Bible study Hosea God s unending love for an unfaithful people

Transcription

1 Bible study Hosea God s unending love for an unfaithful people Prepared by Dr. John Birley

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3 722 BC Only these Kings mentioned by Hosea (1:1) Hosea's ministry (approx BC) Judean Kings (South) Uzziah ( ) Jotham ( ) Ahaz ( ) Hezekiah ( ) Israelite Kings (North) Jeroboam 2 ( ) Later Israelite kings not mentioned: Zechariah, Shallam, Menahem, Pekah, Pekahiah and Hoshea

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5 New Testament Text Quoting Hosea Matthew 2:15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "out of Egypt I called my son." Hosea In the New Testament J. Scott Sheridan Hosea Passage Quoted in the New Testament Hosea 1:1 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. How Was Hosea Used in the New Testament Matthew applies Hosea s prophecy to Jesus childhood, demonstrating He was the fulfillment of prophecy Matthew 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. Luke 23:30 "Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'fall on us,' and to the hills, 'cover us.' Revelation 6:16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Romans 9:25 As He says also in Hosea, "I will call those who were not my people, 'My people,' and her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'" I Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" I Peter 2:10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 10:8 Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars; Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!" Hosea 10:8 Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars; Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" And to the hills, "Fall on us!" Hosea 2:23 "I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'" Hosea 13:14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight. Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not My people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the living God." Just as Israel in Hosea s day kept only the outward acts of the Law, Christ poignantly made the Pharisees aware they were much like their ancestors. Just as above, Jesus sternly rebukes the Pharisees for their outward show of righteousness while inwardly they had little regard for God and others Hosea s Israel would face the judgement of God for her faithlessness and so terrible is that judgment that people would cry out to the hills and mountains to fall on them. The judgment of Israel for the death of Christ would bring the same kind of cries. Rather than face the judgment of God, it would be better for the mountains to fall on top of those being judged for Who is able to stand? Rev. 6:17 Paul shows how Hosea s prophecy is fulfilled in the Church, comprised of both Jew and Gentile. Even though Israel in Hosea s day would face judgment, God promised redemption. Paul emphasizes that the resurrection in the ultimate redemption; from death. The condemned Israelite of Hosea s day and the Gentile were in the same situation; they were not God s people. The time has come, however, that both Jew and Gentile may be called the sons of the living God (cf., Rom 9:26).

6 Hosea bible study - page 1 Hosea bible study In this study we will look at the Old Testament book of Hosea. I hope you have had a chance to read this wonderfully passionate book before we begin this study. It is important for us to recognise that Hosea was a prophet speaking to a particular people at a particular time in history. We must acknowledge therefore the historical, social and geographical context in which he wrote in order to understand the book. We must also understand something of the genre (type of literature) it represents. When we understand these things we are better able to bridge the divide that separates us here and now with the time and circumstances when Hosea inspired by the Holy spirit wrote his book. We will begin our study with an overview and an introduction to some of the key things necessary in understanding Hosea. Overview of the book What genre is the book? The bible as you know is comprised of 66 different books. One of the most common mistakes bible readers make is to assume that the bible is all one type or genre of writing. Nothing could be further from the truth. The bible contains, Historical writing, narrative writing, proverbs, letters, poetry, songs, parables and visions to name just a few. To really understand and appreciate the bible we must read each book or even passage bearing in mind the type of writing (genre) it represents. What about Hosea? Hosea is a series of prophetic announcements or oracles that are presented largely in poetic form

7 Hosea bible study - page 2 a) Oracle A prophet acted as a messenger or an oracle from God. b) Oracle - Can also be used to refer to the message, wisdom or knowledge the prophet gives. However it's not that simple in chapters 1-3 we see a mix of narrative and poetry. For many readers this makes reading the largely poetic books like Hosea a challenge. In reading poetry we need to remember the following. a) Poets think in images or pictures not words. b) Poets appeal to our imaginations. c) To understand we must try to see, feel and touch what the poet names. d) We need to think beyond the words to what the words convey or carry. e) Poets frequently use comparison metaphor and simile. Simile = compares using like or as. Example; He is like a snake. She is as tall as a giraffe. Metaphor = compares without using like or as. Example; The Lord is my shepherd. Who wrote the book? The traditional orthodox position held by both Christian and Jewish scholars has been that the book was written by the prophet Hosea.son of Beeri. The book is Hosea s personal account of his prophetic messages to the children of God (Israel and Judah) and to the wider Christian world. All that we know about the writer is contained in the book that bears his name. In Hosea 1:1 we read; The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. Like the prophet Amos who came before him Hosea was primarily a prophet to the 10 northern tribes of Israel also referred to as Ephraim who were the largest tribe (see appendix map and timeline). The southern kingdom of Judah is mentioned but the emphasis throughout is on Israel. The assumption therefore given his prophetic concerns is that he was a member of one of the 10 northern tribes. Outside of the book that bears his name Hosea is quoted or referred to on a number of occasion in the New Testament (See appendix). The Apostle Paul also directly cites him in Romans. 25 As He says also in Hosea: I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, There they shall be called sons of the living God. (Romans 9:25-26) Q: How is Paul using Hosea? What is he telling us?

8 Hosea bible study - page 3 When was it written? Again we get a clue from the first verse. (see appendix timeline) There is some disagreement amongst bible scholars regarding when Hosea wrote his book. Hosea did not date any of his prophecies. Depending on which bible commentaries or scholars you read you will see slightly different dates. NIV study bible = BC NIV bible commentary by Dr Aleister McGrath = Approx 750 BC Dr Thomas Constable = between BC Rev John Schultz = BC How to Read the bible by Stuart and Fee = BC International standard bible encyclopaedia = mid 8 th century I have elected to follow Dr Constable's dates throughout for convenience. Generalising however we could say and all scholars agree that Hosea was a mid 8 th century prophet. Who was the book originally written for? The book appears to have been written largely for people in the northern 10 tribes of Israel. More than one writer has referred to Hosea as "the Jeremiah of Israel." What is Hosea telling them? The people needed to repent and return to the Lord and His covenant. If they did, they might avoid His judgement. However, the prophet announced that the nation as a whole would not repent, though individuals could, so judgement was coming. Hosea also reaffirmed God's promise to bless His people Israel eventually, in the distant future What was a prophet? Hosea then was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. He is the first minor prophet in the bible and the last prophet God sent to the kingdom of Israel It is worth taking a moment to cover what exactly a prophet was and wasn't. When we hear the word prophet, most commonly we think of someone who has been gifted by God to predict or see the future. We think of them very much like a fortune-teller or a psychic. It s true that prophets in the Old Testament on occasion foretold the future, but their role was much broader than this. Simply stated prophets were to be spokesmen for God. They were to tell the people what God wanted them to hear. This is why usually we know very little about the personal loves of the prophets. They were not important they were simply acting or speaking on behalf of God. In doing this they can be seen to have two roles. 1 Forth-telling Proclaiming God's word to the prophets own generation 2 Fore telling Predicting what God would do in the future

9 Hosea bible study - page 4 They also had another very important job to do and this is especially true concerning Hosea. They were to enforce the covenental relationship that God had made with His people. Israel's law constituted a covenant between God and His chosen people. A covenant is basically an agreement or contract between two parties (God and the people). It contained regulations that both sides were to follow and meet along with the rewards and blessings attached to keeping the contract and the punishments or curses for breaking the contract. It is very important to remember that God promised punishments if the covenant agreement was broken. God in His great patience and mercy frequently sent prophets such as Hosea to remind the people of their contract with God and to warn them to follow God diligently. The prophets also had another important task in recording and writing down the history of the nation. We see this of course in that Hosea recorded his prophetic messages for future generations. What was the historical situation why did Hosea write book? Hosea lived in the final tragic days of the northern kingdom of Israel. Politically it was a turbulent time. Kings came and went rapidly and the future seemed uncertain. It was also a time of great apostasy (a turning away from God). The fear over Assyria The main concern and fear was the massive Assyrian empire to the north and north east (see appendix). Under Tiglath-Pileser III ( BC.), Assyria began to grow stronger and to expand. In 734 BC. the Northern Kingdom became a puppet nation within the Assyrian Empire (2 Kings 15:29). After Israel tried to revolt, Assyria defeated Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, in 722 BC., and deported the people of Israel into captivity (2 Kings 17:1-6; 18:10-12). Judah also became a vassal state in the Assyrian Empire during Hosea's ministry (2 Kings 16:5-10). Hosea was a prophet for many years during this time he made prophetic utterances concerning 3 key historic events 1. Assyria's rise in prominence (from approx 744 BC) 2. Assyria's invasion of Israel in 732 BC 3. Assyria's total control over Israel completed in 722 BC The relationship between the people and God One way to think of the covenantal relationship between God and His people is to think of it as a marriage. There is a very useful Hebrew word used to describe the relationship between two people within a marriage covenant. That word is chesed. There is no direct English word that adequately defines this word but the following words go some way towards defining it. Faithfulness, love, kindness, commitment, steadfast love, undying devotion and compassion.

10 Hosea bible study - page 5 Chesed then describes God's attitude towards Israel. Sadly they did not feel the same way towards God. Religious unfaithfulness When the Israelites conquered the land of the Canaanites they will have noted several thing about the religious system of the Canaanites. The God the people of Israel worshipped was uniquely one, and He was the God of the people. The Canaanites gods (typically 3 - a male sky god, a fertility goddess and their son) were gods of the land. They were the gods of the people only because the people lived on their land. Also we should note that the Canaanites were a farming people unlike the people of Israel who were shepherds. Who were the Canaanite gods? Sky god = Baal and a number of similar name derivations Beel-zebub etc Goddess = Ashtoreth, Ishtar Over time the people of Israel become weak and compromising in their faith in and attitude towards Yahweh. They began to doubt that He could provide for them in the land. They wondered whether they should turn instead to Baal. At first they merely allowed the Canaanite gods of the land to be acknowledged. To receive honour after Yahweh. They then went a step further and began to worship God as if he were simply a super Baal. This of course is idolatry. 3.You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. (Exodus 20:3-4) After the division of the kingdom into two (approx 930 BC) the people in Israel led by weak kings including Ahaz got worse. The influence of the Assyrian nation and their religious practices increased. Part of the treaty signed with the Assyrian's in 734 BC would have included the people of Israel acknowledging and respecting their gods. The Canaanites were a wicked and debased people. As part of their worship of Baal they would offer animal and human sacrifices to Baal. Typically the first-born child in a community would be sacrificed. Part of their pagan worship practices especially when worshipping Ashtoreth involved ritualistic sexual acts. This included prostitution at the holy shrines. This was intended to increase the fertility of the land. It is quite probable that the people of Israel participated in this kind of pagan practice. Simply stated Israel had turned away from Yahweh the creator and sustainer of all and instead offered worship to Baal. This situation of course cannot persist. God will not continue allow His people to treat in this manner. He will use the Assyrian nation to punish them.

11 Hosea bible study - page 6 The marriage motif As was highlighted before a helpful way to think about the covenant relationship was to think of it as a marriage between God and His people. The Lord told Hosea to marry a woman (Gomer) who would prove to be unfaithful to him (Hosea 1:2), so that he could fully appreciate and communicate how the Lord felt about His wife's (Israel's) unfaithfulness to Him. Hosea showed Gomer chesed. God has shown His special people chesed. Gomer repays Hosea's chesed by being unfaithful and adulterous. Israel repays God's chesed by being unfaithful and idolatrous. A key theme throughout is the following; Disloyalty to God is spiritual adultery Theology What to look out for The major biblical doctrines that Hosea stresses are 1 Sin 2 Judgement 3 Salvation 4 Loyal love of God. Sin The spiritual idolatry of the people. Turning from God to a false god in Baal. Hosea also pointed out other sins that the Israelites needed to forsake: violent crimes (4:2; 6:9; 12:1), political revolt (7:3-7), foreign alliances (7:11; 8:9), spiritual ingratitude (7:15), social injustice (12:7), and selfish arrogance (13:6). Judgement Hosea called the people to repentance, but he was not hopeful of a positive response because most of the people did not want to change. God's judgement would, therefore, descend in the form of infertility, military invasion, and exile to Assyria. Salvation The prophet assured the Israelites that God would not abandon them completely. After judgement would come salvation. Eventually the people would return to Yahweh The loyal love of God Nowhere in the whole range of God's revelation do we find more beautiful words of love than in Hosea. The Lord will not forsake those with whom He has joined in covenant commitment, even if they become unfaithful to Him repeatedly. He will be patient with them and will eventually save them

12 Hosea bible study - page 7 For example; When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. Hosea 11:1 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. Hosea 14:4 What to look out for as we read Hosea Foreshadowing: Hosea 2:23 is the wonderful prophetic message from God to include the Gentiles (non-jews) as His children as recorded also in Romans 9:25 and 1 Peter 2:10. Gentiles are not originally God s people, but through His mercy and grace, He has provided Jesus Christ, and by faith in Him we are grafted into the tree of His people (Romans 11:11-18). This is an amazing truth about the Church, one that is called a mystery because before Christ, God s people were considered to be the Jews alone. When Christ came, the Jews were temporarily blinded until the full number of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). Remember the prophets message was never their own. Certainly they could enthuse the message with their own passion and emotion as Hosea does but the message is always God's message. Look out for this pattern; a) Some indication of the people's sin or an indication of God's love for His people. b) A prediction of curse or blessing dependent upon the circumstance. Look out also for the three major truths Hosea presents us; 1 God suffers when His people are unfaithful to Him 2 God cannot condone or put up with sin 3 God will never cease to love His own and, consequently, He seeks to win back those who have forsaken Him. What's the big idea? God s unending love for an unfaithful people What message does Hosea have for us today? The book of Hosea is rich in relevance for the church and Christians today. What should we take from the book of Hosea? 1. The Book of Hosea assures us of God s unconditional love for His people. 2. It is also a picture of how God is dishonoured and angered by the actions of His children. Do not think that when we turn our back on God and ignore His commands that we will not face His anger. There are always consequences for man's disobedience to God.

13 Hosea bible study - page 8 Q: Can you think of examples for how we turn away from God? How can a child who is given an abundance of love, mercy, and grace treat a Father with so much disrespect? As we consider how the Israelites turned their backs on God, we need to look no further than the mirror in front of us to see a reflection of those same Israelites. 3. It puts our position into perspective. Only by remembering how much God has done for each of us will we be able to avoid rejecting the One who can give us eternal life in glory instead of the hell we deserve. It is essential that we learn to respect our Creator. 4. It's view of the importance of marriage both physical and spiritual/divine Because Hosea describes God s relationship with his people in terms of marriage, we learn of the significance God attaches both to the institution of marriage as well as to the church s relationship to God. Human marriage. The divine institution of marriage (see Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:3 6) is foundational to the flourishing of human society. Around the world today, however, various cultural pressures threaten to weaken this institution. Polygamy, homosexuality, adultery, fatherlessness, and gender confusion are rampant in different parts of the world. Through the prophecy of Hosea believers are strengthened as we see the significance of the covenant bond formed when one man and one woman become one flesh. We also see that when a spouse is unfaithful, God can restore the marriage for God, supremely in Christ, has restored us to himself despite our faithlessness. He refuses to divorce his people. Divine marriage. Hosea sobers us with the realization that the human marriage relationship is instituted by God to portray an even more profound relationship: that of God to his people. Wherever human beings call on God s name through Jesus Christ, regardless of ethnicity or cultural background, God enters into a covenant relationship with them. God pledges never to leave or forsake his people in this relationship. They will be his people, and he will be their God (Jer. 24:7; 31:33; Ezek. 37:27; Zech. 8:8). Ultimately, God secures this relationship through sending his own Son to redeem a people for himself. The worldwide church is therefore the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:32; Rev. 21:9). 5. It shows us that God uses our struggles to display His power through us. If we truly live to bring glory to God, it changes everything. Regardless of what life brings our way, God can be glorified if we remain faithful to Him. 6. God uses our challenges in relationships to reveal His love to others. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. 7. God calls us to love the unlovely- even those who have hurt us. God hates sin; it grieves His heart; He cannot condone it; His perfect righteousness and justice demand that He deal with it. But He still loves the sinner and diligently seeks us out and offers us His loving forgiveness. 8. God calls us into a covenant relationship with Him. It all starts as we realize how much God has done for us in Christ. Renew your covenant marriage to God. Let's now get into the book itself

14 Hosea bible study - page 9 Hosea - NKJV Hosea chapter 1 1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By departing from the LORD. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the LORD said to him: Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 It shall come to pass in that day That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. 6 And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him: Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, But I will utterly take them away. 7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, Will save them by the LORD their God, And will not save them by bow, Nor by sword or battle, By horses or horsemen. 8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then God said: Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God. 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, There it shall be said to them, You are sons of the living God. Notes Hosea means He (Yahweh) saves) Variation on Joshua or Yeshua. Time frame approx BC Called by God to be a prophet Speaks God's Word not his own. Hosea is commanded to take a prostitute as his wife. This is to teach him how God feels that his people are adulterous in their relationship to Him. Some debate about whether this is a) literal or b) non-literal Story I think argues for a literal understanding. Wife's name mentioned, her father, how much he paid. All point to it not being a vision or illustrative story. Most likely she became a prostitute after they married. Married Gomer and they had a son = Jezreel Jezreel = means God sows Town has interesting history here though significant because God had declared that he would avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu. King Jehu ( BC) ordered that the heads of King Ahab s 70 sons be placed in heaps at the gate of Jezreel (2 Kings 10:1-11). He also killed King Ahaziah of Judah and 42 of his relatives. Jehu did some good things but many bad. He went too far and in doing so disrespected God. Bow = symbol of Israel's military strength Lo-Ruhamah = means not loved or No compassion God is telling Hosea through the use of this name that He will not have compassion on Israel. They are destined for destruction. God will have compassion on the southern kingdom of Judah. This salvation will not come by military means. Judah relied or trusted in God. Lord delivered them in 701 BC by killing 185,000 Assyrians whilst they slept. (2 Kings ) Lo-Ammi = means Not my people The Lord no longer regarded Israel as His people. Not that He would break His unconditional promises to His people (Exod 6:7, Lev 26:12) but that their relationship would come to an end. The covenant withdrawn. Following gloomy prediction verse 10 gives us a wonderful promise of restoration. Sons of the living God points to the restoration of intimate covenant relationship.

15 Hosea bible study - page Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel! Hosea chapter 2 1 Say to your brethren, My people, And to your sisters, Mercy is shown. 2 Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, And her adulteries from between her breasts; 3 Lest I strip her naked And expose her, as in the day she was born, And make her like a wilderness, And set her like a dry land, And slay her with thirst. 4 I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry. 5 For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink. 6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths. 7 She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now. 8 For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold Which they prepared for Baal. 9 Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new wine in its season, And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to cover her nakedness. 10 Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, And no one shall deliver her from My hand. 11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Talks of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah. Jezreel was previously a place of great victory. The one head maybe a messianic prophecy pointing the the future leader in Jesus Christ. Prophet usually followed predictions of doom with promises of future blessing. Five great blessings (1:10-2:1) 1. National increase 2. National conversion 3. National reunion 4. National leadership 5. National restoration Verse 2 parallels the relationship between Hosea and Gomer with God and Israel. Your mother = the nation of Israel Bring charges legal accusation, not a declaration of divorce God wanted to restore the relationship. Israel had been unfaithful Mosaic law deserved death. Gomer had conceived the children outside of the marriage. She had done so because she thought they could provide better things for her. Israel had turned to Baal they too thought Baal could provide for their needs. To hedge with thorns, means to put up a barrier. To make something difficult. God would make it difficult for Israel to worship Baal. Gomer/Israel would pursue other lovers (gods) But would be frustrated and return to God. Israel has failed to acknowledge that all it had came from God. They even used the gold he had given them to make idols. The covenant provided blessings. When one party (Israel) breaks the covenant it results in punishment or curses. Israel would also be exposed to shame. God would also put an end to the national joyous celebrations.

16 Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths All her appointed feasts. 12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, Of which she has said, These are my wages that my lovers have given me. So I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field shall eat them. 13 I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot, says the LORD. 14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. 15 I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 And it shall be, in that day, Says the LORD, That you will call Me My Husband, And no longer call Me My Master, 17 For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. 19 I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; 20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD. 21 It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer, says the LORD; I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. 22 The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. Hosea bible study - page 11 Figs and vines (grapes) = Israel's finest products. Israel thought of these trees as rewards from God. God would return them to wild forests. Baals here is deliberate. Baal = means lord. The Canaanites believed there were many local gods or lords. The Israelites had worshipped at many different shrines. God had been neglected and forgotten. God assures the prophet that He will remain faithful to His promises. God would restore the blessings of vineyards to the Israelites. Valley of Achor = Literally means trouble a valley near Jericho, so called in consequence of the trouble which the sin of Achan caused Israel ( Joshua 7:24 Joshua 7:26 ) In the days to come the Israelites would call God ishi meaning my husband and would not call Him Baali my Lord /master In the days ahead God would make the land safe even for the animals and birds. War would end so that the animals would feel safe. Attacks from animals and wars were often used in covenant curses. The mood or emotion will be like a newly married couple. In the east a man had to pay a price to assure that he could marry another man's daughter (2 Sam 3:14). When the price was paid in the eyes of the law they were married. God would pay, righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness. God's marriage vow. In the new day of blessing that was coming God would show His compassion. The people would see, much grain, new wine, oil etc. They shall answer Jezreel The people will rightly see that it is God who sows.

17 Hosea bible study - page Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people! And they shall say, You are my God! Hosea chapter 3 God would plant the very nation of Israel in the promised land. The names of all Hosea's children come together here in verses 22,23. God sows, not pitied or loved and not my people Paul quotes 2:23 in Romans 9: He does so to say that both Jew and Gentile would be converted in the church age. 1 Then the LORD said to me, Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover 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. 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. 3 And I said to her, You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man so, too, will I be toward you. 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days. Hosea chapter 4 1 Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. 2 By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. 4 Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. 5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; As in chapter 1 Hosea parallels his own marriage experiences with those of God and the people of Israel. Our assumption here is that Gomer has been unfaithful to Hosea. She is an adulteress. Love the raisin cakes indulging in sensuality. Raisins were part of the gifts offered to Baal. Hosea still loved Gomer just as God still loved His unfaithful people. Hosea's wife had become the property of someone else. Hosea had to buy her. She cost about the same as a dead slave. Israel would remain separated from their idolatrous practices for a long time. They would also have no king or leader. Pillar = stood outside Canaanite shrines. Chapter 4 moves away from Hosea and his marriage. From now on we alternate between messages of doom and hope. Again God is bringing a legal charge (lawsuit) against Israel. The charges are laid out in verses 1-3 No faithfulness (4:1) No love / chesed (4:1) No acknowledgement of God (4-1) In place of these the people kill, steal, commit adultery. God's curse would cover every living thing. Now the prophet turns to the priests. Both the priests and the prophets stumble. Lack of knowledge = a failure to acknowledge God as their God.

18 Hosea bible study - page 13 Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. 10 For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD. 11 Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. 12 My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. 13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled. 15 Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear an oath, saying, As the LORD lives 16 For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the LORD will let them forage Like a lamb in open country. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone. 18 Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. 19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. God would send drought and scarcity of food as a punishment. Practice of idolatry (spiritual idolatry) had an emphasis on drinking alcohol. They turned for advice to idols or the divining rod not to the living God. Pagan often worship on hill-tops. Believing they are closer to god. Worshipped when it pleased them, hot parts of the day etc. Women engaged in pagan sexual practice in the shrines. Male temple prostitutes Husbands and men were equally guilty. Possibly homosexuality was taking place. Certainly engaging with female temple prostitutes. The people are warned not to take their evil ways into Judah. Also not to swear oaths to God when they were not following Him Gilgal and Beth Aven = pagan cultic sites. Beth -Aven = House of wickedness Israel was stubborn would not be shepherded by God. Soon the people would feel great shame

19 Hosea bible study - page 14 Hosea chapter 5 1 Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor. 2 The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, Though I rebuke them all. 3 I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled. 4 They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD. 5 The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. 6 With their flocks and herds They shall go to seek the LORD, But they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. 7 They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, For they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage. 8 Blow the ram s horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, Look behind you, O Benjamin! 9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. 10 The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by human precept. 12 Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, And to the house of Judah like rottenness. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; Hosea is speaking to the priests as well as the people of Israel. Snare = a trap that has caught many in idolatry. Mizpah = in Gilead (Judg 10:17) Tabor = Mount Tabor in the Jezreel valley Used here to represent the whole nation. The guilty would bring animal sacrifices before God. They would not find Him. Holiness makes fellowship with God possible. Sin and hypocrisy do not. There were probably any illegitimate children who were the result of the sexual activity taking place in the pagan shrines. Trumpets blowing = signalled the coming of an invader Gibeah and Ramah in Israel Judah and Bethel in Judah Benjamin region next to the border with Israel. (see map) This verse refers to the leader of Judah who had also broken covenant with God. (Isa 5:8) They had moved physical landmark between Israel and Judah and spiritual landmark between right and wrong. Moth and rot = slow but steady destruction Both Israel and Judah appealed to the Assyrian king for help (King Ahaz and King Manahem). Rather than helping them Assyria attacked. It would be God not the Assyrians who would discipline the two kingdoms. Israel fell in 722 BC. Judah fell to Babylonia in 586 BC.

20 I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. 15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. Hosea chapter 6 Hosea bible study - page 15 1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. 3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth. 4 O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And your judgments are like light that goes forth. 6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 7 But like men they transgressed the covenant; There they dealt treacherously with Me. 8 Gilead is a city of evildoers And defiled with blood. 9 As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, So the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they commit lewdness. 10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: There is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled. 11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, When I return the captives of My people. The repentant Israelites would encourage each other to return to Yahweh. God would revive them. 2 days maybe a coincidental reference to Christ being in the tomb for two days and rising on the third. Early dew = passes quickly in hot climates 6:6 key verse God's preference is that we love Him faithfully. This is more important to Him than sacrifices. Sacrifices are without vale if we do not love God. Sechem = A major religious and political centre in Israel. Was supposed to be a city of refuge. It stood between the capital Samaria and Bethel and so many pilgrims passed through it. The lewdness = Zimmah in Hebrew refers to the vilest sexual sins, and idolatry. Hosea chapter 7 When I would have healed Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered, And the wickedness of Samaria. For they have committed fraud; A thief comes in; A band of robbers takes spoil outside. 2 They do not consider in their hearts That I remember all their wickedness; Now their own deeds have surrounded them; God would remember all of their wickedness.

21 They are before My face. 3 They make a king glad with their wickedness, And princes with their lies. 4 They are all adulterers. Like an oven heated by a baker He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough, Until it is leavened. 5 In the day of our king Princes have made him sick, inflamed with wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers. 6 They prepare their heart like an oven, While they lie in wait; Their baker sleeps all night; In the morning it burns like a flaming fire. 7 They are all hot, like an oven, And have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen. None among them calls upon Me. 8 Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned. 9 Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it. 10 And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the LORD their God, Nor seek Him for all this. 11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria. 12 Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard. 13 Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, Yet they have spoken lies against Me. 14 They did not cry out to Me with their heart When they wailed upon their beds. They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me; 15 Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me; 16 They return, but not to the Most High; They are like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword For the cursings of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. Hosea bible study - page 16 The kings were glad because the people's wickedness made it easier for them to get away with their evil. All the people were adulterers physically and spiritually. Baker's oven = very hot and constantly burning Hosea witnessed four kings being assassinated. Shallum assassinated Zechariah, Menahem assassinated Shallum, Pekah assassinated Pekahiah, and Hoshea assassinated Pekah (2 Kings 15:10, 14, 25, 30). Aliens = Israel had turned to foreigners. Grey hairs signal age and decay Israel did not realise it A bizarre bird brained foreign policy - King Hoshea started with an alliance with Egypt, Philistia, and Aram- Damascus to alliance with Assyria. A few years later he broke that alliance, and coming virtually full circle, again sought alliance with Egypt. Crying, wailing and cutting oneself were all part of the Canaanite religious practices.

22 Hosea bible study - page 17 Hosea chapter 8 Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law. 2 Israel will cry to Me, My God, we know You! 3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves That they might be cut off. 5 Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them How long until they attain to innocence? 6 For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces. 7 They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles Like a vessel in which is no pleasure. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Yes, though they have hired among the nations, Now I will gather them; And they shall sorrow a little, Because of the burden of the king of princes. 11 Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, They have become for him altars for sinning. 12 I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing. 13 For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it, But the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt. 14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces. Hosea is called to blow the trumpet, to warn of an invader. House of the Lord = Israel Israel had installed kings Jeroboam 1 and his successors without first consulting God. The calf idol that was set up was rejected. Golden calf first used when Moses was on Sinai (Deut 9). People wanted someone to lead them, calf may have represented a beast that carried God on its back. Not the way to represent or worship God. Normally sow wheat, reap grain. Here doing something stupid and foolish and reaping what that decision results in. Israel would be swallowed up, would be captured and vanish as a nation. Wild donkey stubborn, wilful very hard to control. Lord does not accept sacrifice. It is merely meat because it is not offered with the correct obedient heart. Suggests they placed security and strength in themselves and not in God.

23 Hosea bible study - page 18 Hosea chapter 9 1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, For you have played the harlot against your God. You have made love for hire on every threshing floor. 2 The threshing floor and the winepress Shall not feed them, And the new wine shall fail in her. 3 They shall not dwell in the LORD s land, But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And shall eat unclean things in Assyria. 4 They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, Nor shall their sacrifices be pleasing to Him. It shall be like bread of mourners to them; All who eat it shall be defiled. For their bread shall be for their own life; It shall not come into the house of the LORD. 5 What will you do in the appointed day, And in the day of the feast of the LORD? 6 For indeed they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up; Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their valuables of silver; Thorns shall be in their tents. 7 The days of punishment have come; The days of recompense have come. Israel knows! The prophet is a fool, The spiritual man is insane, Because of the greatness of your iniquity and great enmity. 8 The watchman of Ephraim is with my God; But the prophet is a fowler s snare in all his ways Enmity in the house of his God. 9 They are deeply corrupted, As in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins. 10 I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal Peor, And separated themselves to that shame; They became an abomination like the thing they loved. 11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception! 12 Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them to the last man. Threshing floors and wine presses had been the place of ritual prostitution in Canaan. Sexual act of people in these places was thought to stimulate the gods to also be fertile and provide for the land. Assyria compared to Egypt captivity. Defiled food and a defiled land. Memphis = Egyptian city famous as a burial site for the dead. God once found great pleasure in His people. Like finding tasty grapes or figs on a tree. But they went astray Baal Peor (Numb 25:4) The first instance of Israel adopting and participating in idolatry. There would be no children. This is a play on word using Ephraim which sound like a Hebrew word that means twice fruitful