Hosea
1 – 7
Hosea is one of those odd stories where he is instructed to
marry as an illustration of Israel. Verse 1:2 is God’s instruction to do just
that:
This is the word the Eternal spoke
through Hosea first.
Eternal One (to
Hosea): Go and marry a woman who is a prostitute and have
children who come from this unfaithfulness. This will represent how the
land of Israel has abandoned Me and become a prostitute to
other masters!
Hosea married Gomer and had three children who represent
Israel and their unfaithfulness to God. The story is one of those odd ones that
actually illustrates God’s love for his people. Gomer represents the people of
Israel and how they abandon God’s directives and love while Hosea represents
God. In the story Gomer leaves Hosea and goes back to a life of prostitution.
While this may be a great illustration to the people of
Israel, it was difficult on Hosea all the same. But God shows through his
children that things may change by changing his son’s name from Not My People
to My People and his daughter’s name from Shown No Mercy to Shown Mercy. Just
as things can change for Israel if they decide to follow God, things can change
for all of us in obedience to God.
Verse 4:12 talks about what the people are doing:
They expect to hear oracles from a wooden idol,
to get guidance from a
diviner’s wand!
For a spirit of prostitution is leading them astray—
that’s why they’re so
unfaithful to their God and are becoming prostitutes.
Spirit’s that try to lead us from God are real and we need
to be aware of them. Satan has learned if he cannot get man to worship him, he
will get their worship away from God. So as people get sucked away from God,
wooden idols and mystics become the source of guidance and not God’s word. This
is very dangerous and can be seen today in New Age thinking like saying God is
everything and is all of us. Be vigilant and alert to stuff like this.
Verse 6:2 sounds like another story elsewhere in the Bible:
He’ll bring us back to life after
two days;
He’ll raise us up on the third day, and we’ll live with
Him.
This actually sounds more like the story of Jesus in the
Bible that what we are told. Think about it, Jesus died on a Friday, was
buried, then less than 48 hours the stone is rolled away and he is alive. Last
time I checked, 48 hours is 2 days. I know this is a technicality, but it’s
always bugged me. Now many historians say the events on Easter Sunday actually
took place on a Monday, but this verse implies the standard narrative is
correct. It’s just cool to be able to read this 2800 or so years later and put
the puzzle together.