Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

This book was written by Hosea between 755 and 725 BC. He wrote from the northern kingdom of Israel. He was contemporary with Joel and Jeremiah in Israel and Micah and Isaiah in Judah. Like Ezekiel, Hosea was called to act out the relationship of God and His people – but not from the viewpoint of judgment. Instead, Hosea was acting out the unfaithfulness of the children of God. There are some who feel this is unfair to Hosea, playing on his emotions. But what about God? What about how the people were treating Him? Hosea faithfully demonstrated how the people were disrespecting and breaking God’s heart. Yes, Hosea experienced hurt and rejection. But it was a hurt and rejection that people could physically witness and use it to choose the path of repentance and a return to God.

Hosea was instructed to find and marry a whore. He did. Her name was Gomer (it means ‘burning coal’). She bore him a son, who he named Jezreel (that means ‘God sows’). God was sowing judgment for the sins of Jehu and the people of Israel. The harvest would be their exile. She bore him a daughter, who he named Lo-Ruhamah (‘not pitied’). God was not going to take pity on the Israelites who were disdaining Him on purpose. He would let them reap what they had sowed. Gomer conceived again and bore another son, who he named Lo-Ammi (‘not my people’). God would disavow His children in their continued rebellion and refuse to recognize them. But He would also be merciful in judgment and not bring them to a complete end. They would multiply and grow in their exile. Eventually, He would return them to the Land and they would return to Him. Then they would be one nation in Him.

God was asking for the people to recognize what they did and to repent and return to Him. To rethink their behaviour and make a change. If they didn’t, He would totally expose them. Making them as naked as the day they were born. If they didn’t, they didn’t belong to Him. They were like children from an adulterous assignation: not His. He had taken Israel as a bride, but she had cheated on Him. He had given them ALL the blessings that came on them, but they claimed idols were responsible. He didn’t want to make hardship come upon them, but they were insisting with their behaviour. So God would turn away and take His blessing with Him. She would be without riches and exposed in everyone’s sight. He would remove all they had taken and served other gods with. It would be a just punishment for their adultery with idols, and it would also serve to correct their thinking when the idols would be unable to save them or restore their riches. They would see the truth and THEN they would return and call Him father. The names of the idols would be removed from their mouths and hearts. They would grant them peace on every side. He would betroth them to Himself forever.

Sadly, Gomer had left Hosea. She was whoring herself out for the things she loved (that Hosea was unwilling or unable to give her). She got into a bad situation. Hosea went and got her out of it. Paying for her barely half of what a common slave was worth. She had no worth in the eyes of the world. But Hosea purchased her. She was to live with him and stop having sex with other men – and he also would not be having sex with her. This was showing that God would put Israel in a place where they had no king or prince, no sacrifices or sacred pillars, without any of their sacred treasures for a time (from AD 70 to 1948 – although Israel’s total return has not yet come about in the way God spoke, so there is a future fulfillment still coming).

“Hear the word of Yahweh, O children of Israel, for Yahweh has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, there is no knowledge of God in the land. Swearing and lying, murdering and stealing, and adultery break out, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” (Hosea 4:1-2)

God’s coming judgment was NOT without cause. They had rejected His truth. There is no real knowledge without His Truth. Everything had degenerated into bondage to the darkness of the world. No faithfulness. No loyalty, Swearing, lying, murdering, adultery, and stealing had taken their place. The land had filled with it. God was showing the people through His prophets that judgment for their actions was coming. God was showing the people through Hosea how their actions were making God FEEL. The people were dying (and going to die) because of their lack of knowledge about God and His ways. Because the people had rejected knowledge of God, God was forced to reject them as His nation of priests. Their lawless actions had brought this situation about and God HATED it. As they consumed, they would find they were still hungry. As they whored around in adultery, they would find no increase in the Land. Because they had stopped obeying the Lord, all the blessing would be removed. They would be enslaved in their hearts, and then in the world. They would ask for help and advice from their idols, but receive none. They would be – for a time – left alone with their actions and the consequences of those actions because they had backslidden by chafing at His yoke and refusing His guidance.

Summary

Key Players: God, Hosea, Gomer

Key Verse(s): Hosea 1:2-11, 2:14-20; 3:1-5; 4:1-3, 15-19