http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary by Charles Box Questions by John C. Sewell The Object Lesson of Hosea s Family Hosea 2:1-23 by Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ P. O. Box 551 Greenville Alabama 36037, U.S.A. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: Hosea 2:1-23, The Object Lesson of Hosea s Family Commentary by Charles Box 1. "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.' 2. "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. 3. Otherwise I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born; I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. 4. I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. 5. Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.' 6. Therefore I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. 7. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.' 8. She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold which they used for Baal.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness. 10. So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. 11. I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days all her appointed feasts. 12. I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. 13. I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot," declares the LORD. 14. "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. 15. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. 16. "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.' 17. I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. 18. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. 19. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 20. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. 21. "In that day I will respond," declares the LORD "I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; 22. and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 23. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one. 'I will say to those called 'Not my people, ''You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'" (NIV) Introduction: I. The terrible unfaithfulness of Hosea's wife, Gomer, is a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. A. Israel had turned to other gods just as Gomer had turned to other men. B. God had looked upon Israel as His people pictured in the name of his son, Ammi. C. He had extended mercy to them as pictured by the name of Hosea's daughter, Ruhamah. D. In Hosea two (2) we also see the names Ishi and Baali. 1. God said, Thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. 2. The desire of God was to be called Israel's husband and not be called her god, Baal, any more. II. In sadness Hosea asked his children to tell their mother to stop living like a prostitute. A. The picture was that Gomer was bringing terrible misery and destitution upon herself by her sinful living. 1. This prostitute took no thought as to how she was hurting the ones that loved her.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 2. This was the same with the nation of Israel. 3. They had no concern as to how they were hurting God. B. Hosea's unfaithful wife thought that she could get all she needed elsewhere. 1. She was mistaken! 2. She desperately needed her husband just as Israel needed God. C. Israel thought she could get what she needed from Baal, but she was terribly likewise mistaken. III. God put things in Israel's path to bring her back to her knees. A. Like Gomer they should have realized that life was better with their first husband. 1. God had blessed Israel and she used those very blessing to serve the Baal. 2. The result of this unfaithfulness and unthankfulness was that God took back his blessings. B. Those that lose God also lose every reason for joy. 1. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. 2. Israel had forgotten God and had turned to Baal.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 IV. It is hard to imagine such love, but Hosea still loved his unfaithful wife and God still loved Israel in her unfaithfulness. A. The valley of Achor was given to Israel as a door of hope. B. Troubles often draw people to the Master. C. There was coming a time when the people would not use the name of Baal any more. D. Because of Jesus God could say, I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God. Commentary: Plead with Your Mother to do Right Hosea 2:1-5, "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.' "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. Otherwise I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born; I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.' " (NIV) I. Through the years of the Jewish nation there were always some that were godly people.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 A. These righteous ones were to say, Let your brothers be called Ammi or My People and your sisters be called Ruhamah or Shown Mercy. B. Today those that are Christians greet one another as brethren. 1. They realize that by God's mercy they are His children. II. Gomer represented "the ten tribes" that had departed from God. A. God said, "She is no longer my wife, and now I, the LORD, am not her husband." B. The righteous were to beg Israel to stop being unfaithful. C. God desired that Israel put away her whoredoms or false doctrine and idolatry. 1. God said, "I will strip her naked like the day she was born. I will make her barren like a desert, and she will die of thirst." 2. The nation of Israel would be shamefully exposed by the Assyrians as payment for their spiritual adultery. C. The same thing could happen to us because many Christians today are so confused that they accept sodomy, abortion and false religious doctrines. II. If we go a whoring after false gods or false religions even our children will be brought under that unfaithfulness. A. Even the righteous will have to suffer because of the unfaithfulness of many.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 1. It is just so important for us to go back to the Bible, and to teach our children how to study and live according to God's truth. B. Gomer gave her lovers credit for what she had when it was Hosea that had provided for her. 1. Israel gave Baal credit for what she had when it was Jehovah that had provided for her. 2. False religion has provided man with nothing. Israel Refused to Thank and Honor God Hosea 2:6-13, Therefore I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.' She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold which they used for Baal. "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness. So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days all her appointed feasts. I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot," declares the LORD. (NIV) I. God promised that He would make the path of His unfaithful people rough and very hard to take.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 A. They had used blessings given them by God to serve Baal. 1. God cut Israel off because of their unholy religious customs. 2. Let us open our eyes before the same thing happens with us. II. God wanted it understood that there comes a time when even a good and faithful husband will finally put his unfaithful wife to shame. A. The continual unfaithfulness of Israel caused God to allow them to be taken into captivity and He withheld His blessings from them. III. Israel would suffer the consequences of her spiritual adultery. A. God said, "Then I will strip her naked in the sight of her lovers. No one can rescue her." 1. Israel was taken into Assyrian captivity and there they were compelled to continue in their spiritual adultery. B. God said, "I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts." (Hosea 2:11) 1. These are things that would happen to Israel during its exile. 2. They were not allowed to conduct their worship while there.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 IV. The very ungodly people that Israel had befriended made their land desolate. A. The land was deserted and overrun with wild animals. B. Israel gave God no credit for any of the good things He had done for them. C. Imagine how God feels when what He has given to people is used to worship false gods or to practice false religions. D. Israel had dressed in their finest and then chose to worship Baal. E. God punished Israel for the days they spent in service to Baal. F. They worshipped in ignorance and had none of God's blessings. Trouble Brought Hope to Israel Hosea 2:14-17, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.' I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. (NIV) I. These verses begin the beautiful picture of God s luring His people back. A. As a wronged husband that was willing to forgive his unfaithful wife God would receive back a penitent Israel. 1. If it is your desire to serve God He will receive you back.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 2. If it is your desire to chase after adulterous religions God will give you up to that desire. 3. When the unfaithful bride returns to her first love she is forgiven and received back. B. The word Achor means "trouble." 1. It was the name of the place where Achan sinned at Jericho and brought so much "trouble" upon the congregation. 2. Sin got Israel into trouble, but God's love brought them out. 3. There was a door of hope for God's unfaithful people. C. In an unusual expression God said, "And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." (Hosea 2:16) 1. Imagine the joy experienced by Israel when she is received back by the loving and forgiving God of heaven. 2. Those that return to God could call Him their husband. 3. The captivity of God s people brought them from idolatry back to service to God. Thou Art My People, Saith God Hosea 2:18-23, In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. "In that day I will respond," declares the LORD "I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one. 'I will say to those called 'Not my people, ''You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'" (NIV) I. When God allowed His people back He also blessed and protected the land. A. God did not expect His people to go to war to reclaim the land. 1. He would give it to them! 2. God would "betroth" Israel unto Himself. 3. They would not be sent into exile again. 4. God will be faithful to the promises He has made to His people. II. God gave the world salvation through Jesus. A. There is unity of interest in both directions, from God and from the people. 1. The people have a responsibility to hear and obey God. 2. They need a full understanding of God's truth. B. Physical blessings came to Israel when they returned to God.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 Application: 1. Spiritual blessings come to those that obey God. 2. Jezreel is the seed that God will sow, and reap. 3. It is pictured in the words, "And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God." (Hosea 2:23) I. How blessed we are that both Jews and Gentiles are now a part of God's spiritual nation. A. Now God is reaching out to gather us all in Christ. II. Today is the day when we should seriously consider God's judgment against the wicked. A. Will you not receive Christ as your Lord and Savior this day?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 Questions Hosea 2:1-23 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Who is speaking in verse 1? Who are the brothers, people, sisters and loved ones in this verse? 2. Who is speaking in verse 2? Who are the mother and husband in this verse? 3. What did the husband direct his children to do and say? 4. When is it appropriate for children to rebuke their parents?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 5. In verse 2 for what was the mother/wife to be rebuked? 6. If the mother/wife did not repent what would be done to her and by whom would it be done? 7. Who would not show love to the woman s children? Who is speaking in verse 4? Why would love be withheld from children? 8. Should there be any difference in our attitudes toward children born of parents who are married and those whose parents are not married?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 9. What is the scriptural Christian attitude toward others who have conceived in disgrace? Does our society regard conception out of wedlock disgraceful? 10. What did the woman decide to do? Why did she make this decision? (see verse 5.) 11. Do people marry for these reasons today? Is this honorable? 12. Who is the I in verse 6? What was to be done to her? 13. When the woman could not catch her lovers, what did she decide to do?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 14. Chasing lovers is an ancient practice. Is this a good thing to do?... always, sometimes or never? 15. Do we appreciate those who do the most for us? Are things always better somewhere else? 16. What does Baal have to do with all this? Do we ever take God s gifts and waste them in the devil s service? 17. Did the woman s husband take her back? See verses 9-13. Explain.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 18. Did the woman s husband take her back? See verses 14-20. Explain. 19. What accounts for the difference in your answers to the last two questions? 20. What does Assyria have to do with this chapter? 21. Identify and locate the Valley of Achor. In what way would it become a door of hope? What had it been previously? 22. Who is the speaker in verses 21-23? Is this a change in speakers?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 23. Who or what is Jezreel in verse 22? 24. Are verses 21-23 literal, figurative or both? What do these verses really mean? 25. What lessons does this chapter teach our generation?