 |
| Photo by Jim Tracy |
Introduction
Hosea lived before the Assyrian captivity. He was the only native to Israel who wrote a Bible prophecy book, being from Bethshemesh, and of the tribe of Issachar. The others were all from Judah. He was believed to be the first of the writing prophets (pre-dating even Isaiah), as well as one of the longest lived. Jewish tradition says he lived to be ninety years old, prophesying most of that time.Hosea’s story is an object lesson for God’s relationship with Israel. God “married” Israel, but due to her unfaithfulness (idolatry), He divorced her.
Israel was the nation God chose to carry His Word and the lineage to Christ. She split into two halves; Judah (the southern kingdom) and Israel (in the north). Though Judah came closer to serving God, neither one really dedicated themselves to Him. Both nations were carried into captivity as punishment; Israel in 640BC by Assyria, and Judah in 526BC by Babylon.
Hosea prophesied just before the captivity of Israel. After the story of his relationship with Gomer, he outlines each sin of Israel and the punishment God is going to inflict, along with whether or not Judah has committed the same sin. This was a warning to Israel that their time to repent was up. His prophecy was not accepted.
Chapter 1- Israel Is an Unthankful Prostitute
1 The word of the I AM that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of [kings] Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Hosea had a long-term career. Uzziah started his reign in 727BC, Samaria was conquered in 640BC, and Hezekiah ruled until 617BC; a span of 90 years. Hosea may not have prophesied this whole time, but it was still a very long career.
He names four kings of Judah and one, long ruling, king of Israel, the second Jeroboam to rule Israel (though he prophesied during the reign of other Israelite kings. It just appears that he couldn’t bring himself to mention such evil men’s names).
Hosea is another way of writing Joshua and means “Savior.”
2 The beginning of the word of the I AM by Hosea. And the I AM said to Hosea, “Go, marry a wife who is a prostitute and she'll have children from prostitution, because the country has committed great whoredoms, leaving the I AM.”
God is our Father and the church is our mother. At this time, the church was the nation Israel (with Judah). God is comparing His relationship with Israel to Hosea’s relationship with his wife.
Most believe Gomer was a prostitute before Hosea chose her as his wife. Some believe this was actually just a vision and God didn’t really tell Hosea to marry a prostitute. However, I see no support for the vision-view in scripture. It very much appears to be Hosea’s real life story.
3 So he married Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, which conceived, and bare him a son.
What are the chances that this child was not actually the child of Hosea? There is the chance he was illegitimate, though it appears he was conceived after the marriage. Would God have had Hosea write this differently if this wasn’t Hosea’s child? Maybe “and she bare a son instead of she bare HIM a son”?
4 And the I AM said to him, “Name him Jezreel, because in a short time I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will destroy the kingdom of of Israel.”
Jezreel means “God Sows.” It was the name of the city in Israel that Ahab came from.
Israel’s king Ahab was very wicked, and his wife, Jezebel, was worse, so God placed a curse on them. Jehu eliminated all the sons of Ahab to fulfill that curse, and killed all the worshipers of Baal.
God promised Jehu that his fourth generation would rule in Israel, and so they did. Most translations interpret verse 4 to say that God will avenge the blood of Ahab’s family and the worshipers of Baal on Jehu’s descendants (punish them for the killings), but in 2 Kings 10:30 God praises Jehu for his actions. It makes much more sense to interpret the word “paqad” as “visit” or “reckon” instead of “avenge,” meaning that God will bring the same punishment onto Jehu’s descendants as he did on Ahab’s because Jehu didn’t serve God either.
God says here that Israel will cease to be a kingdom. They will be eliminated. This is exactly what happened after the Assyrian captivity. Though many from all twelve tribes settled in Palestine during The Return commanded by Cyrus the Great, they settled in the territory of Judah. Israel as a kingdom never again existed.
5 And it will happen then that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
Jezreel was between Assyria and Israel’s capital city of Samaria. She was a major strategic point of defense. Assyria took her out on the way to Samaria, Israel’s capital city.
The bow was the major defensive weapon of the time.
6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said to him, “Name her Loruhamah, because I will not mercy on the house of Israel, but I will completely take them away.”
Loruhamah means “she is not pitied.”
Again, Israel is to be totally destroyed. God is done with her. He won’t show her any pity.
7 “But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by the I AM their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”
Conventional means of war will not be used to save Judah.
Assyria did try to conquer Judah, even laying siege to Jerusalem. But God, at the prayers of Hezekiah (a godly king), caused the king of Assyria to hear of a rebellion elsewhere in his kingdom and leave Jerusalem. He was later murdered and never returned to Judah.
8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9 Then said God, “Name him Loammi, because you are not My people, and I will not be your God.
Loammi means “Not My People.”
This is the third time in just this chapter God says Israel will no longer be His people.
Imagine your dad giving you these kinds of names?
10 “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it will happen, that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said unto them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’
It is not a political/ethnic people that will be numbered as the sea. It is a spiritual kingdom; the Christian church. “Sons of God” is a New Testament term that applies to the Christian (Romans 9:25). “Israel” in the New Testament is the Church. Romans 11 tells us that God broke off the unprofitable branches (unbelieving Israelites) of the Olive Tree (the church) and grafted in wild branches (gentile believers). So those who believe and follow God are now Israel no matter what their genetic heritage. They are part of the innumerable multitude that are called “The Sons of the Living God.” (Romans 4:11, 1 Peter 2:10, Galatians 6:15-16, In fact, the whole book of Galatians)
11 “Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel will unit and appoint one leader and return from captivity, for that will be a great day for Jezreel.”
Jezreel is about where the village of Nazareth was at the time of Christ’s birth. The appointed Head is Jesus. Those that will return from the captivity from all twelve tribes chose Him as their Head.
The fulfillment of this scripture began with the return from the Babylonian captivity when individuals from all twelve tribes settled in the land of Judah as one nation, instead of being divided into two; Israel and Judah. They chose one leader, Zerubbabel. However, this is just the beginning. The real culmination of this prophecy is in the great day of Jezreel (Nazareth), when the Savior of the world is appointed the Head of the New Testament Nation Israel (The Church).