Hosea 2:1-7

Israel's Spiritual Adultery

Hosea 2:1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

Ammi means "my people", say unto my people: and to your sisters, Ruhamah, meaning "mercy". Say to my people to show mercy.

Hosea 2:2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

Plead with your mother, who was my wife, but her heart is elsewhere, neither am I her husband: literally; bring charges against or confront her with her sins. Let her repent of her whoredoms and return to her spiritual marriage. Referring to Israel and her loving other idols, leaving her covenant God and spiritual husband. Let me add, that we are not to be looking to accuse people of wrongs, but we do have the responsibility to try to restore those we see falling into sin.

1 Cor 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
1 Cor 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
1 Cor 4:4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

The LORD is speaking. When he speaks we had better hear and obey him.

Hosea 2:3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

God who blessed her, is bound by the old covenant of the law to curse her if she leaves him and does evil in his sight. Strip her naked, revealing her sins, make her as a wilderness, alone in a dry place and slay her with thirst. There are some would be Christians who enjoy cursing others, accusing and seeing faults, as if they were without sin. Do not abuse the grace of God, by acting as a judge of others. Judgement begins in us first. There is plenty to clean up in our own hearts and our own clouded vision. Show grace and seek to restore the lost and do not be quick to judge others. God is our judge and only God can bless or curse. Nothing can satisfy like fellowship with our LORD.

We are supposed to be spirit filled with living water coming out of our innermost being. He spoke that the adulterous woman will be dry and that thirst will overcome her. Remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well.

John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Jesus offered this spiritual water to a woman of whoredoms, as were his people Israel, spiritually unfaithful and promiscuous. He did not come to condemn her. He cares for lost souls. He desired for her to repent and come to God and Jesus and be given the living waters of his spiritual presence. He knew her need by the Holy Spirit. Some quote the word, but use it to condemn and accuse, these are not of God's Spirit. Jesus came to restore that which was lost. He is gentle and kind.

1 Pet 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1 Pet 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Those of us who like to condemn sinners, had better repent and be like Jesus who showed mercy and grace to the woman caught in adultery.

John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Apart from grace, they were under the law. Every sin under the law had a judgement.

Hosea 2:4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

The word "bastard" refers to a child of adultery or fornication. It was a word of shame, but because this sin is so wide spread today, we do not use this term, except as a curse word. Now we are to be "tolerant", but we see God's view of this in Hosea. Are you a Christian? Are you under his grace? Then your soul is saved, but God is not pleased with adulterous behavior. Are children born of fornication or adultery cursed now? If one parent in a marriage is a Christian, then the children are holy to the LORD.

1 Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

If the children continue in the sins of the adulterous parent, they will be judged by God.

Hosea 2:5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

The spirit of whoredom seeks after material things, flesh things above relationships of honor and trust. The mother in this verse is Israel the nation and the children are the individuals who live there. A nation may be judged by God, which affects all the children. Some may be children of faith. If so, God will be their strength. We of faith are to pray for our nation.

Hosea 2:6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

Woe to a people apart from God. They sin for a season and prosper, but the time of God's withdrawing will come and their blessings will no longer be there. God places a curse on the disobedient apart from him. Moses however, chose to be with his people above the riches and power of Egypt.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Hosea 2:7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

Again, God is the husband and adulterous Israel is the woman. This is as the story of the prodigal son. He had squandered his inheritance, ran out of friends, even ate the pig slop until he repented.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luke 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luke 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

His older brother was not pleased that he returned. This is as the vengeful church member who knows of someones past sin, and will not forgive them. We have been forgiven much and are to seek to restore and forgive the sinner. We are not to get in the way of their restoration by our foolish actions. Love suffers long. Forgiveness may require suffering in order to restore the wayward one.

Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

We must be directed by the Holy Spirit, not by our flesh minds.