Main Street Baptist Church

(Monday, Nov 17, 2008)   ADULTEROUS WIFE & FAITHFUL HUSBAND (Hosea 1-3) The book of Hosea starts with a very sad love story. Hosea, God’s prophet, actually lives out God’s message. He is a walking audio-visual to communicate God’s truth to the people.

God tells him to marry a woman named Gomer. He is loyal and faithful to her and God, but she is disloyal to him. She is sexually unfaithful and the children born to her are not his. As her immoral lifestyle continues she finds her self taken in slavery and on the auction block, being sold as a slave. Hosea shows up and pays the price to buy her back, restoring her as his wife. It is a sad, moving story. The Jews couldn’t have missed the meaning of it, though.

ADULTEROUS NATION & FAITHFUL GOD (Hosea 4-14)

In Hosea 4-7 we see that God is Holy - He Hates Sin. The parallel between Gomer and Israel (the northern 10 tribes) is here elaborate don. Israel is the spiritual wife of God as Gomer is the physical wife of Hosea. As she became physical unfaithful so Israel has been spiritually unfaithful to God, willfully rejecting their sacred relationship and putting idols first. The Jews worshipped Baal by sacred prostitution and child sacrifice. God remained faithful to them, but they were unfaithful to Him, abandoning His love. As Gomer, they were unfaithful, unthankful and unworthy. They gave themselves to others and as a result their health and reputation were ruined. They only cared about material things, but those ‘things’ didn’t satisfy and they ended up deserted and abandoned by their ‘lovers.’ Israel, like Gomer, was unable to help herself. Deliverance could only come by Someone greater coming to their aid.

In Hosea 8-10 we see that God is Just - He Judges Sin. Again visual aids are used to show God’s message: a dying man shows there is no future, a flaming fire shows all will be devoured, a half-baked cake shows the tastelessness of the Jews ‘religion,’ a deceitful bow shows they can’t be trusted, a pleasureless vessel shows God has no joy in His people and a forgetful servant shows the Jews are of no service to God. All these show Israel is guilty before God. Still, God is patient and in His mercy puts off judgment to give time to repent. However God is also just, and the time to settle accounts will soon arrive. Barrenness and bondage are coming. While it may be too late for the nation as a whole, individuals can still turn to God in repentance and receive forgiveness and mercy.

Finally, in Hosea 11-14 we see that God is Live - He Has Mercy on Sinners. Hosea, like all the prophets, ends his message on a note of hope. Consolation will follow chastening. A time of peace and deliverance is coming in the future.

The book concludes with Hosea pleading one last time for the people to repent and turn to God. God will forgive and restore, as Hosea did Gomer. “Hosea” means “God is Salvation,” the same as “Joshua.” It’s written differently in English to be able to tell them apart, but they are the same in Hebrew. Hosea is a picture of loyal love. He redeemed Gomer by paying a price to buy back what was already his. God did the same with us. Each loved their ‘brides’ in spite of their sin and were faithful despite being shown unfaithfulness. They didn’t set their loved ones aside but suffered personal agony because they cared more about the other than their own ease and comfort. They were willing to pay the price to buy back what was really theirs, to forgive and restore. Each looked forward to enjoying an intimate relationship with his loved one after restoration: Hosea with Gomer and God with His people in the millennium. That is the future hope, the consolation which will eventually come.

One day a little boy wandered into the woods on his way home and got lost. Finally he found his way home but hid in the barn all night long. He was afraid because he was late. His parents were up all night searching the woods for him because the loved and missed him. Had he understood their concern he could have spent the night in his bed with his family. The same is true of us and God. He is anxious and willing to have us back, it is our choice to stay away.

TITLE: After prophet who wrote it

AUTHOR: Hosea = “Jehovah is Salvation”

DATE of WRITING: 785-725 BC

PLACE of WRITING: North (Israel)

TIME COVERED: 785-725 BC

RECIPIENTS: North (Israel)

KEY VERSE: 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

KEY WORDS: “Love,” “whoredom/spiritual adultery” (14 times)

PURPOSE: to announce that God will chasten His unfaithful “wife” but will restore her to a place of blessing.

THEME: Loyal love of God for His own despite sin and unfaithfulness.

Spend some time reading this book this week.