Hosea: Salvation
1:1-11, 4:1, 11:7-9 (Pastor Heo)
1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: 2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the LORD their God, will save them.” 8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the LORD said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God. 10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
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1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.
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7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. 8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. 9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.
Today is Hosea.
Abraham is still alive in heaven with God – that’s why he is pleased to be called the “God of Abraham” – he is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.
- Yet, Abraham was alive on earth 4,000 years ago.
- Moses, 3,500 years ago.
- David 3,000 years ago (BC 1000).
As we studied the history of the OT, the united kingdom of Israel was under the names of the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel).
Then, they split in 2:
- South = Judah and Benjamin (Judah),
- North = other 10 (called Ephraim, or Israel) –
- Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom – so it was also called Samaria.
In this reading, Ephraim (32 times), Israel, and Samaria = all refer to the northern kingdom – which was destroyed in 722-721BC by Assyria.
Hosea is called by God to prophecy during the northern kingdom’s last hours. He ministered during the 8th century BC. He lived in the northern kingdom in terrible, tragic, disastrous final days. It ended due to moral and spiritual corruption and idolatry.
He started at the reign of Jeroboam II – the 13th king (the first king of the northern kingdom was also Jeroboam I). Totally there were 19 kings in the northern kingdom and among the final 6 kings, 4 kings were murdered by their successors in their offices. Only ONE king was succeeded by his son on the throne. The LAST king of the northern kingdom (Hoshea) was arrested in battle. Actually – Hoshea and Hosea are the same pronunciation and spelling in Hebrew.
- The word Hosea means “salvation.”
- Jesus means “salvation” or “Savior.”
- Also Joshua = “salvation.”
Isaiah 1:1 and Hosea 1:1 are the same in the background of the kings.
- Isaiah 1:1 “The vision concerning Judah and Israel during the reign of 4 kings…”
- Hosea 1:1 “The word of the Lord came to Hosea during the reign of 4 kings…”
These two prophets were the contemporaries – ministering at the same time.
- Isaiah = southern kingdom
- Hosea = northern kingdom
We don’t know Hosea’s birthplace, but his familiarity with the northern kingdom indicates he lived there and ministered there. He was the son of Beree and the husband of Gomer. He was the father of 3 children (2 sons, 1 daughter).
Hosea was a man of GREAT obedience.
He delivered the heart of God through his mouth and his obedience, actions, especially marriage. He had a great compassion for his people, and his suffering because of his wife Gomer shows great insight into God’s own heart and suffering for his own people.
God’s message through Hosea was passionate but tempered with tenderness.
Hosea = 14 chapters (2 parts)
- Part 1 = chp 1-3
- Part 1 = personal story of Hosea (marriage) – adulterous (faithless) wife/faithful husband
- Part 2 = chp 4-14
- Part 2 = national story – Hosea’s message = adulterous (faithless) Israel/faithful God
Part 1 (Chp 1-3)
Part 1 shows how sinful human beings are – through the personal story of Hosea. One day God commanded him to marry an adulterous woman (harlot / prostitute). Imagine if God commanded you to marry like this, could you obey?
After the marriage, they had 3 children and named them symbolically.
- Son 1 = Jezreel = “God punishes/scatters”
- Daughter 2 = Lo ruhama “Not loved/pitied”
- Son 3 = Lo ammi “Not my people”
Even getting these three children, Gomer kept seeking additional lovers and abandoned Hosea multiple times. Yet, he redeemed her from the slave market and restored her to himself. This represents the relationship between Israel and God.
- Gomer = married to Hosea
- Israel = promised to be married to God
- Gomer runs after other men
- Israel runs after other gods
The spiritual adultery of Israel is illustrated by Gomer’s physical adultery.
Part 2 (Chp 4-14)
Hosea continually echoes his 3-fold message:
- God hates sin! – can you imagine how much God hates sin? esp his people’s sin
- Judgment is certain and soon! –
- In spite of this, God’s love is firm, unchangeable!
Because of his own painful, hurt experience, Hosea also feels similar pain that God feels over the sin of his people.
Hosea’s loyal love for Gomer is a reflection of God’s loyal love for Israel – yet both have fallen down, down, down toward sin.
Hosea’s message reflects Israel’s terrible obsession with Baal worship. Literally “Baal” means “husband” or “Lord” – it deals with fertility and prostitution. That’s why they loved it.
They had fragrantly violated all of God’s commands and are indited for all their crimes in chp 9, 10 (gives the verdict that God has presented = disobedience = dispersion (scattered)).
- Chp 1-3 God is Holy
- chp 4-10 God is Just
- chp 11-14 God is Loving/Gracious
God will yet redeem his backsliding children.
Chp 4:1 “1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
Chp 6:1 “1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.”
Key message: Let us acknowledge God.
6:3 “3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Jesus says, “If you acknowledge me before others, I will acknowledge you before God. But if you deny me, I will deny you.”
chp 11:8 “8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.”
Admah and Zeboyim were small cities destroyed long ago with Sodom and Gomarrah. (Genesis 15?)
chp 14:4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.”
This is God’s resolution despite the faithlessness of his people.
In this book we can find Christ as well.
There are 2 parts revealed in the NT from Hosea
Romans 9:25 “25 As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
This covenant/promise can also be applied to us. (Ref Hosea 2:23 “I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one. ’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ”)
Romans 9:26 “26 and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”
Ref Hosea 1:10 “10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
Yes, God has 2 attributes
- Absolute = what/who he is in himself
- a) Love = “God is love.”
- Relative = how he relates to Creation, the world, man
- a) Relating love to us = mercy/grace
- Mercy = God doesn’t give us what we actually deserve – he doesn’t give us what we must receive;
- Grace = God gives us what we don’t deserve – he gives us what we cannot receive
- a) Relating love to us = mercy/grace
Eph 2 Love, mercy, grace go together to show how God relates to us.
“As for us, we were dead in our sins… but God, who is rich in love and mercy, raised us up be grace and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms…”
Conclusion
Matthew 2:15 (story of Jesus’ birth) “15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet [Hosea]: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
This prophecy is from Hosea 11:1 “1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
This means Jesus whole life, from birth, suffering, crucifixion, ascension, coming again, even his life in Egypt = from prophecy.
Matthew 2 = Isaiah 7:14 “The virgin will be with child and they will call him ‘Emmanuel’” = Jesus says, “I am with you always to the very end of the age.”
Micah 5:2 “Even though you are small, Bethlehem, out of you a ruler will come who will be a ruler of Israel and Judah…”
When Jesus was born, Herod tried to killed Jesus – but an angel appeared to Joseph and said, “Escape to Egypt until I call you back.” They left and stayed until Herod died. The angel appeared again and said, “Get up and return to Israel.”
In Matthew: “This was done to fulfill what was prophesied in Hosea…”
Yes, of course, long ago, God called Israel out of Egypt (Exodus) – a symbol of the worldly world. He called them out not only to save them, but also to save Egypt again through them. “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then you will be my treasured possession – a holy nation.”
Actually, Israel failed. Yet, even though humans fail, God never fails in his purpose. Thus, later, God called Jesus Christ out of Egypt to save us. And now, God is calling us on the same mission.
1 Peter 2 “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, belonging to God, who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful life.”
Yes, Christ identified with our plight and his redemption of us can be seen clearly by Hosea’s payment to redeem Gomer from the slave market. That high price is called a “ransom.” Jesus says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ‘Ransom’ for all.”
Sin is like a slave market in which sinners are sold in sin. But Jesus, by his death and resurrection buys us back from the slave market – indicating complete and perfect deliverance from sin.
Jesus destroys our bonds and sets us free.
The Bible says, “You were bought at a price. You are not your own.” – That price is Jesus’ precious blood shed on the cross for us and then his resurrection that ensures our final glorification with him.
- Remember, God called Israel out of Egypt.
- God called Jesus Christ out of Egypt.
- God IS CALLING us from the darkness into his wonderful light – out of Egypt.
Why? So that we may declare, announce, proclaim, this wonderful, historical news. “The good news of great joy for all the people” – the gospel – for redemption, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Let’s pray.
