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.