INTRODUCTORY HEADING. ‘The word of YHWH which came to 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.' The name Hosea means ‘he has delivered' and is probably intended to indicate ‘YHWH has deli... [ Continue Reading ]
‘When YHWH spoke at the first by Hosea, YHWH said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom, for the land does commit great whoredom, departing from YHWH.' God's first requirement for Hosea's prophetic ministry was that he marry and have children. And when he did so... [ Continue Reading ]
HOSEA'S WIFE AND CHILDREN ARE TO BE A SIGN OF THE UNFAITHFULNESS OF ISRAEL (HOSEA 1:2 TO HOSEA 2:5 A). There is no reason in chapter 1 for seeing Gomer's ‘whoredom' as being anything other than spiritual whoredom, (even though some do choose to see it differently). But whatever view might be taken a... [ Continue Reading ]
YHWH'S STEADFAST LOVE FOR ISRAEL AND HER UNFAITHFULNESS TO HIM IS EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP WITH AN ASSURANCE THAT ONE DAY THERE WILL BE FULL RESTORATION (HOSEA 1:2 TO HOSEA 3:5). There is nothing more poignant than this beautiful picture of God in His love seeing Israel as Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
YHWH'S STEADFAST LOVE FOR ISRAEL AND HER UNFAITHFULNESS TO HIM IS EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP WITH AN ASSURANCE THAT ONE DAY THERE WILL BE FULL RESTORATION (HOSEA 1:2 TO HOSEA 3:5). There is nothing more poignant than this beautiful picture of God in His love seeing Israel as Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived, and bore him a son.' In obedience to YHWH Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and ‘took her' (married her and had sexual relations with her), with the result that she conceived and bore him a son. There is no hint here... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And YHWH said to him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom (or kingship) of the house of Israel to cease. And it will come about at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And YHWH said to him, “Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them.” Years having passed the people would have had time to ponder on the reason why Hosea had named his son ‘Jezree... [ Continue Reading ]
“But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by YHWH their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.” God's indictment at this stage did not apply to Judah. Judah was still ruled by the Davidic king, and still, at least centrally... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.' The weaning of a child would take two or three years, giving Israel time to consider their ways, so that the next child to be born to Gomer would arrive some years later. But to those who did not consider repenting the waiting wou... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And YHWH said, “Call his name Lo-ammi, for you are not my people, and I will not be your Ehyeh (I AM).” The message proclaimed by the naming of this child would come as a profound shock to those who took notice, mainly the faithful in Israel. Whereas the first two names had been somewhat ambiguous... [ Continue Reading ]
“Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered.” But what then of God's promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? They were not to be forgotten. Out of the gloom of the naming of the three children of Hosea comes a gleam of light. The pro... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint themselves one head, and will go up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.” This promise would be literally fulfilled in the inter-testamental period. The two nations would come toget... [ Continue Reading ]