Hosea 1

Rebellious Israel

Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeraboam and Joash were the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. The prophet Hosea lived in the northern kingdom from 755-715 B.C. His ministry was for 40 years. Forty is a number of testing and trials. Moses was in the desert forty years, the children of Israel wandered in the desert forty years because of unbelief. The ministry of Hosea was to an adulterous people who left their God for other things. Hosea, is the same name for Joshua or Jesus. It means "salvation."

Hosea 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

Israel here is as the covenant wife of God. The LORD wanted to use the life of Hosea as an illustration of His love for His adulterous people. Hosea was to take a wife of whoredoms. Not a wife who had been saved from a life of whoredom and redeemed and made new, but a wife who was a whore, unchanged. He was to have children from this confused and unfaithful woman. By this relationship of Hosea and his unfaithful wife, it is an illustrated message of God's love for his unfaithful people. God's love is true and faithful, in spite of the moral weakness his covenant people. In Exodus, the LORD calls his covenant people, his firstborn son. Jesus is the only begotten son, from heaven.

Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

In Hosea, the unfaithful covenant people were described as an unfaithful wife. The land had committed great whoredoms, departing from the LORD.

"If Hosea's story cannot be real (because 'God could not ask a man to marry an unfaithful woman'), then neither is the story of salvation real, because that is precisely what Christ has done for us." (Boice)

Jesus did not choose a perfect bride, the church. We were all lost and unclean, but we are bring made into His image, holy and unblamable, covered by his blood: redeemed, justified and made his righteousness, by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Israel is not the only nation who left God for idols. America has turned away from God in the pursuit of other things. Any nation that leaves God out of their land, has committed whoredoms. This is the adulterous spirit of Babylon.

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Thank God that we are saved, the saved remnant of a once great Christian nation. Our kingdom is the kingdom of God, He is our master.

Hosea 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.

His wife was named Gomer, which means complete. He had a son by her. You know we can love someone with all of our heart, but that person may not be able to respond, because of a life of whoredom or fornication. So many casual relationships so that the ability to make a covenant relationship with one, is difficult for them. With God all things are possible. If he changes you, you are made new. We once were fornicators or adulterers, but he has taken us out of that and we are being made faithful, as He is faithful.

Hosea 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Jezreel means: "God scatters or God sows". Jezreel was the name of the place where Jehu had killed the seventy sons of wicked king Ahab.

2 Ki 10:11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

As God brought an end to the line of Ahab, so He would cause to cease the nation of Israel. By 722 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel and it's capital, Samaria, would fall.

Hosea 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

Israels miltary power would be broken in the valley of Jezreel.

Hosea 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

Loruhamah, meaning "no mercy." God would not show mercy to the rebellious nation of Israel. They would cease to be a people until 1948, when Israel again became a nation. That was a period of time of about 2670 years. With the rebirth of Israel we are truly living in the last days.

Hosea 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Judah and Jerusalem still worshipped the LORD and he showed mercy upon them. They were not saved by their own military might or the warriors of another land; God sent angels to protect them. How awesome is that?

Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

2 Ki 19:34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
2 Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

Hosea 1:8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Loammi means: "not my people." That is a terrible judgement to be rejected by God, but they had rejected Him. They had no use for him, so he had no use for them. Israel had seen better days. Woe to a people who no longer wants God. We do not realize that all we have comes from Him. Our gifts and abilities he gives to us. They had rejected him and God said, that's all for now. The baby was called "not my people", what a sad name.

The names tell a story. Jezreel, "God scatters." Woe to those separated from God our help. Loruhamah, "no mercy" to a adulterous and rebellious people. We are so fortunate to be under the blood of Jesus. In him we are one with God and one another. He gives us mercy and grace. The final name of the children of Hosea was Loammi: "not my people." We are the people of God. If one in our midst falls away and is scattered, we are to leave the 99 sheep and go find him.

Mat 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
We may say we no longer want God, but that is foolishness. He keeps us in His hand, we need to repent from our sinful thoughts, words and actions. Let us restore the wayward brothers and sisters; not act as their judges. They may be being sifted by satan.

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

If we fall away, maybe we are living on yesterdays faith. It is time to be revived, to find God afresh. Pastors may fail you, people may fail you, we may fail all and give up. Do not give up, the saints are praying for you. You are not as Israel of old a rebellious and disobedient people, without His Spirit. If we are in Christ, His Spirit dwells in us, to show us truth and to comfort us; we are never alone.

Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

The prophet speaks the mercy of God to the covenant people of God through Messiah, Jesus Christ. They will not be forgotten forever.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

I always saw this verse as referring to a backslidden Christian. It primarily is referring to Israel. The gifts, plural, and the calling. God called them unto himself and finally when Jesus comes in the end times, they will hear his calling to them and be saved. When saved then they will receive the gifts for ministry. Some people on their death bed have said, "I know I was to teach", but I ran from God. What a sad thing to miss God. Be strong in him, he is our refuge and strength and our gift giver.

Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Hosea 1:11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

In the day of Messiah as king. No longer will Jezreel mean "to be scattered," but it is a time "to sow" and be planted. The good seed of God's word is scattered on good soil and hearts receive Jesus, son of David, the everlasting King.

Isa 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Ezek 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

Jesus is coming again, very soon. Let us be waiting revived and excited to meet him. Do not lose faith now as we are being tempted and attacked. Realize this and stay faithful, so that you will be commended at his coming.