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THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson06,Chapters2and3
TothispointinHosea,wehaveseenGod,throughTheWordthatisspeakingto
Hosea,outlinehowHeisgoingtodealwithIsrael…meaningtheNorthern
Kingdom…asaresultoftheirlong-termidolatryandanunfaithfulnesstoHim
thatisnowthoroughlyembeddedintheirsociety.Andyet,atregularintervals
Hesaysthatafteralongtimehaspassed,HisangerwithIsraelwillpassandHe
willrestorethemtotheirownland,andtopeacewithHim.Inotherwords,it’sa
bitlikepunishingyourchildfortheirwrongdoing,butatthesametimereminding
themthatyoulovethemandthatthisdisciplinetheyareexperiencinghasn’t
becomeapermanentcondition.Itistemporaryandismeanttoserveapurpose:
toinstructandcorrect.Itisalsoinstinctiveinourhumannature…itsimplythe
waywearewired…thatpayingapriceforourwrongdoinginherentlyallowsusto
feelthatwehaveexperiencedjusticeandthatweindeedhavepaidajustprice
forourguilt.Insomanyways,releasehappens;oncethatpriceispaiditis
freeingtoourspirit,andthereisthissensethatourwrongdoingandits
consequencesarebehindus,andnowwehavelibertytomoveon.
Yehoveh’sintentisforIsraeltounderstandwhatadrasticmistaketheyhave
madeintheirwrongdoing(whichisspokenintermsofbreakingtheircovenant
withHim)andtolearnfromit.Hecarefullyexplainstothempreciselywhatthey
havedonesothattheydon’thavetoguessorwonderwhycatastropheisgoing
tocomeuponthem.Heusesthestrangelife-dramaofHoseaandGomerto
demonstrateitall.GodwantsIsraeltorepentandthentoreturntoHimwiththe
intentofonceagainfaithfullykeepingthetermsoftheCovenantofMoses.We
mustneverlosesightofoneoverridingcharacteristicofourrelationshipwithGod:
thewayweshowlovetoHimisthroughourobedience.ObedienceisGod’slove
language.
Inchapter2verse16,thejustjudgeannouncesHissentenceuponIsrael
(Gomer)andamazinglythatsentenceisthatHeisgoingtorestoreIsraelto
Himself!Sincethisisbeingexplainedinaveryvisible,tangiblelife-dramainthe
marriageofHoseaandGomerthelanguageusedinvolveslove,broken
relationship,adultery,thebirthofchildren,andthenreconciliation.Theseareto
beequatedtothespiritualrealityofGod’sundyingloveofHisHebrewpeople,
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theirbreakingoftheCovenantofMoses,committingidolatrybymeldinginthe
worshipofothergods(theBaalgodsystem)withtheirworshipofYehoveh,being
sentawayandintoseclusion(thatwasarathertypicalresultforawomanwho
wasfoundtobeunfaithfultoherhusband),andthenbeingwooedtocomeback
toGodaftertheyhaveexperiencedthejustfruitsoftheirunfaithfulness.
Tobeclear:Hoseaisnotwritingahistory;heiswritingaprophecy.Whatheis
sayingisgoingtohappen,buthadnotyethappenedandinfactnotevenbythe
endofhisbookhastheexileofIsraeloccurred.Whatwealsoneedtounderstand
isthatlongbeforeHosea,thissetofcircumstanceswascontemplatedand
spokenbyGodofwhatwouldhappenifIsraelweretobreakthenewlyminted
CovenantthatGodhadmadewithIsrael,withMosesastheMediator.Therefore,
whatisabouttohappentoIsraelwasannouncedtotheirforefatherslongago,
whiletheywerestillwanderinginthewilderness.Itisworthourwhiletoread
aboutitintheTorah.TurnyourBiblestoDeuteronomychapter4.
READDEUTERONOMYCHAPTER4:1–31
WhatwefindinDeuteronomy4:31isthatthemercyGodwillhaveuponIsraelto
eventuallyrestorethemtoHimselfisNOTbecauseoftheCovenantofMoses,but
ratherbecauseofthepromiseHemadeinanevenmoreancientcovenantthat
wasgiventotheforefathersofthosewhoweretherefugeesfromEgypt:The
CovenantofAbraham.
Thereisanimportantlesson,here,thathasbeenallbutlostintheChurch.Itis
thateverycovenantGodhasevermaderemainsintactandoperative,andwillbe
sountilthecurrentheavensandearthpassawayandarereplacedwithanew
Creation.Eachnewcovenantthathascomealongovertheageswasnota
replacementforapreviousone;itwassimplyanotheraddedinaseriesof
covenants,eachenactedforadifferentpurpose.Itwasanadditive,not
reductive,process.Thus,asconcernstheChristianChurch,whateveryoutake
theNewCovenanttobe,precisely,itcertainlydidnotreplacetheone(orones)
thatcamebeforeit.TheNewCovenantdidnotreplacetheCovenantofMoses
anymorethantheCovenantofMosesreplacedtheCovenantofAbraham.Nor
didtheCovenantofAbrahamreplacetheCovenantofNoah.
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Tobeclear:thepunishmentIsraelisabouttofaceintheirexilefromtheirland
isaresultoftheirbreakingthetermsoftheCovenantofMoses.Buttheir
eventualrestorationtothelandandtotheirGodistheresultofGod’spromisein
theCovenantofAbraham.
Let’sreadthefinalversesofHoseachapter2.
RE-READHOSEACHAPTER2:16–end
TheCJBtranslationofverse16isnotagoodone.Itobscuressomeimportant
words.Hereisabetterone.
NAS
Hosea2:14"Therefore,behold,Iwillallureher,Bringherintothe
wilderness,Andspeakkindlytoher.
Tobeholdmeanstopayspecialattentiontowhatfollows;becausewhateveritis,
itisimportantevengamechanging.Thenextmostimportantwordsimmediately
follow“behold”;theyare“Iwill”.Theideaisthatwhatcomesnexthappensis
duetothedirectinterventionofGod.Insciencethisiscalled“causeandeffect”.
So,thecauseofwhatisabouttobedeclaredisYehoveh.TheeffectisthatGod
isgoingto“allureher”.SomeBiblessay“wooher”,somesay“entice”,oneeven
says“speakcoaxinglytoher”,andanother“seduce”.TheHebrewword
ispathahanditcanmeanprettymuchanyofthesesuggestedtranslations.The
rangeofEnglishwordsusedinvariousBibleversionscomesaboutbecauseofthe
variouswaystranslatorschoosetocharacterizetheentirestoryofHoseaand
Gomer.Themosttypicalisofanintenseromance,evenerotic.Thewife
somehowgoesastrayintoprostitution,nowaprisonerofherdecisionand
regretful.Thenherhusbandwhoadoresherchasesafterandrescuesherfrom
hernowterriblecondition,forgivesher,andcarriesherbackintohishomeonce
againmakingittheirhome.Ithinkthischaracterizationgoesabittoofarand
moregetsintothepopularHollywoodfilmmotifofamanrescuingaprostitute
fromherpreferredprofessionandturningherintoarespectablewomanala
PrettyWoman.Thatis,sucharomanticviewremovestheentirestoryfromthe
realitiesofthe8
th
centuryB.C.thathappenswithinthisancientHebrewculture.
Moreitisamatterofrestoringfavor,andthencoaxingIsraeltoleavebehinda
verylongtimeofresidinginthemanygentilenationstowhichtheywere
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scattered,andfinallytocomebackhomewheretheybelong.Coaxingitwilltake
becauseaftercenturiesofbeingawayfromtheirownland,whereverthemany
remnantsofIsraelmightbewillbetheonlyhomeandtheonlyculturethese
peoplewillhaveeverknown…formanygenerations.
AninterestingandabitconfusingpartofthisverseiswhenitsaysnextthatGod
isgoingtoallureherintothewilderness.WhywouldHetakehertothe
wilderness?Sooftenwethinkofthewildernessasaplaceofbarrennessand
punishment.AndyetthatcannotbethemeaningbecauseGodsaysthatinthe
wildernessHeisgoingtospeakkindlytoher.Herethecharacterizationofthe
wildernessisintendedtorecallwhenIsraelhadbeenhappilyrescuedfromEgypt,
andthengivenGod’scovenant,andthenofthegenerallyfaithfultimeof
obedienceandprovisionthatIsraelexperiencedintheoriginalwilderness
journeytothePromisedLand.So,thisreturnfromexileislikenedtoakindof
repeatoftheexoduseventinthatIsraelwillbebroughtback(byanactofGod)
tothePromisedLand,asGod’sredeemedpeople.Thetimeforexileand
disciplineisoverandthetimeforrestorationhasarrived.
Verse17saysthat“fromthere”(inthewilderness)Israelwillbegivenher
vineyards.Thatis,justasIsraelwaspromisedvineyardswhileshewasstill
trekkingintheexoduswilderness,solikewisewhenIsraelisfinallywooedhome,
alreadyGodwillhaveordainedandsetasidevineyardsforHisreturningpeople
(Hisreturningwife,symbolicallyspeaking).ThementionoftheAkhorValleyasa
gatewaytohopeispartofthatpromiseandisaplayonwords.TheAkhorValley
isanactualplaceinIsrael,locatedafewmilesnorthofJericho.AkhorisHebrew
for“trouble”or“affliction”.So,whathadbeenthevalleyoftroubleandaffliction
forIsraelwillbedivinelytransformedtoavalleyofhope.Thefinalpartofthis
versethencementstheconnectionbetweenwhatGodplanstodoforIsraelwith
theirformerescapefromEgypt.Referringtothewildernessexperienceaswhen
shewas“inheryouth”meansthatimmediatelyafterGodhadformedthe
covenantrelationshipwithIsrael,itwasasthoughshewastheequivalentofa
toddlerjustbeginningtolearnGod’sways.
Thinkofitthisway:howdoweasparentstreatatoddler?Doweexpectasmuch
fromtheveryyoungaswedofromtheolderchildrenorthematureadults?Thus,
wedon’tdemandmuchprecisionofobedienceornuanceofunderstandingfrom
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theyoung,althoughwedemandmuchmoreofthemoremature.God,insome
ways,willbestartingalloveragainwithIsrael.Theywillbereturnedtotheland
withoutmuchknowledgeofGodorHisways,andsotheywillhavetobe
re-educated(sotospeak).Thus,theLordwillbeloving,gentleandpatienton
Israel’sjourneytowardsrestoration.Yetintime,Israelwillbeexpectedtotoe
themarkandproperlyobeytheCovenantofMoses.WhatIjustdescribedisa
biblicallydefinedGod-patternthatweneedtohavehammeredintoour
memories.Godwon’toverloaduswithexpectationsanddemandswhenwefirst
cometoknowHim.Easyatfirst,thengraduallywithmoreteachingthe
expectationsuponusriseuntiltheyfinallyreachthesummitoffull
understandingofGod’scovenantsandalongwithit,fullobedience.Withthatbit
ofinformation,Iwantustodetourforjustaminutetoaddressoneofthemost
misunderstoodsectionsoftheNewTestamentthathasledsomanyChristians
intosomefalseconceptionsofwhatGod’sexpectationsofusactuallyare.
CJB
Acts15:13-20
13
Ya'akovbrokethesilencetoreply."Brothers,"hesaid,
"hearwhatIhavetosay.
14
Shim'onhastoldindetailwhatGoddidwhenhefirst
begantoshowhisconcernfortakingfromamongtheGoyimapeopletobearhis
name.
15
AndthewordsoftheProphetsareincompleteharmonywiththisforit
iswritten,
16
'"Afterthis,Iwillreturn;andIwillrebuildthefallententofDavid.I
willrebuilditsruins,Iwillrestoreit,
17
sothattherestofmankindmayseekthe
Lord,thatis,alltheGoyimwhohavebeencalledbymyname,"
18
saysADONAI,
whoisdoingthesethings.'Allthishasbeenknownforages.
19
"Therefore,my
opinionisthatweshouldnotputobstaclesinthewayoftheGoyimwhoare
turningtoGod.
20
Instead,weshouldwritethemalettertellingthemtoabstain
fromthingspollutedbyidols,fromfornication,fromwhatisstrangledandfrom
blood.
ThisBibleportionisknownastheJerusalemCouncil.NoticehowYa’akov
(usuallycalledJamesbyChristians)directlyreferstotheProphetspredicting
thatDavid’stentwillberebuiltandrestored.David’stentmeantthathisdynasty
wouldsomehow,divinely,berestoredandresurrected,andtheonewhowill
occupythethronewillruleoverarestoredKingdomofIsrael.Thismysterious
personfromDavid’slinewasthoughttobetheMessiah,andtherestorationwas
stillfutureforthembecauseIsraelatthistime(the10tribes)wasstillinexile.
Therefore,sinceitwasbelievedbyJamesthathishalf-brotherJesuswasthe
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Messiah,andyettheKingdomhadnotbeenrestored,thenhoweverthiswasto
comeaboutwasstillinthefuture.And,inmakingacomparisontothisvery
well-knownrealitytotheJews,Jamessaysthatinthissamewaygentileswho
arebuttoddlersintheirlearningabouttheGodofIsraelandsalvationinYeshua
shouldn’timmediatelyhavealltheTorahrequirementsplaceduponthemas
thoughtheywerelikeHebrewsthathavebeentheCovenantpeopleforcenturies.
CanyouseehowwellthisconnectstothethoughtofHosea2:17?Howthis
God-patternneverchanges?ThegentileswhoacceptChristwillbe“young”just
likeIsraelwas“young”outinthewilderness.Thistoddler(myword)willhave
onlybasicandfairlyeasytodorequirementsplaceduponthemforthetime
being,becausethat’saboutthebestthatcanbeexpectedatsuchanearlystage
oftheirdevelopment.Butitgoeswithoutsayingthatyoucan’tbecomepartof
theCovenantpeopleandnoteventuallybeexpectedtomatureandtofullyobey
theCovenantjustasdoesIsrael.
BacktoHosea.Verse18beginswiththewords:“Onthatday”.“Thatday”isthe
commontermintheOldTestamentthatisapproximatelyequivalentto“TheDay
oftheLord”.ItistermthatindicatestheEndTimes…theLatterDays.Itdoesn’t
refertoaprecisedate…asingleday…youcancircleonacalendar;itisspeaking
ofanera.Sonowweunderstandthatwhenthiswooinghomeandrestorationof
Israeloccurs,itwillbefarintothefuturefromHosea’stimeandisessentially
whatmodernChristianitywouldcallanEndTimesprophecy.
Iwanttoalsousethistodemonstratesomethingelse.Theversesays“Onthat
daysaystheLord”orintheCJB,“saysAdonai”.ThatisNOTwhattheoriginal
HebrewScriptureactuallysays.Itsays,literally,“OnthatdaysaysYehoveh”.
Over6000timesintheOldTestamentwereadGod’snameYehovehinthe
Hebrew.ButinourEnglishBibleswe’dbeluckytofindit10times.Allothertimes
thewords“Lord”or“God”aresubstituted.Whywouldtranslatorsdosomething
likethat?TheclaimisthatithastodowiththeJewsceasingtosayorwriteGod’s
namestartingaroundthelate4
th
centuryB.C.That’sdifficulttobuysince
ChristianitylongagoseparateditselffromanythingJewish.Sowhywould
gentileChristiansremovewhatisclearlythere(God’sname)andinsteadinsert
therathergenericterm“Lord”?ItissimplyaChristiantraditiontodoitthisway,
whichnodoubtstemsfromnotwantingtoacknowledgeGod’sformalname.
Mostoften,toChristians,theterm“theLord”ismeantasJesusChrist.Andthus,
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whenweseetheword“Lord”evenintheOldTestamentitcancreatean
inferencetoChrist,oratbestmakethemeaningmurky.Beginningwiththe
RomanChurchofthe4
th
century,institutionalgentileChristianityhasattempted
torelegateTheFather(Yehoveh)toanassociationwithapeopleofthepast.So,
thisGodofthepastandthispeopleofthepasthavefadedawaytoobscurityand
givenwaytoJesusandtheChristianChurch.Thiserroneousbeliefgreatlyaffects
thewaywereadandunderstandtheBible.
NexttherearesomeinterestingwordsthatmanyBibleinterpretershaveforwell
overacenturyclaimedarenotoriginalbutratherareamuchlateradditioncalled
agloss(eventhoughtheoldestBiblemanuscriptscontainthesewordssothe
onlyhardevidencewehaveactuallydisprovesthatclaim).Thosewordsare:
“YouwillcallmeIshi,andnolongerwillyoucallMeBaali”.Some,liketheCJB,
willgoontosayinbracketsthatBaalimeansMyMaster.Technicallyitistrue
thatBaalicanmeanMyMaster,butmuchmorecommonlyitmeansMyLord.Ishi
meanshusbandinHebrew.So,theversemoreliterallytranslatedtoEnglishis
“Youwillcallmehusband,andnolongerwillyoucallmeMyLord”.So,let’sput
thisversebacktogetherasitisoriginallygiventous.“Anditwillcomeabouton
thatday,saysYehoveh,thatyouwillcallmehusbandandnolongerwillyoucall
MeMyLord”.Infact,thescholarlyYoung’sLiteralTranslationBiblesaysexactly
that.Sotoday,justlikeinthe8
th
centuryB.C.,thetermlordasitreferstoagod
canbemisused.Forusitisnotamisusethatconfusesthepaganwiththebiblical
butratheritisamisusethatcanconfusebetween2personsofGod:TheFather
andTheSon.
TheintentofthisoddstatementfromGodistosaythatinthefutureallthis
confusionbetweenHeasIsrael’slegitimateGod,versusBaalandtheillegitimate
Baalgodsystem,willcometoanend.DoesanyoneinthisworldstillworshipBaal?
Especiallythe21
st
centuryIsraelites,inwhatevernationtheymightresideinthis
dayandtime?Thepointisnotthenameofthepagangod,itisthesyncretism
betweenpaganandbiblical.I’vespentmuchtimeinscoresoflessonsinTorah
Classexplainingahardreality.Itisthatfromtheirearliestbeginning,the
Hebrewshavestruggledwithidolatryastheytendedtointroduceothergodsinto
theirHebrewfaithandatthesametimemovedsteadilytoacceptmuch
manmadedoctrineandtraditionthatdoesn’taccuratelyreflectthetruthofthe
HolyScriptures;Christianityhasdonethesame.Thisillicitmixinghasgoneon
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forsomanycenturiesthatadherentsofbothJudaismandChristianityassume
thatthewaywepracticeourfaithmustbecorrectandsoreactquitedefensively
whenchallengedaboutit.Therefore,nomatterhowmanypaganelementshave
obviouslybeenwoven-inoverthecenturies,theseelementshave(asIhave
beeninformedonseveraloccasions)“beenbaptizedbyJesus”soit’sok.Not
accordingtoGodisitok.
WhenGodfinallydeterminesthatthetimeforIsraeltoreturnhomeishere,He
willbegintoteachthemwhoHeisandun-confusethem.Wecanbecertainthat
thiswillbealongprocessbecauserightnow,intheearlypartofthe21
st
century,
the10tribesoftheformerNorthernKingdomarereturninghometothereborn
nationofIsraelineverincreasingnumbers.But,eitherpaganismoratheism
duringtheirlongexilehasreplacedapureworship.So,thiscleansingand
restorationarenowherenearcomplete.Evenso,ithasbegunanditwouldseem
thatwehave,therefore,enteredintowhatthisversedescribesas“Onthatday”.
Verse20explainsthenewandrestoredconditionsIsraelwilloperateunder.God
willmakeacovenantwithIsraelthatestablishesakindofpeacebetweenthem
andtheanimalkingdom.ThisisinresponsetowhatGodspokeofearlierinorder
topunishIsrael.
CJB
Hosea2:14Iwillravagehervinesandfigtrees,ofwhichshesays,'These
aremywagesthatmylovershavegivenme.'ButIwillturnthemintoaforest,
andwildanimalswilleatthem.
Inverse14YehovehsaidHewouldturntheanimalkingdomintoanenemyof
Israelthatwoulddevourwhatforestandfieldnormallyprovide.So,restoration
includesaresumptionofthedivineharmonywithnaturethathadworkedin
Israel’sfavorforsolong.SayingthatGodwillbreakbowandswordmeansthe
endofwarintheHolyLand.Withtheendofwar,Israelwillnowbeabletorest
securely.So,thiseraendsthecenturies-longstrifebetweenIsraelandnature,
andbetweenIsraelandthegentileworld.WhentheBiblespeaksofcovenant
makingitiseitheranagreementbetweenhumans,orinIsrael’scaseitcanbean
agreementbetweenGodandHischosen.Here,however,muchlikewithNoah’s
Covenantthatpromisesthatnaturewon’tfloodtheearthanddestroyallhuman
lifeeveragain,soGodmakesacovenantwithcertainpartsofHisCreation.This
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covenantrepresentsareversalofthecursesthatGodhasbeeninflictingupon
Israel;thecursesspelledoutinDeuteronomyandinthisprophecyofHosea.
Verses21and22operatetogetherandarereallyasingleunifiedstatement,not
2astheversenumberingsystemmakesitappear.Thesestatementsareonce
againcouchedinsymbolicmarriageterms,inordertokeepwithinthemotifof
theplayingoutoftheHosea/Gomerlife-drama.WearetoldthatGodwillbetroth
IsraeltoHimselfandthiswillbeaforeverarrangement.Thebasisofthis
betrothal,theunderlyingtermsofthesymbolicmarriagecontractifyouwould,
willberighteousness,judgment,ingrace,andincompassion.Orin
Hebrew,tzedek,mishpat,chesed,andruchamah.Verse22addstothisbetrothal
basisfaithfulness,orinHebrewemunah.WhileHoseaandGomer’sbetrothal
wasrealandliteral,God’sbetrothaltoIsraelisfigurativeandonlymeanttodraw
anillustrationtohelpourunderstanding.Hosea’sHebrewreaderswould
understandthisalittlebetterthanwedo.Itiscommoninmoderntimesto
equatebetrothalwithengagement;biblicallythereisnosuchthingas
engagement…itisaWesternconcept.Engagementisbutastatementofintent
thatisnotbinding.Betrothalwasnotonlybinding,ithadalmostallthelegal
authorityofmarriage.Onceabetrothaltookplace,amarriagecontractwas
drawnup,agreedtobythegroomandbythebride’sfather,andadowryprice
waspaid.Typicallyforaround30daysthebridewouldcontinuetolivewithher
father.Thenatanagreedtotime,thefatherwoulddeliverhisdaughtertoher
newhusband,andtransferauthorityoverhertothehusband.Thefinalstepto
sealingthemarriagewasconsummation.
Thefinalwordsofverse22addonemoreelementofrestoration…itisanother
blessing:“AndyoushallknowAdonai(orGod,orTheLorddependingonyour
Bibleversion).”Onceagainnoneofthesearecorrect.TheoriginalHebrewsays:
“AndyoushallknowYehoveh”.TheconstantdrumbeatofrepeatingGod’sname
isnotmysterious;itisdonebecauseintheancientworldoflotsofgods,each
havinganame,Israel’sGodisalsoonlyidentifiablebyname.Thus,thereneed
benoguessworkaboutwhoisIsrael’sGod;HeistheonlyGodwiththename
Yehoveh.
Verses23and24areanotherunifiedthoughtthatshouldneverhavebeen
separatedwithversenumbers.Thesewordscanbehardtounderstand
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especiallywhentheword“answer”ischosenasatranslationforthe
Hebrewanah.While“answer”iscorrect,thewordthatmakesmoresensein
modernEnglishisrespond.Forinstance,toanswerathreatmeans
torespondtoathreat.SohereGodisrespondingtothisbetrothalbyonceagain
givingIsraelproducefromorchard,vine,andfield.Wenoticethisprogressionof
heavens(meaningthesky),earth(meaningsoil),andfinallygrain,wineandoil.
KeepinmindthatGodiswooingIsraelbackfromtheBaalgodsthatwere
wronglythankedforrain,fertility,andfood.So,whatisbeingpicturedhereisthe
entirecycleofagriculturewithGodasitscause.Now,also,thementionof
Jezreelisturnedonitshead.JezreelwasusedearlierinHoseatoremindIsrael
ofthemurderandbloodshedthattookplaceinthecityofJezreel.Uponthis
futurerestoration,Jezreelreassumesit’smeaningofablessing(Godsows).
TheclimaxofthislongstoryofredemptionandrestorationforIsraelinverse25
isthatthesymbolicnamesforHoseaandGomer’schildrenarealsoturnedon
theirheads.JezreelnowmeansGodsowsinapositivesense;Godwillnowhave
pityuponthoseforwhomHerefusedtohavepity(Lo-Ruchamahbecomes
Ruchamah);andthoseHeconsiderednotHispeople(Lo-Ammi),willnowbe
consideredHispeopleonceagain(Ammi).Thisentirescenarioofcursethat
eventuallyleadstorestorationandredemptionforIsraelappearsinothersofthe
Prophets.ThereisnobetterexamplethanthelastfewversesofEzekiel37.
CJB
Ezekiel37:21-28
21
ThensaytothemthatAdonaiELOHIMsays:'Iwilltake
thepeopleofIsra'elfromamongthenationswheretheyhavegoneandgather
themfromeverysideandbringthembacktotheirownland.
22
Iwillmakethem
onenationintheland,onthemountainsofIsra'el;andonekingwillbekingfor
allofthem.Theywillnolongerbetwonations,andtheywillneveragainbe
dividedintotwokingdoms.
23
"'Theywillneveragaindefilethemselveswiththeir
idols,theirdetestablethings,oranyoftheirtransgressions;butIwillsavethem
fromalltheplaceswheretheyhavebeenlivingandsinning;andIwillcleanse
them,sothattheywillbemypeople,andIwillbetheirGod.
24
MyservantDavid
willbekingoverthem,andallofthemwillhaveoneshepherd;theywillliveby
myrulingsandkeepandobservemyregulations.
25
TheywillliveinthelandI
gavetoYa'akovmyservant,whereyourancestorslived;theywilllivethere-
they,theirchildren,andtheirgrandchildren,forever;andDavidmyservantwill
betheirleaderforever.
26
Iwillmakeacovenantofpeacewiththem,an
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everlastingcovenant.Iwillgivetothem,increasetheirnumbers,andsetmy
sanctuaryamongthemforever.
27
Myhomewillbewiththem;IwillbetheirGod,
andtheywillbemypeople.
28
ThenationswillknowthatIamADONAI,whosets
Isra'elapartasholy,whenmysanctuaryiswiththemforever.'"
GentileChristians,understandthatyourfutureisentirelywrappedupinIsrael’s
future.IfGodisdonewithIsrael,He’salsodonewithyou.Ourgoodfortuneis
thatGodisdonewithneither.Hehasgreatthingsbeingpreparedforallofus
whoworshipHiminloveandintruth.But,thesegoodthingsarestillaheadofus
andnotbehindus.Let’smoveontoHoseachapter3.
READHOSEACHAPTER3all
Afterchapter1wehaveheardnomoreofthenameGomer.Becauseoftheway
chapter2reads,thereisnoambiguitythatthewomanandwiferemainasGomer.
Butchapter3presentsaproblem.Thescenechangesinacoupleofimportant
ways.First,theidentityofthewomanbecomesmoreambiguous,andsecondis
thatwehaveHoseaspeakinginthefirstperson:I,me.Thisleadstoallkindsof
conjecture,allofwhichisopinionandnonecanbeproved.
Verse1openswithaninstructionfromYehoveh.And,onceagain,Bible
translatorssimplyignoreGod’snamethatiswrittenintheoriginalScriptureand
insteadsubstitutethewordLordorasintheCJB,Adonai(Hebrewfor“lord”).
Yehoveh’sinstructionistoHoseaanditisthis:Goagainandloveawoman.The
CJBtakesmanylibertieswiththisverseandassumesmuchthatisn’tactually
writtentherebysuggestingthatitshouldread“ADONAIsaidtome,"Goonce
more,andshowloveto[this]wife[ofyours].Addingthewords“this”and“of
yours”ishowtheeditorchoosestoexplainhisviewpoint.AlthoughIagreewith
hisviewpoint,Ican’tholdwithaddingwordsthataren’ttheretojustifyit.The
wordthatmostBibleswilltranslateas“woman”(showlovetoawoman),
isishshahanditcanmeaneitherwomanorwife.Noticetherelationship;itis
automaticallyassumedthatawifeisawoman,andthatawomenwillbeawife.
Andbyassumingthatthearticlebeforetheword“woman”is“a”andnot“the”
thenitmakesidentifyingthiswomanabitmorechallenging.So,isthisstill
Gomer?Ifitisnot,whoelsecoulditbe?Thereisnothingthatdirectlysuggests
thatasecondwomaniscontemplated.
Lesson06-HoseaChapters2&3
12/13
Theversesaysoutrightthatthiswomaniscommittingadultery;somethingthat
Gomerislikenedtobedoing(symbolically)inearlierchapters.Theactof
adulterycanonlyhappenwithintheboundsofmarriage.Thisunnamedwoman
thatbeginsthischaptercan’tcommitadulteryifsheisn’talreadymarried.So,
whilewecan’tsaywith100%certaintythatthiswomanisGomer,itisprobably
bettertodemandevidencethatitissomeoneelseratherthantheotherway
around.Forourstudy,I’mgoingtoassumesheisGomerbecauseI’mconvinced
that’swhosheis.Here’sthething;aswediscussedinanearlierlesson,toomany
BibleinterpreterswanttocreateadetailedbiographyforHoseathatisn’tthere.
Theissueathandisn’tthedetailsofHosea’slife;theissueisthemeaningofthe
symbolism.So,it’sthewoman’ssituation(herpredicament?)thatisthepoint
becausethat’swhatthesymbolismisallabout;Gomer(thewoman)equals
Israel.
Continuing,theversesaysthatthiswomanHoseaistolovehasaboyfriend,or
alover,oraparamourdependingonhowonewantstotranslatetheHebrewrea.
Clearlythiswomaniscommittingadulterywiththisrea.Thatsecondhalfof
verse1explainsexactlywhatthisnewactofHoseaasregardsthiswomanisto
symbolize:
CJB
Hos.3:1b...justasADONAIlovesthepeopleofIsra'el,eventhoughthey
turntoothergodsandlovetheraisincakes[offeredtothem]
So,HoseaindoingthisactisinsymbolicimitationofGodlovingthepeopleof
Israel…apeoplewhoarecommittingadulterywithothergods.Adulteryamong
humansisthereforeequatedtoidolatryasconcernsIsrael’sbehaviortowards
God.Adulteryisunfaithfulnessinwhatissupposedtobeanexclusive
relationshipbetweenhusbandandwife,andsoidolatryisunfaithfulnessinwhat
issupposedtobeanexclusiverelationshipbetweenGodandHispeople.As
DouglasStewartsowellputsitinhiscommentaryonHosea:
“Yehoveh’sloveforIsraelisnoble,unselfish,generous,andprotective.Israel’s
loveforitsraisincakesandtheadulteress’sloveforevilareselfish,indulgent,
andpleasure-oriented”
Lesson06-HoseaChapters2&3
13/13
Gomerdoesn’tdeserveHosea’slove;justasIsraeldoesn’tdeserveGod’slove.
NonethelessGodgivesherthatlove.AndeveninIsrael’scomingexile,thatlove
neverdiminishes.Therefore,inverse2wehaveapricebeingpaidforthe
restorationoftheadulteress(theidolaters,Israel).Butthepriceisn’tpaidbythe
unfaithfulpartner,butratherbythefaithfulone.Herewehaveanother
God-pattern.Fellowunfaithfulones,neitherhavewepaidthepriceforour
restoration;itistheFaithfulOnewehavesinnedagainstwhomakespaymenton
ourbehalf.
NAS
John3:16"ForGodsolovedtheworld,thatHegaveHisonlybegottenSon,
thatwhoeverbelievesinHimshouldnotperish,buthaveeternallife.
TherehasalwaysbeenmuchdebateandconjectureaboutthispricethatHosea
paid:15shekelsofsilverand8bushelsofbarley.Whodidhepaythemoneyto?
SomeBiblecommentatorssayitwastoamanthatwasessentiallyherPimp.
Otherssayshehadbecomeaslaveandsowaspurchasedbackfromhermaster
forthatsum.Andyetothersthatshewaslivingwiththisboyfriendandsoitwas
akindofbribetogethimtolethergo.Ican’tgoalongwithanyofthese
suggestions,althoughitisn’tpossibletoabsolutelyruleanyofthemout.Rather
Iseethispaymenttonooneinparticularasasecondbride-pricethatrepresents
restorationofmarriageintoanewcondition.GomerwasalreadyHosea’swife,
nowwiththisnewbride-pricesheissymbolicofarenewedwife.Ithinkthisfits
withtheideaofGodpayingabride-priceassymbolicofIsraelthatwasalready
Hiswife(symbolically),butwillintimebecomearenewedwife(arenewed
Israel).Itisimportanttokeepattheforefrontofourmindsthatthisentirestory
isallaboutcreatingsymbolismtosendamessage.Thus,wemustnotget
focusedontinydetails;norshouldwetrytoseethiswithinthepreciseboundsof
howHebrewmarriageworks,etc.ItisquitesimilartohowBelieversare
characterizedasbeing“newcreations”.Weareinasense,butnotineverysense.
Andprobably,abetterwaytocharacterizethatmeaningisthatweare“renewed
creations”.ThebottomlineisthatHosearecoveredandrestoredhiswifeGomer
fromheradulterouscondition,anditcosthimtodoit.AndthisissymbolicofGod
payingapricetorecoverandrestoreIsrael…whenthetimecomes.
We’llbegininverse3nexttime.