Lesson 3 - Hosea 1:1-10 - TAKE YOURSELF A WIFE OF HARLOTRY
INTRODUCTION: Today we move into first of four lessons in the Book of Hosea as we continue our study of four of the twelve Minor Prophets. Hosea was a native of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (see map) who began his prophetic work about 750 B.C. during the last years of king Jeroboam II's reign and continued his work until the 720s B.C. As a contemporary of the Prophet Amos in the Southern Kingdom of Judea, Hosea saw a total of seven kings-all bad-come and go. Hosea wrote his Book to the Northern Kingdom Israelites to proclaim a message of coming judgment for her unfaithfulness to the LORD's Covenant, while at the same time declaring a a message of God' continuing love for Israel, with the urgent plea for the people's repentance and restoration.
Chapters 1-3 comprise a unit in which the LORD commands Hosea to take a wife who is identified as being sexually unfaithful. This wife-Gomer-will be a metaphor (a word picture) for the northern kingdom of Israel, which has prostituted itself in the whoredom of idolatry. When Gomer bears Hosea three children, God commands Hosea to give them names that depict the prophetic message to the people. But when Gomer reverts to form and suffers the consequenced of her unfaithfulness, God commands Hosea to redeem her, which represents a sign of the LORD's love for a redeemed Israel.
Read Hosea 1:1-3 - WHEN THE LORD FIRST SPOKE THROUGH HOSEA
1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD." 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
v. 1: "The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel." - Although Hosea's message is directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he also mentions the corresponding kings of Judah as a point of reference. "Jeroboam, son of Joash," a king of the Northern Kingdom, places the setting of Hosea's prophecy in the reign of Jeroboam II in the 755-725 B.C. timeframe.
v. 2a: "The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri" - This verse identifies Hosea's initial call to into ministry. The Hebrew name "Hosea" can mean either 'salvation' or 'he helps." He is introduced as the "son of Beeri" (Heb. means 'well' or 'fountain'), but we know nothing else about his background or where he lived.
v. 2b: "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry;" - Bible scholars have voiced many theories about Gomer, the women God commanded Hosea is to marry. Whether she was a professional prostitute or simply a woman of loose sexual morals, isn't made clear. But the main point is that she's a person who can't be trusted and certainly wasn't the kind of women whom Hosea would normally select to be his bride. The phrase "children of harlotry," can also be interpreted many different ways, but the most likely meaning is they were children born to Hosea and Gomer, who became "children of harlotry" after their mother was actually employed as a prostitute.
v. 3: "So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son." - We must keep in mind that Hosea "took" Gomer as his wife in obedience to God's command rather then personal preference. It's Ironic that in Hebrew her name translates to 'perfection.' The text reveals nothing more about her origins or her father "Diblaim," whose name in Heb. literally means a person of ill-repute. What this verse does establish is that the marriage of Hosea and Gomer was a historical event that took place between real people, as opposed to being a fable, and it also implies at least, that Hosea was the father of their first child.
APPLICATION 1: The marriage of Hosea and Gomer pictures the intimate personal relationship that exists between the LORD and His people. This principle of this picture tells us much about how our Holy God feels about us as His people, especially how he it affects Him when we sin and disobey our Covenant relationship with Him. (Note: As NT Christians, we have a covenant relationship with God, yes?) This means that our sins, to Him, are as serious as those committed by a spouse who violates the covenant of a marriage by committing adultery. In the context of today's story, we can view the application of this principle both on a personal level and a national (e.g., the United States) level.
Read Hosea 1:4-5 - NAME HIM JEZREEL
4 And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel."
v. 4a: " And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel;" - Hosea is commanded to name his first son "Jezreel," which in Heb. literally translates to 'God will sow or scatter,' and it's important symbolically.
v. 4b: "for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." - 1 Kings 21 reports that Naboth's vineyard was in "Jezreel," next door to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria; and when Naboth refused to sell the vineyard to Ahab, Queen Jezebel had Naboth killed. "Jehu," an Army commander and later king, subsequently destroyed all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel. Thus, Jezreel stands as the site of Jezebel's great sin.
v. 5: On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." - Here, the LORD GOD declares that, just as Jehu brought an end to Ahab's dynasty in Jezreel, He will "break the bow"-meaning, will bring judgment-to the dynasty of Jehu, and indeed, of Israel (i.e., the Northern Kingdom) itself. Though a better king than Ahab, Jehu still held on to Idolatrous practices. The Assyrian king, Tigrath-Pilesar III, fulfilled this prophecy when when he invaded and defeated the Northern Kingdom in 721 B.C. (2 Kings 15:29).
Read Hosea 1:6-7 - NAME HER LO-RUHAMAH
6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen."
v. 6a: "Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter." - Gomer's second child will be a daughter. Whether or not this is Hosea's child or one of an illicit relationship is debatable.
v. 6b1: "And the LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah," - The name Lo-ruhamah in Hebrew translates to 'She is not loved.' This would be an absolutely outrageous name for anyone's daughter.
v. 6b2: "for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them." - By this phrase, God means that Israel has basically used-up all the compassion He has had for them in the past-God will no longer overlook their sins: From now on, they're on their own, and the short-term outlook for their survival doesn't look too promising, does it?
v. 7a: "But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the LORD their God," - In contrast, the Lord still feels compassion for the southern Kingdom of Judah and will deliver her from outside conquest. (God would protect them for another 125 years, until 597 B.C., when they were conquered by the Babylonians; however, even then, God preserved a remnant for the future).
v. 7b: "and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen." - He did this 701 B.C. when he killed Sennacherib's army of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers who were besieging Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:32-36; Isa. 37). The difference between the two nations was that the Northern Kingdom depended upon secular power-armies and alliances-for their security, whereas, the Judahites trusted God to protect them.
Read Hosea 1:8-9 - NAME HIM LO-AMMI
8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God."
v. 8a: "When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah," - In those days, a child was typically "weaned" (taken off mother's milk) at age three. That a child was actually born, raised, and weaned tells us that this was a real historical event rather than a prophetic vision or allegory. This really happened.
v. 8b: "she conceived and gave birth to a son." - Again, whether or not Hosea was in actual fact the father of Gomer's second son is purely a matter of speculation.
v. 9a: "And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi," - In the original Hebrew the name "Lo-Ammi" literally translates to 'not my people.'
v. 9b: "for you are not My people and I am not your God." - This is a tragic pronouncement: The LORD (YHWH) no longer regarded the kingdom of Israel (that is, the Northern Kingdom that referred to itself as 'Israel') as His people or Himself as their God. It meant a reversal of the Covenant relationship previously established with them in Ex. 6:7. In practical terms, God would remove His protection and allow another nation in to invade and subjugate His people. This is a national judgment. Comment: On this, we should note that the Covenant God made with Moses (Ex. 19-24 generally) was conditional upon of the obedience of the people.
APPLICATION 2: The Picture of Hosea's family shows us that, as the people of God, God will only allow us to go so far before He judges us. As applied to the adulterous Northern Kingdom of Israel, it meant a reversal of His Covenant with them. As a national judgment, they would lose God's protection and be conquered by a godless, pagan nation, and this event did in fact take place in 721 B.C. when the Assyrian army totally vanquished them to never reappear again as a nation. Now, as Christians, we can never lose our spiritual salvation; but, what about our status as free citizens of the United States of America? Will our sin as a nation cause God to allow the secular human powers to remove the constitutional freedoms we Christians have enjoyed for over 200 years? Will we be persecuted like the Christians in the Roman Empire of Paul's time? It bears thinking about. The bigger question is: Are we responsible for what has happened in American over the past 70+ years?
Read Hosea 1:10 - THE SONS OF ISRAEL WILL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA
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."
v. 10a: "Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered;" - Notice the conjunction "Yet," which often points to a divine reversal. With this verse, the LORD announces an exception to the declaration made in v. 9., which is based upon His unconditional promise to Abraham: "indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Gen. 22:17-18). Thus, the judgment upon Israel in v. 9 would only be temporary. The LORD GOD will re-gather Israel and Judah and acknowledge them as His Own. This is an eschatological prophecy that will take place at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
v. 10b: "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." - In context, the phrase used here, "sons of the living God," clearly applies to Israel.
Postscript: As previously mentioned, In 721 B.C., the Northern Kingdom of Israel was completely conquered and thereafter occupied by the armies of Assyria. As part of its occupation, Assyria repopulated the area with pagan people of other nationalities and the region became so assimilated after a time that Israel ceased to exist as an identifiable nation or people.
APPLICATION 3: The LORD promises to bring back all the people identified as "not my people" (v. 10b). The Apostle Paul quoted Hos. 1:10 in Rom. 9:25-26 to show that the very people who deserve God's wrath will in the future receive God's mercy through saving faith in Jesus Christ. One of the divine purposes of the end-time Tribulation in relation to Israel is the conversion of the Jewish remnant to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. (Ezek. 20:33-38; Dan. 12:7)
