The Minor Prophets: #3 Hosea

Have you ever stumbled in your walk with God? Take words with you, and return to the Lord! He is ready and waiting to hear from you. Those who dwell under Yahweh’s shadow will return to Him and be revived like grain, and grow like a vine. This is his promise! Greetings from me, Hosea. My name means salvation. The message I have for you today, well, it is the same one I delivered for Yahweh years ago to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The country had been divided into two parts after the time of Solomon. Sound familiar?(Maybe like the Republicans and Democrats?)...

Hosea happens to be one of my favorite books. Actually, the first part of the book has a wonderful love story. It shows the depth of God's love for us. It foreshadows in a deep way what God does for us by sending Jesus to die for us to pay the price to "redeem" us, or buy us back from slavery to the world system and sin. He "cleans us up", comforts us, and takes us home! The second half lists the Northern Kingdom's many offenses toward God, and warns of impending judgment.

If you would like, fill out the worksheet for Hosea as you listen to the video. (10:30) My son, Jonathan, is the voice of Hosea. Thanks, Jon! Go here for worksheet! Remember, the entire script of the video is written out for you at the bottom of this blog!

Scriptures: Book of Hosea (At least the first two or three chapters!), 2 Kings 14:23-29, Romans 5: 6-8

Questions:

1. What impacted you the most while watching this video?

2. How do you think Hosea felt when his wife left him? How do you think he felt when God told him to "buy her back?"

3. How did Hosea's actions illustrate to the country of Israel how He felt about them, and what He was planning to do?

4. What was Gomer really seeking? What was Hosea seeking? What was God seeking?

5. How does the story of Hosea's life illustrate what Christ does for us? How would you explain that to someone who does not know the story?

If you would like, watch the trailer from the movie Amazing Love: The Story of Hosea. I will also include a link to the entire movie. Don't miss this! It really helps you understand what Hosea actually went through. You may wish to forward through the sections about our times today and simply watch the biblical portions.

Here is the rest of the text of the teaching video.

The Northern Kingdom, also known as “Israel”with its capital in Samaria, was in a time of great prosperity under the reign of Jeroboam II, son of Joash. In the Southern Kingdom of Judah, kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, served on the throne. But my job was to speak to the kingdom in the North. Since the time of their first king, Jeroboam I, until my day, they did not have even one king that loved Yahweh. Over time, the people were growing farther and farther away from him. God was running out of patience. His mercy was upon them, but in his holy justice, he could tolerate their behavior no longer.

Oftentimes, Yahweh had his prophets, such as myself, Hosea, “act out” his object lessons in real life. That made for some difficult assignments. Mine was no exception.

God told me to go take a wife of harlotry and have children with her! He said it was because the, and I quote, “Land had committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.” This broke my heart on so many levels. I was heartbroken for the country. And for myself. And for God. How could I do such a thing? But a prophet of Yahweh must obey.

So, I took a prostitute, the daughter of Diblam, named Gomer, as my wife. She was beautiful, and I loved her. We had three children. They were part of God’s message to Israel, too, about what was coming in their future.

Our firstborn was a son, and upon direction from the Lord we named him “Jezreel” which means “God will sow.” Jezreel was the name of a city north of Samaria, in which King Ahab, a wicked king of Israel, had a palace. His wife, Jezebel, had their neighbor, Naboth, murdered, so that King Ahab could obtain his vineyard. Jezreel was located at the east end of the Jezreel valley. Many important historical battles took place in the Jezreel valley. The prophecy I was to deliver through naming our son Jezreel was this. “I will bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” As you can imagine, this message was not a popular one for me to deliver, and most people, who were comfortable in the affluence of the times were unaffected by my message.

But let’s continue. My daughter was born next. What a beauty she was! So pretty, like her mother. Her name was Lo Ruhamah, which means “No more mercy.” This time, the prophecy given to me was even more urgent to Israel. “I will show you no mercy, and you will be utterly taken away, yet I will have mercy on Judah.” Again, this message should have stirred the hearts of the people to repentance, but sadly, it did not. In 722 BC the Assyrian army took the city of Samaria, in the Jezreel Valley, and completely defeated Israel. They were deported as slaves to various far off lands within the Assyrian empire. Judah, to the south, lasted 100 years longer. In the end, they were also defeated, but by Babylon. Now, I am getting ahead of myself…

My third child was a son, “Lo Ami” which means “Not my people.” The message I delivered with my son’s birth was that God was saying to Israel that they were no longer his people, and He would not be their God. Ouch!

Yet… God always has a “yet” when he is delivering bad news. I love that about him. He always leaves us with some kind of hope! This is also part of the message I delivered. He said that one day a huge number of people would return to the very place where he declared them “not his people” and they would once again become his people and they would declare to Him, “You are my God!” In that day to come, God says Israel would once again be his betrothed and call him her husband! There is more, so much more, be sure to read it in my book, Hosea, Chapter 2.

In the meantime, Gomer, my wife, left me and the children. She believed her “lovers” served her needs better than Yahweh and me. I was heartbroken. She believed they were the ones that were providing her with bread and water, wool and linen, oil and wine. She took a lover, and was living with him. You can imagine my emotions through all of this! That is exactly how God was feeling about the betrayal of His people! So heartbroken that he had been forsaken by His betrothed!

But God, in his great wisdom, told me to go, again, and love this woman and bring her home. Just like he was going to love Israel again. Even though Israel had chased after other Gods, he still loved her, and desired her to return to him. He told me he was going to allure Israel again, just like I was to allure my wife. I was to speak comfort to her, and open to her a door of hope. She would again love me, and call me her husband. She would no longer even remember the names of her lovers! And she would follow me in lovingkindness and mercy and she would be faithful again.

So, I took a deep breath and went looking for her. My heart ached so much! I was so wounded by her-- so angry, yet I loved her so! Do you know where I found her? On the auction block for slaves! Her lover had deserted her! She was dirty and bleeding, contrite and broken. But I couldn’t contain my excitement--there she was, my beloved. Our eyes met and I sensed the shame, but also the relief reflected there. I purchased her for myself for 15 shekels of silver and a homer of barley, the common price for a slave. The price was very costly for me, a man of God, but I did not care. I was willing to pay the highest price.

After taking care of the transaction, I went forward to claim my beloved. I bent down to look at her, sitting on the ground. “I will love you forever,” I told Gomer, watching as tears ran down her cheeks into her hair. Her eyes met mine and I went on, boosted by the love I found there. “I forgive you, even though you do not deserve it. You are my wife!” I gently picked her up in my arms and carried her all the way home, her head on my chest, weeping.

After we reached our home, I needed to relay the rest of Yahweh’s message. I lovingly told her she would stay with me for many days, but I cautioned that she could never have a lover again, including myself , her husband, for a period of time. God would allow me love and care for her, but he wanted to make a point. Again, my life events were illustrating prophecy. Through this drama acted out in my own life, God was saying to the people, “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or ephod or seraphim. But 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.” It would be many years before God would be intimate again with his people, Israel, but the promise was given. Once again God would “heal their backsliding and love them freely.” This has not happened yet, but world events are beginning to line up! Wait for it!

I cannot resist the opportunity to tell you, the followers of not only Yahweh, but Yeshua, that this is the very same thing God did for you and for me individually. God sent his only son, to pay the price for you, to buy you from the auction block! The price? His death on a cross. Oh, how he loves each one of us! He pledges to love us forever, and show us mercy we do not deserve. God paid the high price of the death of his son, the Messiah, so that each one of us may live with him for eternity. This is real love in action.

In the next section of my book, Hosea, I record the charges God brought against Israel. This is where you come in. Examine them carefully. Do any of these apply to you, in America today? God is unchanging and his word is ever true. I urge you to learn from Israel’s mistakes! Be on the alert! God declared that there was no truth, mercy, or knowledge of Him in the land.

The people were swearing, lying, killing, stealing and committing adultery. They were full of bloodshed. The people had forgotten God.

Truly, it is best to read the book of Hosea for yourselves, and feel the pain and sorrow God experienced, just like the pain I felt when Gomer left me. but I cannot resist this one…

I am going to substitute your nation, America, in for Israel. Could it be God is admonishing your generation, as well as mine, in these verses?

America has mixed herself among the peoples. America is a cake unturned. Aliens have devoured her strength. But she does not know it. Yes, gray hairs are here and there on her, yet she does not know it. And the pride of America testifies to her face. But she does not return to the Lord her God, Nor seek him for all of this. America is like a silly dove without sense. She calls to China, she goes to Russia. Woe to them for they have fled from me. America has rejected the good, the enemy will pursue her. She will sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. She has plowed wickedness, and reaped iniquity. She has eaten the fruit of lies, because she trusted in her own way. Therefore tumult shall arise among the people. And all your fortresses shall be plundered.

This text is eerily appropriate for what is happening in the world today! I wish I had better news to deliver to Israel, and to you. History is playing out right in front of our eyes.

What is the solution? Oh Israel! And Oh America! Return to the Lord your God. For you have stumbled because of your sin. Take words with you, and return to the Lord! Say to Him, take away all iniquity. Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifice of our lips. Man will not save us, we will turn from trusting in our government. We will no longer say to the government, You are our god! We know that you are a God of mercy!

And here is God’s promise: I will heal your backsliding and I will love you freely. My anger will turn away from you. Those who dwell under my shadow will return to me and be revived like grain, and grow like a vine.(Hosea 14:7) Who is wise? Let him understand these things! The righteous will walk in them. Hosea 14: 9.