Hosea starts with a ‘repentance plea’ from the people with expectation of forgiveness. But the people AREN’T repentant. They just pretend to get out of trouble. When I first started reading our text, I thought that the people were repenting and that God was going to answer their prayer for help. We ALL know how […]
God is calling to the whole nation, especially the leaders. Punishment is coming for both Israel and Judah. Solomon brought idolatry back into Israel after his father David wiped it out. When the kingdom split, Jeroboam brought idolatry even deeper into the midst of the nation. This idolatry was NOT a ‘bottom up’ movement but […]
God is angry with Israel’s behavior. He has ‘a bone to pick’ with them. The more they increase, the worse they get. It WON’T stand! The Northern Kingdom of Israel walked away from God when they split the nation in two. They walked so far away that Jeroboam made them their ‘own gods’ of gold. […]
Hosea’s wife has left him for another man. Instead of washing his hands of her, God tells him to love her again. It cost HIM to bring her back. God calls to Hosea to demonstrate unfathomable love; His kind of love. Hosea is to bring back into his home a wife who has wandered. One […]
As angry as God was with Israel’s behavior, He STILL waits with arms wide open for their return. THAT’S LOVE. Hosea has become the living allegory to God’s relationship with Israel. He has taken a woman from a life of prostitution and made her his wife. He has had two children with her that God […]
