| Spending time in the Scriptures Hosea | by A. Kimber | |||||
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As we come to the first of the ‘minor prophets’ Hosea comes before us as a man sent to show the nation of Israel their sin. He doesn’t seem to bring particular judgements as many of the prophets that we have already studied did but instead is just sent to make a point to the people he lived amongst. This is possibly one of the most incomprehensible beginnings of any book; here we have a man sent from God who, on instruction from God marries a prostitute. We know Gods law from the beginning of time that a man should be with a woman and that sex outside of marriage is wrong so why was Hosea told to take a woman who had wilfully flouted these creatorial laws to be his wife? This question is one that has been posed and considered for many years. Once again we just have to look at the situation and note that God put this in place so that His people would be given a specific message. The scriptures tell us that Gomer conceived and bare him (Hosea) a son. Hosea’s firstborn son was given the name Jezreel which means ‘God will scatter’, after Jezreel two further children were born; However the next two children are described as being ‘conceived again’ which as I have just mentioned suggests to many that these were not Hosea’s children. So the second child born to his wife was called Loruhamah meaning ‘not an object of mercy or gracious favour.’ These children were certainly bringing an unmistakeable message to the nation around them. Finally the third child was called Loammi meaning ‘not my people’ I wonder what the people around made of these children, sometimes we hear an unusual name and wonder what the child will think of it in a few years time Hosea would have certainly received some attention for these! In doing these things Hosea brings the unfaithfulness of the nation of Israel to attention. They have left the Lord and gone after idols and other gods. Wonderfully in Gods plan restitution features once again as Hosea tells how the people will once again regard the Lord as they did when they came out of captivity in Egypt. Hosea is requested to once again redeem his unfaithful wife back to his side to show this. Much of the book of Hosea concerns the message that he brought to the people consistently bringing before them their unfaithfulness and Gods faithfulness. How He helped them in times of need but allowed them to be taken by their enemies when they turned against Him. Through all this we see the Lord's goodness as He once again sends His servant to a people who didn’t want to know anything about Him. Hosea takes time to look at their history and show examples of God's goodness to their forefathers. So what can we glean from this book? I think that we are once again shown Gods faithfulness and steadfastness no matter how much we grieve Him. We are shown that His plan is always for restitution; we may find that worldly people are the ones who display this message to us but we must receive these things from God’s hands. Hosea 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. Hosea 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Hosea 11:8 How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. Hosea 13:9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. As always we welcome comments and suggestions, would you have selected different verses? Let me know what you think, it’s always good to get some feedback. You can e-mail me at a.kimber@assemblyyouth.net
All quotes are from the King James version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. | ||||||
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