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THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson03,Chapter1Continued
We’llreviewlastweek’slessonalittlemoreextensivelythanI’lltypicallydo
throughoutourstudyofHosea.ThisisbecauseIintroducedyoutosomeHebraic
conceptsthatarecrucialforaproperandrevealingunderstandingofthe
Prophet’swords.And,appropriately,thereviewImostwanttoconcentrateonis
theword“Word”.We’llalsonotreadchapter1again,butinsteadwilltakeitone
verseatatime.
WespentmuchtimewithtryingresurrectwhatthebiblicalHebrewsenseofthe
word“Word”meantbecauseitrepresentsacomplexconcept,andisnotsoeasy
forthosewhohavebeenraised-upintheChurch(orevenintheSynagogue),or
evenasBiblestudentsincludingBibleCollegestudents,tograsp.Isitbecauseit
istoohardtounderstand?No;itisbecausewehavebeentaughttothinkabout
itsodifferentlyfromwhatitactuallymeantthatwemustovercomewhatis
lodgedwithsuperglueintoourbrains.
Iwanttofirstgivecreditwherecreditisdue.MuchofwhatI’mgoingtoexplain
toyoucomesprimarilyfromthesuperiorresearchbyKarenArmstrongand
StevenService,andafewotherscholars,whoalsocontributedtobringingthis
mattertoourattention.Theconceptwe’regoingtoreviewconcernstheHebrew
wordDabar,whichisusuallytranslatedas“TheWord”,oratothertimeswhen
usedinconjunctionwiththephrase“TheWordofGod”,ismeantasaproper
noun.Thatis,itisthenameorthetitleofsomething.Thebiblicalterm“The
Word”describesaneventoractionofGodthatalsopresentsitselfasbeing
causedbyalivingmanifestationofGod.Don’toverthinkthis;thesamecanbe
saidoftheHolySpirit.TheHolySpiritisalsoalivingbutinvisible,mostly
intangible,manifestationofGodthatoftenprecipitateseventsoractionsor
thoughtswithinus.
ThechallengeforustounderstandthisconceptofTheWordismainlybecauseof
thestandard,everydayuseoftheEnglishterms“words”and“writings”.Wesee
thetermwritingsasconsistingofaseriesofwordstoformsentences,
paragraphs,andevenchaptersoftext(whichis,ofcourse,true).However,
biblically,thisisnothowitworks.Wordsandwritingsarenotessentiallythe

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samethingsintheBible.Let’strytomaketemporaryHebrewscholarsofyou.
WhenthebiblicalHebrewspeaksofwritingandtextstherearefewdifferent
Hebrewwordsused.Someofthemincludekathab,miktah,andcepher.We
shouldprobablythrowmegillahinthereaswellasamongthemorecommon
wordsused.IntheNewTestament,theGreekwordsusedforwritingsandtexts
aregrapho,gramma,andbiblos.However,inHebrewthetermusedthevast
majorityofthetimefor“TheWord”isdabar.So,thetermdabarisquiteset
apartfromthetypicalwordsfortextsandwritings.Infact,the
termdabaroccursmorethan2400timesintheOldTestament.Interestingly,
theexcellentKingJamesBibletranslatorsusedmorethan100Englishtermsto
translatethevariousformsofdabarsothehighlycomplexandspiritualnatureof
theworddabarbecamenearlyopaquetotheBible’sreaders.Ihavelittledoubt
thattherewasnointenttoobscure,butratheritwasoutofnotunderstanding
Hebrew,Hebrewliterature,andHebrewculturesufficientlythatithappened.
InHebrewbiblicalwritingthekeytounderstandingwhatI’mtryingtoexplainis
thatinourgentileEnglish-speakingminds,wordsarethoughtofaswritten
symbolsformedfromanalphabet.ButinbothHebrewandGreek,theterm
“words”areonlyrarelyreferencestotextsandwritings.Infact,intheBible
“words”fromGodwerenotaboutspeechthatwastobewrittendownastexts,
butrathertheymostlydescribedactionsoreventsbroughtaboutbyGod.And
thelivingmanifestationoftheseactions…whatChristianitymightcallapersonof
God…isthemysterious“TheWord”.
IhavespokenespeciallyinmyextensivestudyoftheBookofMatthewabout
howthetermwisdomisusedandmeantbiblically,becauseinmodernWestern
termswisdommerelymeanstohavethequalityofhavingexperience,
knowledge,andgoodjudgment.ButamongtheHebrews(andintheBible),
Wisdomwasreferringtoalivingentity.Wisdomwasseenasdivine,andasan
actualmanifestation(aperson)ofGod.TheconceptofTheWordoperated
similarly.ThisiswhyIcautionseverelyontheadoptingoftheTrinityDoctrine
asitiscommonlyunderstoodwithinmostbranchesofChristianity.Thatis,God
asastricttri-unity.ThedoctrineisthatHeisone,butatthesametimeHe
consistsofthree:theFather,theSon,andtheHolySpirit.InthevariousTrinity
Doctrinesadoptedbyvariousdenominations,generallytheideaisthatwhatever
manifestationofGodwemayreadaboutintheBible,orthatmayexist,thesum

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totalthatispossibleofthosemanifestationsarethreeandonlythree.Thus,
whenwereadofanactionoreventthatisconnectedwithGod,wearetoask
ourselveswhichofthosethreecausedthatactiontooccur:wasittheFather,the
Son,ortheHolySpirit?Therefore,forinstance,whenwereadofthedivine
Fire-CloudthatledIsraelthroughthewilderness,wemustacceptthatitwas
actuallyoneofthosethree.WhenwereadoftheAngeloftheLord,itcouldonly
havebeenoneofthosethree.Butthatisanarbitrary,artificial,andnarrow
sightedviewthatsimplydoesn’trepresentthebiblicaltextsorancientHebrew
thoughtormeaning.It’saChurchtraditionandnotabiblicalfact.
Letmebeclearsothereisnomisunderstanding.TheFather,theSon,andthe
HolySpiritareallactual,biblicallydefinedmanifestations,orattributes,or
personsthattogetherformthesubstanceofGod.I’msayingthattheBible
describesevenmoremanifestation,orattributes,orpersonsofGodthanonly
thosethree.TheWord,Dabar,isanotherone.Mysterious?Itpassesany
argumentofreasonorscience?Yes.ButthenatureofGodcannotbeweighedor
measured.
IcouldprobablyspeakentirelyonthissubjectforacoupleoffulllessonsbutI’ll
havemercy.Thepointisthatweneedtounderstandtheactualnatureofthe
termDabar,TheWord,asitpertainstotheopeningwordsoftheBookofHosea,
andnotwhathasbeentraditionallyunderstood.Toremindyoutheopening
wordsare:
CJB
Hosea1:1Thisistheword(dabar)ofADONAIthatcametoHosheatheson
ofBe'eri…
So,we’rebeingtoldthatadivineentitynamedTheWordofAdonai(actuallyitis
TheWordofYehoveh)sprangintoactionandmadeHispresenceknowntoHosea.
TheWordwasthedivinevehicleGodusedtosendHismessagetoHosea,justas
TheWordwasthevehicleGodusedthroughJesustobringthemessageofthe
KingdomandofsalvationfromsinsfirsttoIsraelandthentotheworld.
ThenextthingwelearnedwasthatsomeunnamedscribeassistedHoseain
writingthismessagedownandrecordingitforposterity.Employingascribe(a
professionalwriter)wouldhavebeenausualandcustomarywayofhandling

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suchaliteraryendeavorinHosea’sera.Theproofthatascribeplayedakeyrole
inthisbookisbecauseofchapters1and2speakaboutHoseainthe3
rd
person
(he)andnotinthe1stperson(I).
WealsodiscussedanotherimportantHebrewtermthatdominatestheearly
partsofHosea:zonah.ZonahisproperlytranslatedtoEnglishasprostitute,
harlot,orwhore.However,thevastmajorityoftimesintheOldTestamentthat
thetermzonahisused,itisnotmeantliterallybutrathermetaphoricallyasan
illustration.Thatis,itisastrongtermmeanttostartleandalsotodescribe
(usually)God’sviewthatsomeindividual,orHispeopleasanation,was
behavingasanunfaithfulwifebehaves.Thisfacttiesinwiththeconceptsof
covenantandmarriageintheBible.
WereadofafewcovenantsintheBiblethatinvolveGod.Thefirstthatincludes
theHebrewsistheCovenantbetweenGodandAbrahamthatofitselfledtothe
creationoftheHebrewethnicgroup,andthenlatertoJacob(Abraham’s
grandson)whofatheredthe12tribesofIsrael.Anotherandlatercovenant,The
CovenantofMoses,wasmadespecificallywiththose12tribes.Inordertohelp
IsraelunderstandtherelationshipformedbetweenthemandGodatMt.Sinai,
thecovenanttransactionwaslikenedtoamarriage.ItwasNOTamarriage;itis
onlythattheinstitutionofmarriagethatallsocietiesembarkedupon,andthe
conceptofitbeinginherentlyunderstoodbyeveryoneinoneformoranother,
wasusedasaneasyillustrationofsorts.Why?Becauseamarriageinvolvesvows
offaithfulnessandfidelity,andusuallyofexclusivitybetweenhusbandtowife,
maletofemale,whichareacceptedintheirparticularculture.So,asanaidfor
Israeltohaveagoodandmemorablementalpictureoftheirrelationshipwith
God,wefindHimbeingportrayedasahusbandwithIsraelasHiswife.Sincea
prostituteistheoppositeofafaithfulmarriagepartner,thenIsraelnotbeing
obedientandfaithfultoYehovehislikenedtoprostitutionandthereforeIsraelas
awhore.
Movingtoverse2ofHoseachapter1,Godcommandsthatadramaofsortsbe
carriedoutbyHoseatocreateavisualandtangibleillustrationofwhatHosea’s
prophecyisallabout.

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CJB
Hosea1:2"Go,marryawhore,andhavechildrenwiththiswhore;forthe
landisengagedinflagrantwhoring,whoringawayfromADONAI."
TheCJBtranslationisapooroneandthereareothersthataremoreliteraland
morecorrect.TheKJVisagoodrepresentativeofthemoreliteral.
KJV
Hosea1:2ThebeginningofthewordoftheLORDbyHosea.AndtheLORD
saidtoHosea,Go,takeuntotheeawifeofwhoredomsandchildrenof
whoredoms:forthelandhathcommittedgreatwhoredom,departingfromthe
LORD.
ItisironicthateventhoughtherearesignificantdifferencesbetweentheCJBand
theKJV,itisquitetypicaltointerpretthisverseasmeaningexactlywhattheCJB
says.AndwhattheCJBsaysisthatthiswifeHoseaistofindandmarryisa
prostitute.Thus,wegetsomanysermonsandcommentariesthatspeakofthe
greatloveaffairofHoseaandthisprostitutewife,andinmercyHoseaessentially
overlookedthisprostitute’sprofessionandmarriedherandlovedherdespiteit
all.And,theyarewrong.
Thismarriage’ssinglepurposeistoeducateHoseatounderstandGod’swillina
mostgraphicway.SheisNOTawhore;rathersheisawifeofwhoredoms.This
isHebrewidiomforthepurposeofillustration(asIexplaineditisinnearlyevery
caseofprostitutionintheOldTestament).Wemusttransportourselvesintothe
8
th
centuryB.C.andseethingsthroughHosea’seyes.Itisimpossiblethat
Yehoveh,GodofIsrael,wouldsodeeplydenounceprostitutionintheLawof
MosesandthenturnaroundtellHoseatomarryawhore.HadHoseafelthe
heardsuchathing,hewouldhaveinstantlyknownthatthiswasnotTheWordof
Godspeakingtohim,butrathersomewickedspirit.
Itistruethatthewaythephrase“wifeorwhoredoms”iswrittenisveryoddand
ungainlyinEnglish,buttheconceptisdifficulttoexplainoutsideoftheHebrew
languageandculture.And,likesomuchelseinmostliteratureofanykind,and
especiallyoftheHolyScriptures,wemustn’tevertakeasingleverseoutofits
contextbecauseimmediatelyinverse2wegetthebasisforcharacterizingthis
wifeHoseaistotakeasa“wifeofwhoredoms”.Itis“fortheLandisengagedin
flagrantwhoring,whoringawayfromAdonai(Yehoveh)”.Thus,once

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againzonah,prostitution,isusednotliterally(asmeaningillicitsex)butrather
metaphorically(asmeaninganunfaithfulcovenantpartner).Ithink,perhaps,
thebestway(althoughnotaperfectway)forustothinkofitisasmeaning
“havingaspiritofprostitution”.WemustalsounderstandthatthetermtheLand
(meaningtheinhabitantsoftheLand,the10tribesoftheNorthernKingdom)is,
toGod,beingunfaithfultoHim.Letmestressthis:theyarebeingunfaithfulon
whatbasis?Inotherwords,unfaithfulnessisarelativeterm.Ican’tbe
un-faithfulunlessthereisfirstawell-establishedprinciple,orlaw,ordefinitionof
beingfaithful.ClearlyaswemovethroughHoseawe’llfindthattheprincipleby
whichGoddeterminesfaithfulnessandthereforealsoun-faithfulnessis
accordingtothecovenantHemadewithIsrael5centuriesorsoearlier:the
CovenantofMoses.
Asaresultofthismarriage,naturallytherewillbechildrenandtheyarecalled
“childrenofwhoredom”;thatis,themaritaloffspringhavingthespiritof
prostitution.Shortlywe’llfindthatTheWordevengivesnamestothesechildren
assymbolic…representative…ofIsrael’sconditionbeforeGod.I’llremindyou
herethatthisisNOTtalkingaboutthe2tribesoftheSouthernKingdomcalled
Judah;onlythe10tribesoftheNorth.Thus,whenweaddinthechildrenwe
realizethatonanotherlevelwhatisbeingdescribedusingthetermzonah,
harlots…prostitutes…isnotthepersonalactivityoroccupationofanindividual
butratheritisacategoryorclassofaperson.So,here’sthemajortake-away:
thiswomanHoseaistomarryissimplyanordinary,everydayfemaleIsraelite
memberoftheNorthernKingdom;neitherbetternorworsethananyother
Israelitewoman.Andthechildrenthatwillbeproducedwillbeordinarychildren;
thesameasalltheotherchildrenoftheNorthernKingdom;andthisisthepoint.
Essentiallythewifeandchildrenarejustrandomselectionsoutofgroup(Israel)
thatrepresentstheentiregroup.
CJB
Hosea1:3SohewentandmarriedGomerthedaughterofDivlayim,andshe
conceivedandborehimason.
TheobedientHoseadoeswhatTheWordinstructedhimtodo.Hefoundawoman
andmarriedher.Thereisnoreasontobelievethathesearchedforanespecially
badorpromiscuouswomanbecausetherewasnoneedto.Prettymuchany
Israelitewomanhesoughtafterwouldhavefallenintothesamecategoryor

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class.Nordidthishappenovernightoreveninarush,becausethat’ssimplynot
howHebrewcultureworked.Therewouldhavebeenapropercourtship,the
woman’sfatherwouldhavetobeinvolvedinabetrothalagreement,likelya
bride-pricewouldhavebeenpaid,andthensometypeofbriefceremonyheld
wherethefathertransferredhislegalauthorityoverhisdaughtertoherhusband,
Hosea.RecallthatItoldyoupreviouslythatallthistookplaceoverabouta
35-yearperiod.
ThewomanHoseamarriediscalledGomer.Thereisnothingabouthernamethat
seemstohaveanysymbolicmeaning.Aboutallweknowaboutherbackground
isthatshewasthedaughterofamannamedDivlayim…andwedon’tknow
anythingabouthimeither.Some,likeRashi,havetriedtofindasymbolic
meaninginhisnamebutthatisverydubious.InEnglishthesefolkssayitcould
meanfigcake,withthethoughtthatthesymbolicpriceforGomer’smetaphorical
serviceofprostitutionwasafigcake.Honestly,thisisastretchthatIcannot
subscribetobecausetheopeningchaptersofHoseaarenotaweakattemptata
biography,sonousefulbiographicalinformationispresented.Thishasn’t
stoppedseveralcommentatorsfromtryingtoconstructabiographyoutofsheer
speculation,butI’mnotgoingtowasteyourtimewithmyownattemptto
constructonethatcouldbenobetter.Thesymbolicmeaningwearetoascribeto
thisisthataftermarriageGomergoesastray(thatis,afteramarriagecovenant
isestablishedGomerbreaksit)anditismeanttobeanillustrationofIsrael
makingacovenantwithYehovehandlatergoingastrayafterothergods.
Thestorymovesrapidly.Gomerbecomespregnantandasonisborn.So,this
ratherdestroysthenotionthatGomeralreadyhadthesechildrenbeforeshe
marriedHosea(assomehavesuggested).Inotherwords,thatherprofessionas
aprostituteresultedinhergettingpregnantandbearingchildrenon3previous
occasions.
CJB
Hosea1:4ADONAIsaidtohim,"CallhimYizre'el,becauseinonlyashort
timeIwillpunishthehouseofYehuforhavingshedbloodatYizre'el;Iwillputan
endtothekingdomofthehouseofIsra'el.
God,intheformofTheWord,tellsHoseawhatheistonamethisson.Thename
isactuallypartofthemessagethatisbeingsenttotheNorthernKingdom

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throughHosea.Itissymbolicbutalsoitreferstosomethingthatactually
occurredandwouldoccurinadifferentwayagain.So,asyetanotherreminder
fromourpreviouslesson,symbolicdoesn’tmeansomethingdidn’talsohappen
inactuality.HoseaactuallymarriedawomannamedGomer.Gomeractuallyhad
ason,andHoseaactuallygavethisspecialnametothatson.Thenamein
HebrewisYizre’el.Itmeansel(God)sows.Thisnameisanomenoffertilityand
blessing.However,asitismeanthere,itisusedtorecallsomethingterriblethat
happenedinthehistoricalpast.Yizre’el(thatinEnglishwearemoreusedto
hearingasJezreel)ismorefamiliartousasthenameofaplacecalledtheJezreel
ValleyinIsrael.Indeed,itwasabreadbasketforIsraelduetoitsflat,
well-wateredandfertilesoil.
Initsbasicform,then,thenamegiventoHosea’ssonwasaoneofblessing.
However,Godusedittorememberaplaceofmurder.Itgoesbacktothe
infamoussonofKingOmriwhosenamewasAchav.KingAchavmarriedthe
equallyinfamousJezebel.ItwasatthecityofJezreelthatJezebelarrangedto
murderafellownamedNaboth.Thestorycanbefoundin1Kings21anditis
worthreadinginordertoexplainwhyGodhadnamedHosea’ssonasHedid.
READ1KINGS21all
KingAchavandhisQueen,Jezebel,connivedtotakeavineyardawayfrom
Naboth,simplybecauseAchavwantedit.Theyacquireditbymurderingpoor
Naboth.AchavseemstohaverepentedofthistoadegreeandsoGodsaidthat
HewouldnotpunishAchavandhisfamilylineforthisatrocity
duringAchav’slifetime;ratherHewoulddoitafterAchavdiedandHissontook
overthethrone.In2Kings9and10wereadaboutamannamedJehuwho
murderedAchav’sson,andtheentireroyalfamily,thusendingthedynasty.
BloodraninthestreetsofJezreelasmanydied.NextJehudiedandhisson
JeroboamIItookover.KingJeroboamwaspunishedbyYehovehforthemurder
andmayhemthathadhappenedyearsearlierinJezreel.SowhynameHosea’s
sonassymbolicforwhathadhappenedsolongago?Itwasbecauseofwhat
Israel’srulershadbeendoinginordertoobtainthethroneforthemselves(by
eachmurderingthesittingking)andkeepingitbyappeasingthepeoples’want
ofworshippingothergods.Godalwaysblamestheleadershipofagroupora
nationforwhattheydowrong,andblessesthemforwhatthegroupornation

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doesright.Nonetheless,theentiregroupornationwillusuallysufferbecauseof
theleaders’badchoices.
Asabriefaside:itwastheProphetElishathatinstigatedJehu’sbloody
overthrowofthedynastyofOmri.Jehuissometimesdepictedasagood
reformerofacorruptandevillineofIsraelitekings;butitwasarelative“good”.
GodusedJehutokilloffOmri’sdynastyinwhatwasasortoffinal-strawincident
whenAchavhadNabothkilled.LaterGodkilledoffJehu’sdynastyafterhisson
JeroboamIIdied.WhatweseethroughouttheBibleisthatGodwilluse
mankind’spropensityforevilagainstevenHisownpeopleinordertopunish
them.Supernaturalpunishments(likeforSodomandGomorrah)wererare;
instead,GodusedhumanstobringaboutHisdisciplineandaswelookaroundus
inthischaoticperiodofhistoryinthe21
st
centurywemustassumethatthisis
stillhappeningtoday.
AsImentionedintheIntroductiontoHosea,Hoseabegantoprophesyduringthe
reignofKingJeroboamII.Thisiswhywereadinverse4thatGodWILLpunish
thehouseofJehu(thatis,Jehu’sdynasty);so,ithadnothappenedjustyet.But
thatisnotall.Onedynastyafteranother,onekingafteranother,wasmurdered
bythenext.Whateachdidn’tknowintheirlustforpowerwasthatsoonthis
wouldendasGodsaiditwouldinthelasthalfofverse4:“Iwillputanendtothe
kingdomoftheHouseofIsrael”.Forgetdynasties:Israelitselfwouldsoonno
longerexist.
CJB
Hosea1:5Whenthatdaycomes,IwillbreakthebowofIsra'elintheYizre'el
Valley."
Tobreakthebowmeanstoloseabattlemilitarily.So,inthesameplace
thatAchavhadNabothmurdered;andwherethehorrificdestructionoftheOmri
dynastybyJehuoccurred;atoneofthemostfruitfulandblessedpiecesof
groundintheNorthernKingdom,Israelwouldfightabattleagainstaforeign
invader…andlose.Theywouldlosenotonlythebattlebuttheywouldalsolose
theirLandandeventheirrighttolivethere.TheKingdomofAssyriawouldbe
thatinvadingenemyandtheywoulddeporttheconquered10tribesofIsraelto
farflunglocationsalloverAsiaandNorthAfrica.

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CJB
Hosea1:6Sheconceivedagainandboreadaughter.ADONAIsaidtohim,
"NameherLo-Ruchamah[unpitied],forIwillnolongerhavepityonthehouseof
Isra'el.BynomeanswillIforgivethem.
Thestorycontinuestopickupspeedaswe’retoldthatGomergaveHoseayet
anotherchild;thisoneadaughter.Whilethesonwasgivenanamethatactually
wasquitenice,butforGod’spurposeitwastobeusedasadarkhistorylesson,
thisdaughter’snameisLo-Ruchamahthatmeansnopityornomercyornot
loved.That’sprobablynotsomethinganyHebrewnormallywouldnametheir
child!AsamanwithdaughtersandgranddaughtersIcantellyouthatloveisso
vitallyimportantforthemthattobecalledunlovedisperhapsoneoftheworst
cursestheycouldeversuffer.Remember:intheHebrewcultureanamewasn’t
merelysomeformofID.Rathernameswerecarefullychosenandgivento
representqualitiesandattributesofaperson.Ican’timaginewhatthischild
thoughtofherownnamethatsaysherqualitywastobeunloved;itwouldhave
beendevasting.ItisexactlythisdevastationofnolongerbeinglovedthatGod
wouldcursetheNorthernKingdomwith.AsHesaystoendthisverse:“Byno
meanswillIforgivethem”.Translation:Israelisdoomed.Thetimefor
repentancehaspassed.Thereissomeline-in-the-sandthatlayoutthereeven
forGod’speoplethatwhencrossed,Godtakesaction.Whereisthatline?Idon’t
know;butIdoknowitisthere.NoamountofpleadingwithHimorpromisesto
changeweregoingtoforestallwhatwouldhappentoIsrael.Weretherestillgood
andfaithfulGodworshippersamongthose10tribesthathadNOTtakenupwith
othergods?Ofcourse.Hoseahimselfwasoneofthose.Whatwasgoingto
happenwasnotindividualbyindividualbutrathercorporately;so,all…righteous
orwicked…whoresidedintheNorthwouldsuffer.
Hoseaissomuchmorethanahistorylesson.Itisnecessarythatwe,asGod’s
Believers,understandhowthissamescenariomayaffectusorourimmediate
posterity.Asevilkeepsrisingandbeginstofinallyoverrunthisplanet(asthe
Biblesaysitsurelywill),andwarsanddepravationsonascalewehaveyettosee
happenbreakout,thisisNOTGod’sdirectwrath.Itwillbeaglobalpunishment,
butnotaglobalwrath;thereisadifference.IsraelwasnotgoingtosufferGod’s
supernaturalwrath;volcanoeswouldn’texplodeandmeteorsfromthesky
wouldn’traindownonthemallatGod’scommand.RatherGodwouldsimplystep
back,stopblessingIsraelwithprotectionand,likeamatadorside-steppinga

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chargingbull,allowAssyriatohavetheirwickedwaywithIsrael.WhentheBible
speaksofEndTimestribulationitisspeakingofessentiallythesamething.Itis
notthatGodissendingHissupernaturalwrath;ratherHewilljuststepbackand
letthewickednessoftheworldwidepopulationsufferatthehandsofthemost
evilmenevertoliveandrule.I’llsaythisplainly;theso-calledTribulationso
oftenspokenaboutamongChristianswillnotbeaneventofGod’swrath;itwill
simplybeatimeofmen’sevilrunningrampantwithouttherestrainingpowerof
TheLord.
Why,then,ifthereisnotonethingIsraelcandoaboutholdingoffGodfrom
allowingIsraeltobesmashed,conquered,exiled,andinthiswaysuffer
punishment,isTheWordtellingHoseaaboutit?IsYehovehmerelyrubbing
Israel’sfaceinit,sotospeak?No.Itismeanttowarnthosewhohavetheears
tohear,andforfuturegenerationstolearnandunderstandwhathappenedand
why.Whatistheexpectationofthewarned?Firsttorepentandsecondto
prepare.Therefore,Icalluponusalltotakealonglooknotonlyatourown
individuallives,butalsothecharacterofthenationalsocietyinwhichwelive,
perhapsevenourvarioussocialassociations,andevaluatethem.Doyouorthey
reflectbiblicallydefinedGodliness?Ormightyouortheyreflectakindof
Church-createdmanmadedefinitionofGodlinessthatpleasespeopleandfollows
socialtrends?OrmightyouortheyreflectnokindofGodlinesswhatsoever?In
allthesecasesconfessionandrepentancewhilecalledfor,willnotstaveoffthe
inevitable.But…onanindividuallevelduringthissoon-comingperiodof
unprecedentedtribulation,youcanhaveeternalspiritualsafety.
So,weshouldbewiseandprepareforwhattheperiodoftremendoustribulations
willinflictuponusall,withoutexception.Couldithappensoon?Eventomorrow?
HasnottheCovidpandemicaswellasneargloballevelcatastrophesofthepast
shownushowtheseeminglyimprobablecanarriveinaninstant?Ireferto
preparinginpracticalways,asopposedtodiggingundergroundbunkers.
Commonsensedriven;notfearandpanicdriven.Securingfood,savings,shelter,
safety.Analternativeenergysourcemightbeimportantinthisdayandage.
Thereissomuchwecanalldotohelpandprotectourfamilies,ourfriends,and
evenourselvestosurvive.Survivingnotinthesenseofgivingintoouranxieties
andconstantlyfocusingonthewhat-ifsoflife,butratherofreasonable
preparednessthatoncedone,wecanmoveon.Thispreparednessshouldbegin

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bylearningtolivewithinourmeansandnotondebt.Wecanacquireemergency
itemsslowly,steadilybutintentionally,overaperiodoftime.Wecancreatea
planforwhattodoiftheworsthappens,andbereadytocarryitout.Thissortof
thinkingdoesnotreflectalackoffaith;itisademonstrationoffaithbecause
Godhastoldusunprecedentedbadtimesarecomingandwe’rechoosingto
believeHimandtakeaction.Hehasgivenusamplewarningwellinadvance;
maybegivenusatasteofwhatitisgoingtolooklike…sothatwecandothebest
wecan,havethetimetomakerationalandlong-rangeplans,andnotjustblindly
believethatourhumangovernmentsorcharitieswillcareforuseveniftheywish
theycould.OrthatGodwillsingleusoutandsomehowsupernaturallyprotectus
fromphysicalharmorfinancialdisaster;that’snothowitworks.Preparednessis
afundamentalbiblicalprinciple;bothearthlyandspiritually.ItisourGod
commandeddutyandobligationtoprepare.So,whilewearepreparingona
physicallevelwealsomustprepareonaspirituallevelbyseekingGodandHis
truth…andlivingitout.Furtherwearetotakethispreparednessmessageto
othersandnothordeit.AllofthisiswhatHoseaistorelayandtodemonstrate
tothedoomedpeopleoftheNorthernKingdombymeansofhisoddfamily
dynamics.
CJB
Hosea1:7ButIwillpitythehouseofY'hudah;Iwillsavethemnotbybow,
sword,battle,horsesorcavalry,butbyADONAItheirGod."
ItisquitecommonamongBiblescholarstosaythatsomeeditoraddedthisverse
farlaterintimebecausethestreamofthoughtofthenarrativegetsinterrupted.
Ifindthattobequiteingenuousandismerelypartofanongoingefforteven
withinChristianitytodiscredittheaccuracyandtruthoftheBible.Thestyleof
thewritingandwhatisbeingcommunicatedfitsnicelywithverse7.Theissueis
mostimportantforanIsraelitelivingintheNorthhear.Itisthatthereisa
back-doorescaperouteiftheywillbuttakeitwhenthetimecomes.Theycan
fleetotheSouth.But…ittakesthefaithtobelievethewarningandtakeaction
versushopinguponhopethatwhatGodsaysisgoingtohappen,won’t;or
decidingthey’lljustacceptwhateverfatebefallsthemwithafatalisticattitude.
Theyknowthatiftheydofleetheywillhavetohumblethemselvesandadaptto
thegovernmentandreligioussystemofJudahinordertobewelcomed.

Lesson03-HoseaChapter1cont
13/13
Further,inrathertypicalHebrewliterarystyle(thatactuallyinvolvesabitof
poetry),whenTheWordcommunicatestoHoseathatGodwillhave“pity”onthe
HouseofJudah(theSouthernKingdom)thereisaplayonwordstakingplace.
ThepreviousversesaidthatGodwouldhavenopity(loracham)ontheHouseof
Israel(theNorthernKingdom)butWILLhavepity(racham)ontheHouseof
Judah.So,whateverthetranslationoftherootwordrachamintoEnglish(mercy,
love,pity),GodwillwithholditfromIsraelandactintheoppositewaytowards
Judah.FurtherJudahwillbesavednotbecauseGodwillstandbehindtheir
militaryandtheywillbevictoriousinbattleagainstmightyAssyria(whileIsrael
willbedefeated).RatheritisthatwhileGodispullingawayHissupernatural
blessingofprotectionfromIsrael,Hewillcontinuetobeaprotectivecovering
overJudah.InthiscaseforpoliticalreasonsAssyriadecidednottoinvadeJudah
whentheyeasilycouldhave.
Yehoveh,GodofIsrael,allthroughoutBiblehistoryhasintervenedinthepolitics
andinthemilitaryasitconcernsHispeople.Itisnodifferenttoday.Thereborn
nationofIsrael…tinyascomparedtoalmostallothernationsandespeciallysoto
theirsurroundingneighbors…byanyhumanstandardstandsnochanceof
survival.ThedaythattheUNvotedtorecognizeIsraelasasovereignnationof
Jews,theywereattackedby6armiesoftheirneighbors.Israelhadnoairforce
andnotmuchmorethanhandheldweapons.Nonationcametofightbeside
them.Somehow…impossibly…Israelwon.Itmakesnosense.Itisoneofthe
mostinfuriatingandshamefulthingsthateverhappenedtoEgypt,Syria,Jordan,
Lebanon,IraqandSaudiArabiathathadsetasidetheirownconsiderable
differencesforafewdaysinordertobringtheircombinedmilitarymightagainst
anationofaround500,000atthattime.Thisdefeathascontinuedtoechoat
leastamongsomeofthosenationseversinceandonlystrengthenedtheir
resolvetoregaintheirhonorbypushingIsraelintotheMediterranean.
Howcouldsuchanimprobablethinghavehappened?ItwasbecausejustasGod
hadprotected(first)unitedIsrael,andthenthetwoKingdomsofIsraeland
Judahforsolong,defeatnomatterhowmightytheopposingforcewas
impossible.Thatpropositionhadcometoanendforthe10tribesoftheNorth.
Butaround130yearslater,thesamewouldhappenforJudah,andtheentire
nationofIsrael…all12tribes…woulddisappearfromtheworld’slandscapefor
2500years.

Lesson03-HoseaChapter1cont
14/13
So,HoseawithGomerhasnowfatheredasonandadaughter.Nextanotherson
willbebornandGod’slivingmessagetotheNorthernKingdomwillhavebeen
givenaccordingtothenamesofeachofthesechildren.That’swhatwe’llopen
withnexttime.