Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word » Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty

The Lord And His Church

- Studies

Steven Crook
15 years ago

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Hosea – The Lord and His Church

It is widely accepted in the organized church that Hosea and the stories contained in the books of this minor prophet are speaking about God and His relationship with Isreal.

What is NOT widely talked about nor known to most of Christendom is that this book is a highly concentrated example of what the ultimate plan of God is for all of mankind being worked through His body, His church – us, Lord willing.

Over the next several studies, we will be delving into how this book reveals the details of the miraculous and merciful work of God becoming All in all. Let us begin form the beginning of Hosea.

The “land” departs

Hos 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Hos 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

Immediately, we see a spiritual picture being painted for us if we are given the faith to believe what we are hearing. Last Saturday, we had a phone conversation which focused on Rom 10:17 and I personally had noticed something about this verse that I had never really seen before. I have known the biblical truth of it for some time now, but it never was given to me to see exactly what was being said.

Here is Rom 10:17:

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I have heard this verse and read it many times, but I have never seen that if you read it in reverse you see the order of things much more clearly:

Word of God > hearing > faith

Word of God produces hearing and hearing produces faith. I had for several years thought that faith came and was given by God as a gift, and that is true, but there is something MUCH more being said here.

What is hearing? Christ mentioned hearing many, many times in His ministry. Hearing obviously is not meant to simply mean hear the vocal tones and pitches of the words physically hitting your ears. We all know that this is to be understood that we are given spiritual hearing.

What suddenly hit me like waking up on the beach on a hot summer day with my eyes wide open is that FAITH comes AFTER SPIRITUAL HEARING is given by the Word of God. Isn’t this true?

How many times have we all been guilty in the past or have seen many Christians claim to have faith in God only to show our and see their true colors, so to speak, and realize we had no faith in the end. We only THOUGHT we had faith until the trial happens. It simply was not given to us but we thought it was. This is no doubt the same way Peter must have felt when he denied Christ after vehemently telling Christ he would never do so.

I simply mention this little blurb of thought because I want us all to come to this study and all of the rest of the Word of God with the mind that we MSUT always be diligent to pray that we be given the hearing that produces the faith that is so necessary to us enduring to the end.

It is the called, chosen and those full of faith that will ultimate overcome and I pray it is all of us as the Lord wills.

With that in mind, let us read Hos 1 verse 1 and 2 again keeping in obedience the thought that this is a very spiritual message given to us at the cost of it coming on physical Israel and Judah’s back.

Getting back to my original statement, we see a spiritual statement being made at the beginning of Hosea that tells us the role of the true church versus that of the harlot. We see Judah and Israel being mentioned immediately and in the same verse to leave no doubt as to what we will be discussing.

Hosea will be discussing the same two men we always discuss. These two men have a father. These two men have a mother. One of the mothers is above and the other is below. One man is old and one is new.

Verse 1 sets the stage by informing us at what time this is taking place. Historical speaking, this is at time when there was a time when Israel and Judah were not in agreement at all. There is no doubt about that when you read of what happens to cause Israel and Judah to become enemies before all of this ever takes place.

That is for another study, but it lets us know that Hosea comes onto the scene at a very particular time. This time frame is where we see the beginning of the wor of the Lord coming from His prophet:

The Lord instructs His prophets to take a wife unto himself because the land has departed from the Lord. We all understand I hope that the land is within us. Historically Israel had worshipped the golden calves that Jeroboam had placed at Bethel and Dan. That just set off a chain of whoredom that Israel kept from thereon out until that were taken away into Assyria.

Ironically, the Lord tells Hosea to follow this example but it is for a VERY good reason as we are hopefully going to discover in these future studies over Hosea.

Complete process

Verse 3-6:

Hos 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.

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.

In verse three we are instructed very carefully what all of this will result in because the Lord is very particular that we pick up on the names of the people that He places in these stories. Gomer happens to mean to complete, finish or completion.

In verse four we are then continuing to see that this conceived son that was bore from Gomer will have His blood avenged upon the house of Jehu. Does anyone have a guess as to who this son is spiritually speaking? What about Jehu?

You may be thinking to yourself that I am being very facetious with the names but tell me this doesn’t ring home spiritually:

Jezreel = God will sow

Jehu = Jehovah is He

So put back in context and order

.. for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of what I saw on the house of those who say Jehovah is He.

Do you think I am stretching this at all? I believe Israel and physical Jews known what these names mean in their language and we too should be aware of what they mean so that we can somehow glean the whole picture of what God is painting for us in these and all verses of scripture.

If you think I am stretching these verses to fit this study, let’s continue to read and see if the message being delivered in any way reveals what I am saying to be true or false.

Hos 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

Hos 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away

In verse 5 we see that it is in this day, this day of the ceasing of the Kingdom of the house of Israel that the Lord does it by…. drumroll please….

…the breaking of the bow…

What is the bow in scripture? The bow is used for what? The bows is used to kill. The bow is used to deliver something that kills. Arrows. Spirtually, arrows are doctrine. Bows deliver this doctrine. It is in the VALLEY of JEHOVAH that the powerfully and deadly delivery system of Israel, this whore Israel, is brought to nought. Is that all though? No, it isn’t.

When this happens she that commits whoredom conceives AGAIN. This time, she conceives a daughter so that the Lord can continue to pronounce His judgment on this whoredom. He will not have mercy because this daughters name means not pitied. The time for pity has come and gone.

Taking the sum of the Word we know that God had already taken pity when He took His wife in initially. He brings her into His life, marries her decks her out and gives her everything she could possible want…but where am I getting that idea from? It is best understood when read. Quickly, I will read it in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 16:4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

Ezekiel 16:5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

Ezekiel 16:6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

Ezekiel 16:7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

Ezekiel 16:9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

Ezekiel 16:10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Ezekiel 16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

Ezekiel 16:12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

Ezekiel 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Ezekiel 16:14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

So, we can clearly see that God showed pity on this woman when no one else did, but He no longer will do so as we read just a moment ago in verse 6 of Hos 1. Continuing in Hosea we see the nest verse:

Hos 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Hos 1:8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.

In verse seven we see clearly that the Lord states that there will be no instrument of ours, no effort that we add to the battle, nothing on our part that will SAVE US. He will SAVE US “by the Lord”. Isn’t that instructive?

Remember, we are being given and are being told that there is a stark contrast between Judah and Israel. One is taken away and one is left. We want to be the one that is left “in the field”.

A few studies back at the local Indianapolis bible study, we had joked about how if we were to go sit in a church and hear a sermon on Sunday morning, we could take the sermon, reverse everything that is said, and it would all then be true. What we were getting at is that the church tells us that we want to be the ones raptured away when in truth we want to be and Lord willing will be the ones left behind.

It is the old man that is taken away, the “you are of your father the devil”, the Esau who is refused His birthright because He sold it. We do NOT want that part to remain. The part that the Lord will save, the Judah that will be saved by Him and Him alone will be what is left in the valley to be stood up to obey the Lord!

When this has all been grasped spiritually we are then told in verse eight and nine:

Hos 1:8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.

Hos 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

We now see a SON being BORN from this process of rejection. This son is born to show this people that they are not the people of God. Can this be any clearer than what we are told it is to be a physical versus spiritual jew?

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

What is amazing as I study this out is how strong’s concordance can see some of what is being said but cannot accept what is being said. Strong’s records the name Loammi as SYMBOLICALLY meaning not my people when in truth this is SPIRITUALLY true not symbolically.

Hos 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

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.

Doesn’t verse 10 sum it up beautifully? The number of Israel, these that are not my people, shall be as the sand of the sea. Where have we seen that before?

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

But as if that is neither here nor there, because with God all things are possible and with God He sees the end from the beginning we are immediately told that, “it shall come to pass in the place they are told that they are not God’s people,” they shall be told, “Ye are the Sons of the living God”.

Where have we heard that before?

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Rom 9:25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

Rom 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Rom 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

Is this starting to click with anyone? God is not slacking. He is, was and will be speaking to us all along as we come to know His Son and Him through His Son as we receive more and more of that eternal life in down payment form in this life.

That which was torn off and cast away shall be brought back and grafted it. Both with come up out of the land, us!

Isn’t this a wonderful plan? This is truly miraculous. If you think this “little” thing we are experiencing in this life now is nothing important, then you simply have not been given the eyes to see and ears to hear just what is happening in you. What is happening in us all is the revealing of the Sons of the living God! The plan of God from the very foundation of the world is being brought about through this process He is working in you and me NOW!

.. for GREAT shall be the day of WHAT GOD HAS SOWN.

Next study, we will be continuing into chapter 2 of Hosea to continue to see how we are progressing in this process of God becoming All in all.

The Lord And His Church

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