(Hosea 1:2-3) When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
Jezreel means "God sows"...
(Hosea 1:4-5) And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
Lo-ruhamah means "unpitied"...
(Hosea 1:6-7) Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.”
Lo-ammi means "not my people"...
(Hosea 1:8-9) When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.”
And still God does not forget His promises to the Israelites, which will be completely fulfilled in the Millennium...
(Hosea 1:10-11) Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and in the place where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” it will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”
11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and they will go up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and they will go up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
The next portion of scripture can be used to describe the Tribulation, which will be a time of judgment on the nations as well as a time to get Israel to see that Jesus was and is their Messiah...
(Hosea 2:1-13) Say to your brothers, “Ammi,” and to your sisters, “Ruhamah.”
2 “Contend with your mother, contend, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; and let her put away her harlotry from her face and her adultery from between her breasts,
3 Or I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness, make her like desert land and slay her with thirst.
4 “Also, I will have no compassion on her children, because they are children of harlotry.
5 “For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
6 “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.
7 “She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; and she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now!’
3 Or I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness, make her like desert land and slay her with thirst.
4 “Also, I will have no compassion on her children, because they are children of harlotry.
5 “For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
6 “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.
7 “She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; and she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now!’
8 “For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, and lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
9 “Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.
10 “And then I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her out of My hand.
11 “I will also put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths and all her festal assemblies.
12 “I will destroy her vines and fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages which my lovers have given me.’ And I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field will devour them.
13 “I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, and follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord.
9 “Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.
10 “And then I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her out of My hand.
11 “I will also put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths and all her festal assemblies.
12 “I will destroy her vines and fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages which my lovers have given me.’ And I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field will devour them.
13 “I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, and follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord.
There will be redemption for the nation of Israel. As another visual aid, Hosea got another assignment. As his wife was playing the harlot, Hosea was to buy her back. Gomer was no longer considered Hosea's wife, so she had to be restored to that position through the customary practice of purchase...
(Hosea 3:1-5) Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.
The next portion of scripture can be used to describe the Millennium - and the restoration of Israel - when Israel will no longer call the LORD "Baali" which means "my owner", but call Him "Ishi" which means "my husband"...
(Hosea 2:14-23) “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.
15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “That you will call Me Ishi and will no longer call Me Baali.
17 “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more.
18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety.
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.
15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “That you will call Me Ishi and will no longer call Me Baali.
17 “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more.
18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety.
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.
21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
Today's takeaway: just as Hosea ends with a plea for Israel to turn back to God so that they can be saved from the wrath to come, and instead enjoy the blessings of the Millennium, we should be sharing the good news of salvation so that people can be saved from an eternity of anguish, and instead enjoy the blessings of heaven...
(Hosea 14:1-9) Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
3 “Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy.”
2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
3 “Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
6 His shoots will sprout, and his beauty will be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 Those who live in his shadow will again raise grain, and they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
6 His shoots will sprout, and his beauty will be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 Those who live in his shadow will again raise grain, and they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit.
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them.
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