everything there mentioned fades away. It exists only for a short time. They continue to worship Baal and the use of the statement “The men who sacrifice” could possible refer to human sacrifice which was practiced at that time. It should be noted that they usually sacrificed children. You can refer to Hsa 9:13 and Hsa 5:2. to see where it was also stated. Hubbard stated
“Viewed together, the sin is a total perversion of values. A craftsman’s work is elevated to divine status; human beings sacrifice their offspring to a metal object from whose lifeless form they also beg help; persons embrace with adulation the images of the very animals that they use for ploughing, threshing and hauling.”
In verses 4-6, what is God telling Israel?
He is telling them that when they really need something they turn to God and at other times when things are going good they forget who God is. The people change like the wind but God is the same everyday, yes, yesterday today and tomorrow. He never changes and His love for us is great enough that He would allow His precious Son to go through all He did so that we can spend eternity with Him. Yet we don’t give Him enough of our time.
Why use the Lion, Leopard and Bear in verse 7-8?
According to Wood
“The three mentioned - lion, leopard, and bear - were all native to Palestine and known for their relentless manner of killing prey.”
Who can help Israel at this time? (verse 9)
God is the only one that can help Israel at this time. All they have to do is repent and turn back to Him.
What happened to the king Israel wanted? (Verse 10-11)
According to Guzak,
“God wanted to be recognized as the King of Israel, no matter which man sat on the royal throne. When they rejected the Lord as King, He gave them the kind of kings their hearts wanted and deserved, and then even took those kings as further judgment.”
If we all remember Israel wanted to be like everybody else they wanted a king. They were never happy with just God being the King of their lives.
What is verses 12-16 showing us.
The terrible judgment that will befall Israel. Childbirth shows us the labor pains which come unexpected and last in duration. Didn’t Eve have to go through childbirth for her sin? It was said in my notes that Paul referenced Has 13:14 in 1 Corr 15:55 which states:
"O Death, where [is] your sting? [fn] O Hades, where [is] your victory?"
This was said when describing the resurrection of Jesus and the triumph over death.
Hosea Chapter 14
In verse 2 what does the words “take words with you” mean?
God just doesn’t want them to return to Him, He is looking for true words of repentance. It’s real easy just to lower your head when you do something wrong but we need to express to God the love we have for Him and the feeling of sorrow that we have disobeyed Him. David Guzak say it very nicely:
When we come before the Lord, it is essential to take words with you. There is a place for sharing the inarticulate feelings of the heart with God, but that is not the essence of fellowship and prayer with Him. The worship of God is intelligent, and God made us able to communicate ideas and feelings with words. It isn’t enough to sit before the Lord and feel love towards Him. Instead, take words with you - tell God that you love Him. It isn’t enough to feel repentance before the Lord. Instead, take words with you and tell God you repent before Him.
This is the same idea that Paul expressed in Romans 10:8-10: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. God commands us to communicate with Him in words, not only ideas or feelings.
What words do we take with us? Take the words God gives you in His Word! When we communicate to God in the words and ideas of Scripture, we find an articulate and effective voice before God.
We need to always be in front of the Lord worshipping Him and telling Him how much we love Him. We need to ask for forgiveness for any of the wrongs we have done. If the angels and the saints can be in heaven praising and worshipping Him all the time that may be a lesson for our lives. This will also be good practice since that is what we will be doing when we join Him. We need to humble ourselves at the foot of Jesus. We need to truly return to the Lord and tell Him of His greatness and how merciful He is.
What does God promise a repentant Israel? (verse 4-7)
From David Guzak:
I will heal their backsliding: God saw that Israel was bent on backsliding from Him (Hosea 11:7), but He promises to heal the backsliding of a repentant Israel. He does it not because Israel now deserves it, but because it is in His nature to love them freely.
i. The word is compassionate: I will heal their backsliding. This shows God looks on our backsliding more like a disease than a crime. He does not say, “I will pardon their backsliding.” It is “as though he said, ‘My poor people, I do remember that they are but dust; they are liable to a thousand temptations through the fall, and they soon go astray; but I will not treat them as though they were rebels, I will look upon them as patients, and they shall look upon me as a physician.’” (Spurgeon)
ii. The word is certain: I will heal their backsliding. Not “I might heal” or “I could heal” or “I can try to heal,” but I will heal their backsliding. Come to God for healing of your backsliding, and He will do it! God is too great a physician to allow any patient to leave His office without being healed.
iii. The word is personal: I will heal their backsliding. He speaks to His people, and addresses them personally. We have to come to the Great Physician and say, “Heal my backsliding. I want to be the ‘their.’” To get the healing, you have to count yourself among the backsliders.
iv. Are you backsliding? The signs may not be so obvious to others. When you see a tree broken over in a windstorm, it’s easy to think that it was the wind. If you look closer, you will often see that insects have been at work a long time on the tree, making it weaker and weaker. It really wasn’t the wind that did it - other trees around it withstood the wind. It was the slow decline of strength, as insects nibbled away month after month.
b. This passage shows us what is restored when we return to the Lord.
Growth is restored (He shall grow)
Beauty is restored (He shall grow like the lily)
Strength is restored (lengthen his roots like Lebanon)
Value is restored (His beauty shall be like an olive tree)
Delight is restored (His fragrance like Lebanon)
Abundance is restored (revived like grain . . . grow like the vine . . . scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon)
c. His branches will spread: When God restores Israel, he will be a blessing to others, not blessed only unto himself
.
Free from idols and walking now in wisdom (verse 8-9)
From David Guzak:
What have I to do anymore with idols? When God’s people are healed from backsliding, they focus on the Lord Himself and not on any kind of idol.
Your fruit is found in Me: At one time, Israel thought they might find fruit in themselves or in the idols of the nations. Now, healed of their backsliding, they find their fruit only in God.
Your fruit is found in Me can have two ideas, equally true. First, we find the fruit to nourish our soul in God, and God alone. Second, we find the fruit that we are to bear unto the world in God, and God alone.
Who is wise? The wise man will see the message throughout the Book of Hosea. He will understand that in His mercy, God offers a wonderful opportunity for repentance and restoration, and it is dangerous and foolish to neglect that invitation.
The ways of the Lord are right: Even in the midst of promised judgment, the wise and understanding man sees that the ways of the Lord are right, and that ever announcement of judgment is an invitation to repentance.
i. “In beauty of expression these final words of Hosea rank with the memorable chapters of the OT. Like the rainbow after a storm, they promise Israel’s final restoration. Here is the full flowering of God’s unfailing love for his faithless people, the triumph of his grace, the assurance of his healing - all described in imagery that reveals the loving heart of God.” (Wood)
Charles Suurgeon said of Chapter 14:
“This is a wonderful chapter to be at the end of such a book. I had never expected from such a prickly shrub to gather so fair a flower, so sweet a fruit; but so it is: where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. No chapter in the Bible can be more rich in mercy than this last of Hosea; and yet no chapter in the Bible might, in the natural order of things, have been more terrible in judgment. Where we looked for the blackness of darkness, behold a noontide of light!”.
-----------------------------------------End of Notes -------------------------------------------------
Why was the east wind mentioned in verse 1?
The east wind is considered to be one of the most dangerous and destructive of all winds. It was and still is considered parching, wasting ad injurious winds in most countries. What God is telling them that they have put themselves in harms way by trusting all the superpowers of the time and not trusting God. They have paid off these superpowers and made deals with them instead of falling on their knees and depending on the Lord.
What does Jacob have to do with Hosea’s prophetic word? (verse 2-6)
When we go back into the book of Genesis and read about Jacob you see that he took his brother by the heel in the womb. The phrase “heel-catcher’ symbolized a person who could not be trusted a person who achieved what they wanted by any means. They would perform dishonest acts and trough crafty and cunning means to deceive people to get what they wanted. They were considered to be a double-dealer. God is telling Israel that they remind Him of Jacob’s double dealing. We see that the patriarch Jacob struggled with God (Gen:32:24-30) and didn’t want to submit to God, we see the same thing happening in Israel at the time of Hosea. Can you image physically wrestling with God. Well Jacob won the match but why did God allow him to win. We see that after winning and while hanging onto God he wept. First what is meant by prevailing against God? We actually prevail against God when we lose and have to surrender to God. He tell on to God and sought favor, he wanted Gods blessing. God is telling Israel to hold onto Him with all their heart and surrender. We cannot ever return to God without His help, we need to have a true dependency on His loving Kindness.
What type of punishment will befall Israel?? (verse 7-11)
At this point we know that Israel still hasn’t turned back to God. They are both being cunning and deceitful which is why they were called Canaanites. A Canaanite probably meant some form of merchant because they were known for that. Now remember that Israel was probably also in a prosperity at this time. But God will now make them lose everything and they will be forced to live in tents. This is because they will be exiled and be forced to give up everything.
What is the connection between Jacob flee to Syria and Israel? (verse 12)
Israel like Jacob was going to be exiled. Jacob fled his brother Esau when he went to his Uncle Laban house in Syria in search for a wife. This was the connection that Israel was now to be exiled also.
What is the reproach being given to Israel.? (verse 13-14)
No matter how many prophets God sends, Israel still doesn’t listen. He will give them back to slavery by using Egypt. This is where they will be exiled to..
Hosea Chapter 13
Why was meant by the morning clouds and why? (verse 1-3)
The answer is pretty simply, just like morning clouds or early dew, etc. everything there mentioned fades away. It exists only for a short time. They continue to worship Baal and the use of the statement “The men who sacrifice” could possible refer to human sacrifice which was practiced at that time. It should be noted that they usually sacrificed children. You can refer to Hsa 9:13 and Hsa 5:2. to see where it was also stated. Hubbard stated
“Viewed together, the sin is a total perversion of values. A craftsman’s work is elevated to divine status; human beings sacrifice their offspring to a metal object from whose lifeless form they also beg help; persons embrace with adulation the images of the very animals that they use for ploughing, threshing and hauling.”
In verses 4-6, what is God telling Israel?
He is telling them that when they really need something they turn to God and at other times when things are going good they forget who God is. The people change like the wind but God is the same everyday, yes, yesterday today and tomorrow. He never changes and His love for us is great enough that He would allow His precious Son to go through all He did so that we can spend eternity with Him. Yet we don’t give Him enough of our time.
Why use the Lion, Leopard and Bear in verse 7-8?
According to Wood
“The three mentioned - lion, leopard, and bear - were all native to Palestine and known for their relentless manner of killing prey.”
Who can help Israel at this time? (verse 9)
God is the only one that can help Israel at this time. All they have to do is repent and turn back to Him.
What happened to the king Israel wanted? (Verse 10-11)
According to Guzak,
“God wanted to be recognized as the King of Israel, no matter which man sat on the royal throne. When they rejected the Lord as King, He gave them the kind of kings their hearts wanted and deserved, and then even took those kings as further judgment.”
If we all remember Israel wanted to be like everybody else they wanted a king. They were never happy with just God being the King of their lives.
What is verses 12-16 showing us.
The terrible judgment that will befall Israel. Childbirth shows us the labor pains which come unexpected and last in duration. Didn’t Eve have to go through childbirth for her sin? It was said in my notes that Paul referenced Has 13:14 in 1 Corr 15:55 which states:
"O Death, where [is] your sting? [fn] O Hades, where [is] your victory?"
This was said when describing the resurrection of Jesus and the triumph over death.
Hosea Chapter 14
In verse 2 what does the words “take words with you” mean?
God just doesn’t want them to return to Him, He is looking for true words of repentance. It’s real easy just to lower your head when you do something wrong but we need to express to God the love we have for Him and the feeling of sorrow that we have disobeyed Him. David Guzak say it very nicely:
When we come before the Lord, it is essential to take words with you. There is a place for sharing the inarticulate feelings of the heart with God, but that is not the essence of fellowship and prayer with Him. The worship of God is intelligent, and God made us able to communicate ideas and feelings with words. It isn’t enough to sit before the Lord and feel love towards Him. Instead, take words with you - tell God that you love Him. It isn’t enough to feel repentance before the Lord. Instead, take words with you and tell God you repent before Him.
This is the same idea that Paul expressed in Romans 10:8-10: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. God commands us to communicate with Him in words, not only ideas or feelings.
What words do we take with us? Take the words God gives you in His Word! When we communicate to God in the words and ideas of Scripture, we find an articulate and effective voice before God.
We need to always be in front of the Lord worshipping Him and telling Him how much we love Him. We need to ask for forgiveness for any of the wrongs we have done. If the angels and the saints can be in heaven praising and worshipping Him all the time that may be a lesson for our lives. This will also be good practice since that is what we will be doing when we join Him. We need to humble ourselves at the foot of Jesus. We need to truly return to the Lord and tell Him of His greatness and how merciful He is.
What does God promise a repentant Israel? (verse 4-7)
From David Guzak:
I will heal their backsliding: God saw that Israel was bent on backsliding from Him (Hosea 11:7), but He promises to heal the backsliding of a repentant Israel. He does it not because Israel now deserves it, but because it is in His nature to love them freely.
i. The word is compassionate: I will heal their backsliding. This shows God looks on our backsliding more like a disease than a crime. He does not say, “I will pardon their backsliding.” It is “as though he said, ‘My poor people, I do remember that they are but dust; they are liable to a thousand temptations through the fall, and they soon go astray; but I will not treat them as though they were rebels, I will look upon them as patients, and they shall look upon me as a physician.’” (Spurgeon)
ii. The word is certain: I will heal their backsliding. Not “I might heal” or “I could heal” or “I can try to heal,” but I will heal their backsliding. Come to God for healing of your backsliding, and He will do it! God is too great a physician to allow any patient to leave His office without being healed.
iii. The word is personal: I will heal their backsliding. He speaks to His people, and addresses them personally. We have to come to the Great Physician and say, “Heal my backsliding. I want to be the ‘their.’” To get the healing, you have to count yourself among the backsliders.
iv. Are you backsliding? The signs may not be so obvious to others. When you see a tree broken over in a windstorm, it’s easy to think that it was the wind. If you look closer, you will often see that insects have been at work a long time on the tree, making it weaker and weaker. It really wasn’t the wind that did it - other trees around it withstood the wind. It was the slow decline of strength, as insects nibbled away month after month.
b. This passage shows us what is restored when we return to the Lord.
Growth is restored (He shall grow)
Beauty is restored (He shall grow like the lily)
Strength is restored (lengthen his roots like Lebanon)
Value is restored (His beauty shall be like an olive tree)
Delight is restored (His fragrance like Lebanon)
Abundance is restored (revived like grain . . . grow like the vine . . . scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon)
c. His branches will spread: When God restores Israel, he will be a blessing to others, not blessed only unto himself
.
Free from idols and walking now in wisdom (verse 8-9)
From David Guzak:
What have I to do anymore with idols? When God’s people are healed from backsliding, they focus on the Lord Himself and not on any kind of idol.
Your fruit is found in Me: At one time, Israel thought they might find fruit in themselves or in the idols of the nations. Now, healed of their backsliding, they find their fruit only in God.
Your fruit is found in Me can have two ideas, equally true. First, we find the fruit to nourish our soul in God, and God alone. Second, we find the fruit that we are to bear unto the world in God, and God alone.
Who is wise? The wise man will see the message throughout the Book of Hosea. He will understand that in His mercy, God offers a wonderful opportunity for repentance and restoration, and it is dangerous and foolish to neglect that invitation.
The ways of the Lord are right: Even in the midst of promised judgment, the wise and understanding man sees that the ways of the Lord are right, and that ever announcement of judgment is an invitation to repentance.
i. “In beauty of expression these final words of Hosea rank with the memorable chapters of the OT. Like the rainbow after a storm, they promise Israel’s final restoration. Here is the full flowering of God’s unfailing love for his faithless people, the triumph of his grace, the assurance of his healing - all described in imagery that reveals the loving heart of God.” (Wood)
Charles Suurgeon said of Chapter 14:
“This is a wonderful chapter to be at the end of such a book. I had never expected from such a prickly shrub to gather so fair a flower, so sweet a fruit; but so it is: where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. No chapter in the Bible can be more rich in mercy than this last of Hosea; and yet no chapter in the Bible might, in the natural order of things, have been more terrible in judgment. Where we looked for the blackness of darkness, behold a noontide of light!”.
-----------------------------------------End of Notes -------------------------------------------------
Friday, April 9, 2010
Hosea 8-11
Hosea Chapter 8
What was the meaning of sounding the Trumpet? (verse 1)
Trumpets were used as a call to arms. Trumpets would sound to gather God’s people or the troops to battle. In this case it is a pending judgment on Israel the Assyrians were going to attack and God was allowing it for their transgressions.
Why was Israel going to be attacked? (verses 2-6)
We have read it throughout the book so far, because they put idols before God. There heart was never for God even though they might have though it. They kept going to outside sources for help and thanking everyone but God for what they had. Their total rejection of God has brought this upon them and they are at fault. It is the same for the church today many claim to know Christ but are we willing to put Him first in our lives. Do we as a church resemble Matt 7:22-23:
Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
We need to pray every minute of the day that we never fall into that category that we have put all the hay and stubble of this earth before our Lord and Savior.
We always get caught and have to pay the piper. Tell me what you see in verses 7-10. Also look to see if there are any Blessings hidden in those verses.
We as humans always think that the punishment is to hard for what we have done. I remember back when I was a kid and complained about being sent to my room or something being taken away as that not being fair. Usually as parents we can see that it was our nature back then and now that were parents we wait until the final straw before we issue a punishment. So lets look at Israel they have turned from God for a long period, this just didn’t happen over night. Their punishment like all punishment will be dealt to them at one time; it may last a while but will happen in a single instance. But even though the Assyrians will devour them and they would be exiled, He will still gather them together again one day.
Why would God not accept Israel’s offerings??(verse 11-13).
First we have to look at something very important here. In verse 12
I have written for him the great things of My law
God right here is proclaiming that He wrote the Bible, He is the Author. Spurgeon said it well:
“This volume is the writing of the living God: each fetter was penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips, each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit.”
Spurgeon also writes:
“If this be the Word of God, what will become of some of you who have not read it for the last month? Most people treat the Bible very politely . . . When they get home, they lay it up in a drawer till next Sunday morning; then it comes out again for a little bit of a treat and goes to chapel; that is all the poor Bible gets in the way of an airing. That is your style of entertaining this heavenly messenger. There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write “damnation” with your fingers.”
He also states regarding the statement “the great things of My law”
“This tells us the content of the Bible - great things. “The Bible treats of great things, and of great things only. There is nothing in this Bible which is unimportant. Every verse in it has a solemn meaning, and if we have not found it out yet, we hope yet to do it.”
And in the second half of that verse Spurgeon states about the statement “they were considered a strange thing “
“Sometimes people reject the Bible because they think “science” is superior. “But the science of Jesus Christ is the most excellent of sciences. Let no one turn away from the Bible, because it is not a book of learning and wisdom. It is. Would ye know astronomy? It is here: it tells you of the Sun of Righteousness and the Star of Bethlehem. Would you know botany? It is here: it tells you of the plant of renown-the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon. Would you know geology and mineralogy? You shall learn it here: for you may read of the Rock of Ages, and the White Stone with a name graven thereon, which no man knoweth, saying he that receiveth it. Would ye study history? Here is the most ancient of all the records of the history of the human race. Whatever your science is, come and bend o’er this book; your science is here.”
In general the people of Israel were only giving GOD their second best at the most. They were still sinning and idolatry was still running rampart. GOD wants our first fruits, He want to be the primary driving force in our lives. He will not accept second best.
There is no hiding from God (verse 14)
Nothing else to say, no where to go and hide. Ask Adam and Eve.
Hosea Chapter 9
Why won’t there be laughter in Israel?
Israel is told not to rejoice. Boice stated:
“It was probably the case, though we do not know this for sure, that Hosea delivered the opening part of this oracle as a sermon on the occasion of a harvest festival . . . characterized by feasting, mirth, and dancing.”
This was the warning that judgment is now going to befall them.
They practiced idolatry on the floors where grain was processed. They believed that it helped the harvest. These areas were now going to be cursed by God. This kind of reminds me of the way Halloween is celebrated.
They were going to be exiled (kicked out) from Israel and sent to Egypt and Assyria. They will barely have enough to eat since their harvest will no longer be blessed by God. It should be noted that reading into this I think that God is still going to provide for their needs and not their wants and as stated it will not be accepted as sacrifice from God.
They will no longer be able to honor the God on the appointed feast days.
They called Hosea a fool and an insane man. Because up to now everything was probably going well in Israel they thought him to be both insane and crazy. I remember as a young working man in New York City on the corner of the corporate headquarters of the firm I worked in, a man carried a sign stating the “End is near, repent”. Yes he carried it every day no matter the weather and we thought of him as crazy and insane. Oh Lord forgive me for not seeing the real message and not being an obedient servant.
As in the days of Gibeah:
Judges 19
And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.” So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.” And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate. And when the man stood to depart--he and his concubine and his servant--his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home.” However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that [is], Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine [was] also with him. They [were] near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.” But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who [are] not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah. "So he said to his servant, "Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah. "And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into [his] house to spend the night. Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also [was] from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place [were] Benjamites. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from? "So he said to him, "We [are] passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I [am] from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; [now] I am going to the house of the LORD. But there [is] no one who will take me into his house, although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man [who is] with your servant; [there is] no lack of anything.” And the old man said, "Peace [be] with you! However, [let] all your needs [be] my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.” So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house [and] beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him [carnally]!"But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act [so] wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. Look, [here is] my virgin daughter and [the man's] concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!” But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought [her] out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master [was], till it was light. When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen [at] the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, "Get up and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!"
They went to Baal Peor (Numbers 25)
They became an abomination like the thing they loved
No Birth, No Pregnancy and no conception.
What does Verse 10 mean regarding grapes and first fruits?
Who wouldn’t love to be in the wilderness and find fresh grapes? Everyone would be delighted with that and so God was with their ancestors. God loved the people of Israel. This was the time they obeyed Him and served Him. Also the reference to the figs again showed what a blessing the people of Israel were to God when they honored Him.
What is reflected in verse 14?
Hosea first wanted to be angry in his prayer and ask for the people to be punished. He than stopped and showed mercy. According to Guzak:
“Sometimes those who see themselves - perhaps accurately - as more spiritual and closer to God than others in a church or group get angry and frustrated with those who don’t seem to have hearts burning for the Lord. Their frustration is understandable but the pause in Hosea’s prayer should give them pause. It is a good thing to long for revival and spiritual passion among God’s people, but if that makes us proud, angry, or bitter against others then Satan has won a great victory.”
Can you tell how mad GOD is with Israel (verses 15-17)
As mentioned before in Hosea 4:15, God despised the city of Gilgal as a center of idolatry in Israel. At one time, Gilgal was a place where prophets were trained under Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:1; 4:38). But in Hosea’s day it had become a center of false worship (Hosea 4:15; 12:11; Amos 4:4; 5:5). God would drive them out of His land, they would be exiled. They had dishonored His house. One of the major reasons Israel went after idols like Baal and Ashtoreth was because those gods were thought to bring fertility and fruitfulness. God reminds Israel that He is really the Lord over the womb, and that He will turn their fruitfulness into barrenness. They are being cast away as promised under the terms of the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:24-28). Thankfully, we can come to God by faith in a new and better covenant, where He promises to remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:16-17).
Hosea Chapter 10
What are we doing with what God gives us?(verse 1-2)
God has given so much to Israel, but they give nothing back to Him. They create altars for all their false gods and idols and give God second best if they give Him anything at all. Even though God has given all this to us He may also take it away. Israel has not learned to put God first in everything they do, instead they went to false gods and idols. God will break down their altars.
Everything is Taken away from Israel (verse 3-8)
They have lost their king and all their idols are taken away from them. The countries that have taken over now have their own rulers in place. They have also taken all their idols from them. Because of this all the altars they have built to worship idols and false gods will no longer be used and they will fall to disrepair and crumble. They are learning that only God goes on forever everything else will just crumble and vanish in their lives.
God tells Israel to see their wicked ways and turn back to Him. (verse 9-12)
God again reminds them of what had happen in Gibeah and shows them they need to repent and turn from their sins/ways. He tells them that He will bring them back thru loving guidance. He shall control their ways for them since they cannot control themselves. They are still sowing the seed of sin in their lives but God tells them that if they sow the seed of righteousness they would reap mercy. They need to open their hearts back to God and break up the hardness they have. Seeds on fallow ground are useless, unless they till the soil (open up their hearts) nothing will change.
Who do you trust in your life?? (verse 13-15)
Don’t we think we could do things better on own way. How often do we really sit back and just pray for God’s wisdom and intervention in out lives. Yes we pray but are we willing to go the distance. Too often we go to fellow man for advice and help but where we should be going is to God. We need to trust God for our needs and believe in all our heart that He will provide and take care of us as a mother takes care of their children.
Hosea Chapter 11
Does Verse 1 Have any other type of meaning?
This is an “unexpected prophecy” fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Matthew 2:15 shows how the words “out of Egypt I called My son” were fulfilled when the child Jesus returned from Egypt after escaping there on the eve of Herod’s massacre of the innocents.
Mat 2:15 and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
Baal is always out there (verse 2)
God called Israel out of Egypt, but the idolatry of the Baal’s called to Israel, and they forsook the Lord and followed the Baal’s (the local deities of Canaan).
God’s Tender Love is portrayed (verse 3-4)
God has always been there for us but how often do we recognize it. How often do we show Him thanks for all he has done and will do for us. He doesn’t beat us over the head but gently guides us. Look at the expressions of love shown to us. I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by the arm, drew them with gentle cords, etc. Don’t we wish for our lives that we always remain that gentle? He removed the yoke and the best yet I think is stooped and fed them. Just think your God humbled himself to care for His people. We also see this in Jesus as in Philippians 2.
From Chastening to Sympathy (verse 5-9)
God is telling us that even though they are warned, the people of Israel still will not exalt God or repent from their ways. It does suggest with the use of the word ‘backsliding’ that they were at one time truly walking with the Lord. Again and again we see them call upon the Lord but not really mean it. But again God never gives up on us, even though they were to be punished, His heart was in sorrow for them. He decides that it will not be total destruction. And He’s doing it because
9: - “for I [am] God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee:”
Spurgeon wrote of God’s forgiveness:
What passes for forgiveness among men is nothing like the amazing forgiveness of God. “Suppose that someone had grievously offended any one of you, and that he asked your forgiveness, do you not think that you would probably say to him, ‘Well, yes, I forgive you; but I - I - I - cannot forget it’? Ah! dear friends, that is a sort of forgiveness with one leg chopped off, it is a lame forgiveness, and is not worth much.”
What are the differences between man and God in the matter of Forgiveness?
God is telling us that even thought they are warned the people of Israel still will not exalt Him
· Man cannot hold back his anger very long
· Man cannot bear with others when he is tired, stressed, or annoyed
· Man will not reconcile if the person who offended him is a person of bad character
· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party craves forgiveness and makes the first move
· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party will never again do the wrong
· Man, when he does reconcile, does not lift the former offender to place of high status and partnership
· Man, when he is wronged, does not bear all the penalty for the wrong done
· Man, when he attempts reconciliation, will not continue if he is rejected
· Man will not restore an offender without a period of probation
· Man will not love, adopt, honor, and associate with one who has wronged him
· Man will not trust someone who has formerly wronged them
God will call Israel Back. (verse 10-12)
God is promising Israel that He will bring them together again. He is showing mercy toward all of Israel not only of Ephraim. Even knowing that Ephraim is still deceiving Him the Lord will show mercy. He also states that Judah is in a better place right now but still we see that they to have been warned.
What was the meaning of sounding the Trumpet? (verse 1)
Trumpets were used as a call to arms. Trumpets would sound to gather God’s people or the troops to battle. In this case it is a pending judgment on Israel the Assyrians were going to attack and God was allowing it for their transgressions.
Why was Israel going to be attacked? (verses 2-6)
We have read it throughout the book so far, because they put idols before God. There heart was never for God even though they might have though it. They kept going to outside sources for help and thanking everyone but God for what they had. Their total rejection of God has brought this upon them and they are at fault. It is the same for the church today many claim to know Christ but are we willing to put Him first in our lives. Do we as a church resemble Matt 7:22-23:
Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
We need to pray every minute of the day that we never fall into that category that we have put all the hay and stubble of this earth before our Lord and Savior.
We always get caught and have to pay the piper. Tell me what you see in verses 7-10. Also look to see if there are any Blessings hidden in those verses.
We as humans always think that the punishment is to hard for what we have done. I remember back when I was a kid and complained about being sent to my room or something being taken away as that not being fair. Usually as parents we can see that it was our nature back then and now that were parents we wait until the final straw before we issue a punishment. So lets look at Israel they have turned from God for a long period, this just didn’t happen over night. Their punishment like all punishment will be dealt to them at one time; it may last a while but will happen in a single instance. But even though the Assyrians will devour them and they would be exiled, He will still gather them together again one day.
Why would God not accept Israel’s offerings??(verse 11-13).
First we have to look at something very important here. In verse 12
I have written for him the great things of My law
God right here is proclaiming that He wrote the Bible, He is the Author. Spurgeon said it well:
“This volume is the writing of the living God: each fetter was penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips, each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit.”
Spurgeon also writes:
“If this be the Word of God, what will become of some of you who have not read it for the last month? Most people treat the Bible very politely . . . When they get home, they lay it up in a drawer till next Sunday morning; then it comes out again for a little bit of a treat and goes to chapel; that is all the poor Bible gets in the way of an airing. That is your style of entertaining this heavenly messenger. There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write “damnation” with your fingers.”
He also states regarding the statement “the great things of My law”
“This tells us the content of the Bible - great things. “The Bible treats of great things, and of great things only. There is nothing in this Bible which is unimportant. Every verse in it has a solemn meaning, and if we have not found it out yet, we hope yet to do it.”
And in the second half of that verse Spurgeon states about the statement “they were considered a strange thing “
“Sometimes people reject the Bible because they think “science” is superior. “But the science of Jesus Christ is the most excellent of sciences. Let no one turn away from the Bible, because it is not a book of learning and wisdom. It is. Would ye know astronomy? It is here: it tells you of the Sun of Righteousness and the Star of Bethlehem. Would you know botany? It is here: it tells you of the plant of renown-the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon. Would you know geology and mineralogy? You shall learn it here: for you may read of the Rock of Ages, and the White Stone with a name graven thereon, which no man knoweth, saying he that receiveth it. Would ye study history? Here is the most ancient of all the records of the history of the human race. Whatever your science is, come and bend o’er this book; your science is here.”
In general the people of Israel were only giving GOD their second best at the most. They were still sinning and idolatry was still running rampart. GOD wants our first fruits, He want to be the primary driving force in our lives. He will not accept second best.
There is no hiding from God (verse 14)
Nothing else to say, no where to go and hide. Ask Adam and Eve.
Hosea Chapter 9
Why won’t there be laughter in Israel?
Israel is told not to rejoice. Boice stated:
“It was probably the case, though we do not know this for sure, that Hosea delivered the opening part of this oracle as a sermon on the occasion of a harvest festival . . . characterized by feasting, mirth, and dancing.”
This was the warning that judgment is now going to befall them.
They practiced idolatry on the floors where grain was processed. They believed that it helped the harvest. These areas were now going to be cursed by God. This kind of reminds me of the way Halloween is celebrated.
They were going to be exiled (kicked out) from Israel and sent to Egypt and Assyria. They will barely have enough to eat since their harvest will no longer be blessed by God. It should be noted that reading into this I think that God is still going to provide for their needs and not their wants and as stated it will not be accepted as sacrifice from God.
They will no longer be able to honor the God on the appointed feast days.
They called Hosea a fool and an insane man. Because up to now everything was probably going well in Israel they thought him to be both insane and crazy. I remember as a young working man in New York City on the corner of the corporate headquarters of the firm I worked in, a man carried a sign stating the “End is near, repent”. Yes he carried it every day no matter the weather and we thought of him as crazy and insane. Oh Lord forgive me for not seeing the real message and not being an obedient servant.
As in the days of Gibeah:
Judges 19
And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.” So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.” And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate. And when the man stood to depart--he and his concubine and his servant--his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home.” However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that [is], Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine [was] also with him. They [were] near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.” But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who [are] not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah. "So he said to his servant, "Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah. "And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into [his] house to spend the night. Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also [was] from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place [were] Benjamites. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from? "So he said to him, "We [are] passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I [am] from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; [now] I am going to the house of the LORD. But there [is] no one who will take me into his house, although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man [who is] with your servant; [there is] no lack of anything.” And the old man said, "Peace [be] with you! However, [let] all your needs [be] my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.” So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house [and] beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him [carnally]!"But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act [so] wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. Look, [here is] my virgin daughter and [the man's] concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!” But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought [her] out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master [was], till it was light. When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen [at] the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, "Get up and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!"
They went to Baal Peor (Numbers 25)
They became an abomination like the thing they loved
No Birth, No Pregnancy and no conception.
What does Verse 10 mean regarding grapes and first fruits?
Who wouldn’t love to be in the wilderness and find fresh grapes? Everyone would be delighted with that and so God was with their ancestors. God loved the people of Israel. This was the time they obeyed Him and served Him. Also the reference to the figs again showed what a blessing the people of Israel were to God when they honored Him.
What is reflected in verse 14?
Hosea first wanted to be angry in his prayer and ask for the people to be punished. He than stopped and showed mercy. According to Guzak:
“Sometimes those who see themselves - perhaps accurately - as more spiritual and closer to God than others in a church or group get angry and frustrated with those who don’t seem to have hearts burning for the Lord. Their frustration is understandable but the pause in Hosea’s prayer should give them pause. It is a good thing to long for revival and spiritual passion among God’s people, but if that makes us proud, angry, or bitter against others then Satan has won a great victory.”
Can you tell how mad GOD is with Israel (verses 15-17)
As mentioned before in Hosea 4:15, God despised the city of Gilgal as a center of idolatry in Israel. At one time, Gilgal was a place where prophets were trained under Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:1; 4:38). But in Hosea’s day it had become a center of false worship (Hosea 4:15; 12:11; Amos 4:4; 5:5). God would drive them out of His land, they would be exiled. They had dishonored His house. One of the major reasons Israel went after idols like Baal and Ashtoreth was because those gods were thought to bring fertility and fruitfulness. God reminds Israel that He is really the Lord over the womb, and that He will turn their fruitfulness into barrenness. They are being cast away as promised under the terms of the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:24-28). Thankfully, we can come to God by faith in a new and better covenant, where He promises to remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:16-17).
Hosea Chapter 10
What are we doing with what God gives us?(verse 1-2)
God has given so much to Israel, but they give nothing back to Him. They create altars for all their false gods and idols and give God second best if they give Him anything at all. Even though God has given all this to us He may also take it away. Israel has not learned to put God first in everything they do, instead they went to false gods and idols. God will break down their altars.
Everything is Taken away from Israel (verse 3-8)
They have lost their king and all their idols are taken away from them. The countries that have taken over now have their own rulers in place. They have also taken all their idols from them. Because of this all the altars they have built to worship idols and false gods will no longer be used and they will fall to disrepair and crumble. They are learning that only God goes on forever everything else will just crumble and vanish in their lives.
God tells Israel to see their wicked ways and turn back to Him. (verse 9-12)
God again reminds them of what had happen in Gibeah and shows them they need to repent and turn from their sins/ways. He tells them that He will bring them back thru loving guidance. He shall control their ways for them since they cannot control themselves. They are still sowing the seed of sin in their lives but God tells them that if they sow the seed of righteousness they would reap mercy. They need to open their hearts back to God and break up the hardness they have. Seeds on fallow ground are useless, unless they till the soil (open up their hearts) nothing will change.
Who do you trust in your life?? (verse 13-15)
Don’t we think we could do things better on own way. How often do we really sit back and just pray for God’s wisdom and intervention in out lives. Yes we pray but are we willing to go the distance. Too often we go to fellow man for advice and help but where we should be going is to God. We need to trust God for our needs and believe in all our heart that He will provide and take care of us as a mother takes care of their children.
Hosea Chapter 11
Does Verse 1 Have any other type of meaning?
This is an “unexpected prophecy” fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Matthew 2:15 shows how the words “out of Egypt I called My son” were fulfilled when the child Jesus returned from Egypt after escaping there on the eve of Herod’s massacre of the innocents.
Mat 2:15 and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
Baal is always out there (verse 2)
God called Israel out of Egypt, but the idolatry of the Baal’s called to Israel, and they forsook the Lord and followed the Baal’s (the local deities of Canaan).
God’s Tender Love is portrayed (verse 3-4)
God has always been there for us but how often do we recognize it. How often do we show Him thanks for all he has done and will do for us. He doesn’t beat us over the head but gently guides us. Look at the expressions of love shown to us. I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by the arm, drew them with gentle cords, etc. Don’t we wish for our lives that we always remain that gentle? He removed the yoke and the best yet I think is stooped and fed them. Just think your God humbled himself to care for His people. We also see this in Jesus as in Philippians 2.
From Chastening to Sympathy (verse 5-9)
God is telling us that even though they are warned, the people of Israel still will not exalt God or repent from their ways. It does suggest with the use of the word ‘backsliding’ that they were at one time truly walking with the Lord. Again and again we see them call upon the Lord but not really mean it. But again God never gives up on us, even though they were to be punished, His heart was in sorrow for them. He decides that it will not be total destruction. And He’s doing it because
9: - “for I [am] God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee:”
Spurgeon wrote of God’s forgiveness:
What passes for forgiveness among men is nothing like the amazing forgiveness of God. “Suppose that someone had grievously offended any one of you, and that he asked your forgiveness, do you not think that you would probably say to him, ‘Well, yes, I forgive you; but I - I - I - cannot forget it’? Ah! dear friends, that is a sort of forgiveness with one leg chopped off, it is a lame forgiveness, and is not worth much.”
What are the differences between man and God in the matter of Forgiveness?
God is telling us that even thought they are warned the people of Israel still will not exalt Him
· Man cannot hold back his anger very long
· Man cannot bear with others when he is tired, stressed, or annoyed
· Man will not reconcile if the person who offended him is a person of bad character
· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party craves forgiveness and makes the first move
· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party will never again do the wrong
· Man, when he does reconcile, does not lift the former offender to place of high status and partnership
· Man, when he is wronged, does not bear all the penalty for the wrong done
· Man, when he attempts reconciliation, will not continue if he is rejected
· Man will not restore an offender without a period of probation
· Man will not love, adopt, honor, and associate with one who has wronged him
· Man will not trust someone who has formerly wronged them
God will call Israel Back. (verse 10-12)
God is promising Israel that He will bring them together again. He is showing mercy toward all of Israel not only of Ephraim. Even knowing that Ephraim is still deceiving Him the Lord will show mercy. He also states that Judah is in a better place right now but still we see that they to have been warned.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)