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Hosea – Oldie but a Goodie

In the first chapter of Hosea we learned some very valuable insights into the mind of the Lord about His relationship to His body, His church. Though this book is written about a historical and physical people, as with the rest of scripture, there is much more to be cultured from this chapter spiritually.

As we saw from the very beginning of chapter one, God mentions a split in His people from those that claim to be His people but who are not. As a representation of this truth, the Lord tells Hosea to take on a wife that is much like His adulterous wife Israel.

We see that with the marriage of Hosea and Gomer, there are definite plans from God to be worked out in Hosea’s life as an admonition to us, His true body. Hosea has children which are named specifically to show us, among other things, that God has sown a plan for those who call Him Jehovah but only pay Him lip service in their servitude.

Though there are only 11 verses in chapter one, they are very succinct and powerful in showing us  what this plan that the Lord has sown will result in and we can see the consummation in the last verse of chapter one:

Hos 1:11  Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

 

However, it is amazing that as the bible stories progress throughout the scripture, we continually see a progression in the details and the awesomeness of how the Lord reveals Himself to us. That is exactly where we are going to be picking up in Hosea chapter two. Lord willing, we will be given eyes to see that chapter 2 is simply a more in- depth working of this plan of the Lord in your and my life as we walk this walk with the Lord.

Truly, the best stories are those which once you hear them you could swear you have heard them before even though it is the first time you have ever heard them. That is what is so miraculous and awe- inspiring about the scripture as I learn anew what the Lord has hidden within the letters He has mandated to be pinned down. With that, we will start the study on chapter 2.

Plead With Your Mother

Hos 2:1  Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

Hos 2:2  Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

 

In verse 1 we see that we are to tell our brethren, “Ammi” and our sisters, “Ruhamah”.  Immediately upon reading this verse I noticed that my brothers and sisters are mentioned together and the most prominent example that jumped out to me is when Christ mentions who His brother, sister and mother are in the gospels.

In fact, in verse 2 we see that we are going to be addressing our mother as well.

Mat 12:46  While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

Mat 12:47  Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

Mat 12:48  But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

Mat 12:49  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

Mat 12:50  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

 

This is also mentioned in Mark as well, but Matthew says it clearly enough to be able to see that there is something profound we are being given at the start of Hosea chapter 2 that we need to keep at the vanguard of our minds.

He that does the Will of the Father are Christ’s brothers, sisters and mothers and taking this spiritual principal and applying it to Hosea chapter 2 will open up the entire chapter.

We are to tell our brothers, “people” and our sisters “mercy”.  We are to plead with our mother to put her adulteries out of her sight and from between her breasts. In not so many words, we are telling our brothers, sisters and mother “you are my people” as we deliver the plan of God to them, but these brothers, sisters and mother are NOT those who simply say they are because they call the Lord, Lord.

We are to plead with our brothers, sisters and mother to put away the false doctrines from out of their midst’s and to take Christ’s truths and applying it here means by doing so we are doing the will of the Father but equally important we are being made aware of who TRULY are our brothers, sisters and mother.

It is notable that we are told to plead twice because when the Lord is working with our brother, sister and mother He will make it very apparent that this is the case and very apparent when it is not.

If you think I am reaching with what I am told is my own interpretation let the Lord speak for Himself with the next few verses.

Playing the Harlot

Hos 2:3  Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

Hos 2:4  And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

Hos 2:5  For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

 

We are to plead with our mother to depart from her whoredom lest the Lord make her naked, make her a wilderness, dry land and slay her with thirst. What example could we possibly be reading about here? It is none other than you and me and anyone else who the Lord is working with, that’s who.

Remember, this is a spiritual message that we are given admonishment about.  Doesn’t this sound like that story we are hearing for the first time that seems so familiar? That is because this is another reflective ray of light bouncing off of the same spiritual mind that is given to those who the Lord’s working with. Breaking down these verses is like telling the same story over and over but it is a story that never gets old. It is contained right here in this minor prophet’s book and has been for many, many generations.

In verse 3 we are told that this mother of ours, which ironically we use to be as the harlot church/ body, is naked and made a dry wilderness that is slain with thirst. Not only that, but we are told in verse 4 that anything that comes out of this harlot wilderness wife will not be shown mercy. I ponder who and what that could be?

Naked:

 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Wilderness:

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

 

Dry Land:

Gen 1:9  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Gen 1:10  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

 

Slain with Thirst:           

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

 

Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

 

Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Isn’t it painfully obvious who is being talked about here? Is it this harlot wife that I am sure glad not to be a part of? I am sure glad I have Jesus! Isn’t it tearfully and painfully numbing knowing that this whore of a wife is YOU and ME?

Who were the very first naked people ever? Adam and Eve. Where were they sent? “Into the wilderness” from the garden. Whose does Adam and Eve from Adam represent? The earth which happens to to be made very clear in Genesis from the very creation of the world and the water being separated so that the dry land could appear. We have seen and heard this story, have we not?

So I implore you, WHO is it that is TAKEN AWAY. If you have any doubt that the churches of the world have a little truth in them, then let Hosea admonish you again that the WHOLE STAY OF BREAD and WATER is TAKEN AWAY.
Still think Christ is in the church as the Christ Christendom says He is? Still think they don’t have another Jesus as we all once had? Let’s see if the Holy Spirit inspired any more admonition through Hosea for us.

Discovering Our Lewdness

Hos 2:5  For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

Hos 2:6  Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

Hos 2:7  And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

Hos 2:8  For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

Hos 2:9  Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
Hos 2:10  And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

G oing back to chapter 1 we were told that the subject of that chapter was Israel and we saw Israel being contrasted with Judah.  In verse 1:7 we see that the Lord says He will have mercy upon the house of Judah contrasted with verse 1:6 where the Lord says He would not have mercy upon the house of Israel. This was so much the point that Hosea and Gomers son was named Loammi, meaning not my people.

In verse one of chapter two, we are told to tell our brother, “ammi” which is obviously conveying the thought of these brothers being the people of the Lord. So, it is undoubtedly clear that there are two contrasting people who both call the Lord, Lord. However, one is the true people of the Lord and the other is not. We also see the truth that both call the Lord, Lord with the naming of another of Hosea and Gomer’s children being named Jehu…and Jehu literally means Jehovah is He.

In verse 4 of chapter 1 we see this:

Hos 1:4  And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

 

So, keeping this all in mind when we approach Hos 2 verses 5-10, we should have a very clear focus on who it is we are talking about. As with all biblical stories we can literally see the old man versus the new being played out. We can see that we were once Israel who will be shown no mercy and we will also be of the house f Judah who will receive mercy. We will be of the house of Jehu and we will also be of the house of Jezreel at our appointed times.

In verses 5-10 we see a very interesting dilemma being played out in the mother harlot as she hops from her to husband to her many lovers. She thinks the things that she is given are from her lovers, the bread, water, wool, flax, oil and drink, but we see clearly in verse 8 that it was the Lord who was providing these things all the time.

Isn’t it so true that we go after our own lovers in the form of false doctrines and the things that are so contrary to the Lord while we are living under the roof of another so- to- speak? Ironically, while we are there we are nourished with bread and water, covered with wool and flax, and given power through doctrine, oil and wine.

The Lord is actually working against us the entire time by SUPPLYING the things we need so that He later can take it all away including our lovers who we give the credit to. Look at this harlot wife.

She is giving credit to her lovers for the things her husband has provided and while she goes about her ways to go after her lovers she is being worked against behind the scenes by her true husband and she doesn’t even know it. Her paths are hedged with thorns, there is a wall that is separating her from her lovers as she seeks them and it gets to a point where she finally says to hell with this and decides it is better to be with her husband than be in this condition.

It sounds like she really despises her husband doesn’t it? Oh how she loathes her husband while it has been Him all along who has been taking care of her while she had other lovers. I think she is about to have another thing coming though if she thinks she is just going to simply go back to her husband.

Hos 2:9  Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
Hos 2:10  And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

Hos 2:11  I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

Hos 2:12  And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

Hos 2:13  And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.

 

This sounds an awful lot like the Lord loves days, times weeks and years doesn’t it? It sounds like He enjoys the things His wife did while she was participating in whoredom with her lovers? Obviously, I am speaking very foolishly. These are all the things that HER LOVERS have given her, not the Lord, right? She has done WHOREDOMS with them, and the Lord is clear that He will DESTROY them as even His wife says these things are REWARDS that her lovers have given her. Her husband is going to tear them all down and utterly destroy them and that is exactly why Paul states:

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

 

Aren’t the things we just mentioned in Hosea partaking of days, months, times and years? Wait a minute Steven, it is God who gave His whore wife Israel these feasts, and Sabbaths and moons the mirth that comes with it, isn’t He? YES, but why? We were just told right here in Hosea and we will be told further. It is solely so that HE can DESTROY THEM when we didn’t know our husband, the things that keep us in BONDAGE.

We just read that it is the husband who is in actuality supplying the needs to the harlot wife, and it is also the husband who has given His wife, THROUGH HER LOVERS the things which He will vanquish.

But why go through all that trouble? Why does the Lord go through these great LENGTHS to simply only destroy everything He has been doing? It is because He has an unfathomable LOVE for His wife, His body.

He is willing to suffer the lovers being given credit for taking care of His wife, as the church gives another Jesus credit for being Him. He is willing to suffer the lovers being given credit for all these things because he knows the plan, the Jezreel, what He is sowing and He has given us a glimpse as He always does in the rest of this chapter.

A Door of Hope

Hos 2:14  Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

Hos 2:15  And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

Hos 2:16  And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

Hos 2:17  For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

 

Notice, it is in the wilderness that the Lord will bring His wife. Does this sound like a familiar story? He will give His wife vineyards from the wilderness, and the valley of trouble for a door of HOPE, and this wilderness will be as in the day when she came up out of Egypt? How in the world is this related at all to Israel coming up out of Egypt? It is immeasurably linked. It is linked because it is a direct relationship between Israel coming up out of Egypt as to the true people of God, the true bride, coming from the harlot wife.

As a result His wife will call her Husband thus, her man, and will not only call Him master, as was the relationship a lot of the time between man and wife in the OT.

It is truly amazing just how much our Husband loves us. After all things we have done, we will be given the love for Him back that He has for us. It reminds me of where Christ tells His disciples that they are not merely His servants but His friends. We, as the wife of our Husband, will call Him “our man, our husband – Ishi” instead of master or “Baali”.

          class=”bibleverse”> Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Joh 15:15   Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

 

It is at this point in our walk, where we have been made privy to what God sows, His plan, that we are truly able to be faithful to our Husband. Ironically, it is nothing that we have done to make it happen either. It comes about simply due to the love that God has for us.

Hos 2:18  And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
Hos 2:19  And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Hos 2:20  I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

It is all the Lord and His works that sets us free from the dominion of the things that are within us. It is the Lord who will make a covenant FOR US with the beasts, fowls and creeping things of the ground WITHIN us that will allow us to lie down safely and not longer be dominated servants of those beasts, fowls and creeping things.

The Lord will espouse us to Himself and Himself only and it is He who will give us the ability to be faithful to Him. It is just as Christ said earlier to His disciples in Joh 15:

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

            Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

 

“Ye are my friends if YOU DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU” and because of this LOVE we are called friends. Doesn’t being ordained sound a lot like being made sanctified, set aside, ESPOUSED to Christ our Husband? It is by this LOVE we have been shown for NO reason of our own, that we are also to show this love, this mercy to others – our brothers, sisters and mothers.

Listen to this miraculous plan:

Hos 2:21  And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

Hos 2:22  And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. 

Hos 2:23  And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

 

Where is Christ sitting? In Heaven. Who are we to Christ? His body. We represent Christ and we are the light to the world. We shall be linked to heaven through Christ and His Mind. We will be given bread, and wine and oil…Christ, his doctrine and with POWER…the Holy spirit of God and we SHALL HEAR JEZREEL…. What God sows…in other words, God’s plan. Isn’t that what we have been hearing during this entire study?

What is this miraculous plan again Steven?

Here it is in Hosea:

Hos 2:23  And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

And here it is in the NT:

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

 

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief.

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.