Commentary on Hosea

by Heidi

            Finally, I'm upstairs—miser with his pennies—stealing away with my coins—my pocket change of moments alone, moments at home, with nothing to be done, nowhere to go. No one I'd rather talk to than You. Oh, Abba, I've been reading about Hosea and his wife. I've been reading about Your love for us and Your sadness at being rejected--not because You're unlovable, but because we feel we're unlovable.

            I think that's what went on with Hosea and Gomer. She felt she didn't deserve such an amazing, loving, forgiving, providing, faithful husband. She didn't know quite how to live with it, how to accept it, how to appreciate it. It's hard to accept a gift you know you don't deserve—barefaced charity. It's humbling, more than humbling, it's embarrassing—humiliating. "How dare he be so kind to me? I don't deserve it. I'll prove it. He'll have to see. He'll have to see I'm worthless and leave me." We can hear her now. 

It's not that she actually wants to live without him. In a way she knows that he's too good for her—he deserves so much more than . . . her. He deserves a queen, a bride, someone beautiful—inside and out, someone faithful, loyal, obedient, and true.        

    Isn't that how she felt? How the Israelites, you, and I feel? We don't want You to waste Your time on us. We don't want to pollute You. So now we see clearly—face to face—who we are, who You are. The ugly truth: sin separates.

But

            Jesus

            But Jesus chose us—you and I—to be His wife, and we're going to have to relent, give in and let him love us, cleanse us, treat us right.

            That's what I go through with God. How dare you love me? Are you blind? I feel as Gomer must have felt. Satan tries to tell me I'm a whore—even though I'm not—I'm a wife. I'm God's. Satan tries to tell me I'm no good, but he's wrong.

God says differently, “Fearfully, wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

            Your love for me—unbidden

            Your love for me—so true

            Your love for me—uncommon

            I don't know what to do.

            Abba, teach me who I am in You. Open my eyes that I may see—You and me—You in me. I want to know the truth about myself--how you've redeemed me like the girl in Les Miserables. Like the blind that can see, like the child adopted—loved—free.

Hosea

The story of Hosea and Gomer is powerful in its allegory to our relationship with God. God reveals so much of His heart through this couple, so much of His pain through her adultery. Reading the book of Hosea has given me a much clearer understanding of the love of God. I know now what it means that we serve a jealous God. I recommend that you read the book of Hosea through, read it without this commentary, then go back and look over what I've written here. It's a little confusing because in the book God goes back and forth, seemingly changing his mind about whether to punish her or not, but in the end, it is His love and grace that succeed.

The book begins with God saying to Hosea, 

1:2 "Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.”

            God wants Hosea, and all of us, to see it as He sees it. He asked Hosea to take on the same type of relationship He has with us.

What is this saying about our relationship with God?

            It is saying that we commit adultery against Him. That we are unfaithful to Him; forsaking Him. We take the name of Christ (Christian) in vain. Calling ourselves His bride and being adulterous by leaving Him for our own things, ideas, viewpoints, sin, and lust. . . .

What are the children of harlotry in our lives with God?

            We are the bride of Christ (of God) yet because of our unfaithfulness we bear children, fruit, of others besides God. This happens whenever we start things that God has not inspired us to start, have ideas that He hasn't given us, and do anything without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This happens constantly because we are, as Jesus says, "an adulterous generation" (c.f. Mark 8:38).

            We love so many things and become so easily distracted and inspired by lust, greed, pride, selfish ambition, fear, hatred, etc. . . . All these things inspire us to act, and we bare the fruit of other spirits. We conceive ideas not of God and give birth to plans and accomplishments that God did not father. Even so, He loves us, we are still His wife. And He doesn't just kick out all the children that aren't His. He uses it all to convince us of His love.

1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel”.

1:6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhama" (meaning she has not obtained compassion), "for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel.”

1:8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhama, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.”

2:2 “Contend with your mother, contend, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; and let her put away her harlotry from her face . . . .”

2:4 “Also, I will have no compassion on her children, because they are children of harlotry.”

            How harsh! How angry! Can you feel it in His voice--the hurt, the rejection that He feels?

Gomer doesn't realize that Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow (James 1:17). She assumed that all these wonderful things that she had came from her work as a prostitute, but they were all from her husband, Hosea.

2:8 “For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and lavished on her silver and gold.”

            Look at us now, in the presence of His love, provision, graciousness, His acceptance of our bastard children and us. He loves us so. Look what we do. We deny Him, His gifts, and reject Him.

Why?

            It is the difference between Charity and Compassion.

            Charity—given from pride and a sense of "I'm better, more spiritual, more together, and wealthier . . . than you." Received with "thanks, but no thanks, I'll take it because I'm desperate. Don't get to close. I'm not a charity case"

            Compassion—humility and togetherness. Feeling pain at someone's pain. When your sister is brokenhearted you cry together. You share out of the depths of your love, your grief, and your togetherness. You are humbled by her need and your gross collection. She is humbled to receive and glad to see your honest repentance, your honest heartbreak for her. Humility on both ends.

Why?

            Gomer felt like a charity case. “I don't deserve it and I'll prove it to you. Don't get too close or you'll get dirty.” All said through hate, clenched teeth, holding back tears. Silently screaming, love me! I need you! Screaming out loud, "Get away, I hate you". Confusion. Spirit of self-hatred and rejection: I hate me therefore you hate me too.

2:9 “Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.”

            She rejects His offer of love and provision. Rejected, He says, "fine," puts His hands up, "I'll back off. Have it your way." Hurt. Rejected. Angry. Taking back what He'd given.

2:13 “And I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, and follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me," declares the LORD.

2:14-20 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly to her. Then I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. And it will come about in that day," declares the LORD, "that you will call me Ishi (my Husband) and will no longer call me Baali (my Master). For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more. In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground and I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in loving-kindness and in compassion. And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.”

            WOW! Incredible love, grace, and forgiveness. Do you see Him crying, longing to love us, longing for us to receive His love? The essence of loving Him lies in receiving His love. See how He treats her—after all of that heartbreak—with compassion. How do you treat a wounded animal? How do you earn the trust of an abused animal? Slow, easy, speaking kindly. This is His mercy—His love.

            He takes us (you, me, Gomer, the Israelites) from our slavery to sin (prostitution, Egypt) marries us, gives us children, nourishment, fruit, gifts, and accepts our illegitimate children. When we don't know how to handle it and reject Him, He is so sad—so deeply rejected, so hurt, and so angry. He lets us have it our way for a while . . . to teach us. Not because he hates us, but to discipline us (disciples) and to make a way for us to accept His compassion--His love--Him.

            After all of that He allures us, brings us aside alone with Him, and speaks kindly to us. Look at what He gives us—nourishment, joy, and vineyards—all this so that we'll understand. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). He gives us the Valley of Achor as a door of hope. The Valley of Achor symbolizes a valley of trouble, and He turns it into a place of hope for us.

            See how beautifully it affects her! No longer is she feeling like a charity case, now she knows the deep and gracious love and compassion of her husband! She no longer calls on her old masters, no longer even desires her old lovers, no longer is tempted to reject him and return to her slavery to sin.

            He gives her peace and provision. He marries her and takes care of her. He is so faithful! This is amazing! Read verses 14-20 over and over again. Let them sink in. This is God's heart, His desire. He is passionate--compassionate!

2:21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond," declares the LORD. "I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, and the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine, and to the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.”

            Look at the beautiful intimacy between God and His creation—us. Here He brings in Gomer and Hosea’s first child, Jezreel (meaning God sows). Apparently God had a plan, had sown Hosea's seed as soon as they were married--even before she loved him or could receive his love. This is like the Holy Spirit. He is the seed God plants in us as a promise of what is to come. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:13-14).

2:23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'"   

            The children's names are incredible! One is that God sows, He does not—and then later does have compassion, He is not our Father—and then later becomes our Father. Right here in the children of Gomer, a prostitute, God shows His plan of salvation, His love, and His graciousness. He takes someone who is not His wife, but a harlot, marries her, redeems her from her life of slavery. He plants Himself in us, His seed, His Holy Spirit. He has compassion on us and calls us His children, whether or not we're His natural children (Jew or Gentile). He puts us exactly where He wants us. He planted us here for Himself!

            This is God's plan toward us. He told Hosea, "Afterward [they] will return and seek the LORD their God . . . and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days" (3:5).

            In Chapter 4 you read so much of His heartbreak. This is the part where He says, "Fine, you don't want me, have it your way," but only for a little while. Try to see yourself in here, your culture, your society. It's all of us. See what we're doing to Him?

4:2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.

4:4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof; for your people are like those who contend with the priest. So you will stumble by day, and the prophet also will stumble with you by night.  

4:12 "For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have played the harlot, departing from their God."

Like Gomer and the Israelites, we too have a spirit of harlotry, which is both physical and spiritual.

4:14 "So the people without understanding are ruined."

4:15 "I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."

6:1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."

            Do you see it? Do you see what He's talking about? As Gomer returns these are her thoughts returning to Hosea. These are our thoughts returning to God. These were the thoughts of the Israelites returning to God. And Jesus was an Israelite—a Jew. As the Israelites felt this, this returning, healing, bandaging, being revived, they were foreshadowing Christ Himself.

Isaiah 53:5(KJV) “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

            He was crucified and then raised to life on the third day so "that we may live before Him" (c.f. Hosea 6:2). Like the rain, spring rain watering the earth so is the water of life, the Holy Spirit of God.  

            This is His plan!

6:4 "What shall I do with you?"      

7:7 "All their kings have fallen. None of them calls on Me."

7:9 "Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know it."

7:13 "Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me! And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds; for the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, they turn away from Me. Although I trained and strengthened their arms, yet they devise evil against Me."

Do you see His heart? His compassion toward us? See how He cares for us? How it is our own rejecting Him that gets us into these awful situations?           

            This is not His punishment because we are bad. It's us getting burnt because we refuse to run to the water and away from the flames. He is broken and sad for us because we won't see what we're doing. We're so stubborn—refusing to wash away our sins (leprosy)—just like Naaman.

             “Elisha sent a messenger to say to [Naaman], ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’ But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.” (II Kings 5:10-12)

8:3 "Israel [you and I] has rejected the good; the enemy will pursue him"

            Is this not cause and effect?

9:10 "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to Baal-peor [the idols] and devoted themselves to shame, and they became as detestable as that which they loved."

            Do you see yourself in this picture? Your culture? Devoted to shame and becoming as detestable as that which you love? Do you see our Father, our Husband, rejected and heartbroken?

10:1 "Israel is a luxuriant vine; he produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, the more altars he made; the richer his land, the better he made the sacred pillars. Their heart is faithless; now they must bear their guilt."

            How about here? Wow. That's serious, being our own vine when Jesus is to be our vine (John 15). Do you see yourself? Do you see your culture? What can we do?

10:12 "Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you."

  11:1-12 "When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. The more they called them, the more they went from them; they kept burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, and I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; and I bent down and fed them. They will not return to the land of Egypt; but Assyria--he will be their king because they refused to return to Me. The sword will whirl against their cities, and will demolish their gate bars and consume them because of their counsels. So My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call them to the One on high, none at all exalts Him.
            “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, all My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst and I will not come in wrath. They will walk after the LORD, He will roar like a lion; indeed He will roar and His sons will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will settle them in their houses," declares the LORD.

            “Ephraim surrounds Me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit; Judah is also unruly against God, even against the Holy One who is faithful.”

            Such intense love and grace to us. Here is a picture of grace that we’re not used to--intense.

12:6 "Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually."

His love is so good. Be still. Be patient. Receive His love.

12:8 And Ephraim said, "Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin."

13:4 "Yet I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt; and you were not to know any god except Me, for there is no savior besides Me. I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot Me.”

            It's always been Him. All along, He was the one taking care of us and providing for us. David says in Psalm 100:3, "Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." See God's devotion to His wife. As with Hosea and Gomer so it is with God & us.

13:9 "It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help."

            Once again cause and effect.

Against your help! It's like He's saying, "You've forced My hand" and "My hands are tied." We've forced His wrath and because of it we've tied His hands of compassion.

13:14 "I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death."

            Jesus! Just like Gomer ransomed his wife from the house of prostitution. God paid for us, and we became His spouse.

14:1 "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, 'Our god,' to the work of our hands; for in Thee the orphan finds mercy.' I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel."

14:8 "It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit."

            That fruit is everything we need. Everything. He is our provider in every way physically, emotionally, relationally, socially, mentally, and spiritually.

14:9 "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them."

Home    Copyright Information    E-mail      http://groups.myspace.com/forthosewhothirst