Hosea 6 (résumé): Israel unrepentant

Hosea 6 shows Israel discussing returning to the Lord yet God sees this as superficial and lacking in commitment. The text shows that initially Israel cogitates: "Come let us return to the Lord, he has torn us to pieces but he will heal us... let us acknowledge the Lord... as surely as the sun rises he will appear". However God sees through their apparent reconciliation and reacts: "Your love is like the morning mist... therefore I cut you in pieces... for I desire mercy rather than sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings... but like Adam they have broken the covenant... committing shameful crimes... Ephraim is given to prostitution and Israel is defiled. Also for you Judah a harvest is appointed".

Hosea 5 (résumé): Judgement against Israel

 Hosea 5 condemns the Jews for insistent idolatry and warns that judgement is approaching. He initially condemns the priests: "Hear this, you priests... judgement is against you... Ephraim turned to prostitution and Israel is corrupt... a spirit of prostitution is in their hearts... Israel's arrogance testifies against them... they are unfaithful to the Lord... Ephraim will be laid waste... I will pour out my wrath on Judah... I will tear them to pieces... in their misery they will earnestly seek me".

Hosea 4 (résumé): The charge against Israel

Hosea brings a formal legal charge against Israel for having broken their covenant. "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land... the land mourns because of this... you stumble day and night and the prophets stumble with you... because you have ignored the law of God I will ignore your children... it will be like people, like priests and I will punish both... they have deserted the Lord to turn to prostitution... they consult a wooden idol... a spirit of prostitution leads them astray... a people without understanding will come to ruin... the Israelites are stubborn like a stubborn heifer... a whirlwind will sweep them away and their sacrifices will bring them shame!"

Hosea 3 (résumé): Hosea's reconciliation with his wife

Hosea 3 shows how God's redeeming love is greater than our unfaithfulness and God tells Hosea to go and love his wife again even though she is an adulteress and "is loved by another". Gomer is now apparently enslaved to her lover but God tells Hosea to go and buy her back - go and redeem her. So he went and redeemed her paying 170 grams of silver plus 330 litres of barley and they returned to living as faithful husband and wife once again. The chapter closes referring to Israel's exile followed by their return when they will "seek the Lord and David their king... and they will have blessings in the last days".

Major Prophets

Yesterday I completed my summary of the Book of Daniel and thus concluded all the Major Prophets, 862 chapters of the Bible, and 72.5% of the Bible. Now its on to the Book of Hosea and all the other Minor Prophets.

Yesterday evening Liz and I went to the annual children's special festival held this year at the Pastor Frank Dyer School south of the River Espinharas in Patos. It was a lovely joyful time of praising Jesus with singing and dancing and the very clear presentation of the Gospel. The children clearly enjoyed it and so did we. 😄

Hosea 2 (résumé): Israel punished & restored

Maintaining the adulterous woman imagery Hosea 2 likens Israel to an unfaithful wife betraying the Lord with Baal and other pagan objects of worship. God rather retorts: "I will block her path with thornbushes... so that she cannot find her way... she has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her everything... I will stop all her celebrations, festivals and feasts... I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals... and me she forgot". Despite all Israel's unfaithfulness however God still loved her "and will speak tenderly to her... I will give her back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope... there she will sing as in her youth... in that she will call me my husband... not my master... I will remove the Baals from your lips... and I will betroth you to me forever... and you will acknowledge the Lord... and I will show my love... and I will say to Israel you are my people and they will say to me you are my God!"

Hosea 1 (résumé): Hosea's wife & children

The Book of Hosea has an unusual plot with him, his wife and family being a living parable! Hosea's wife Gomer is adulterous and so portrays the adulterous nature of Israel's sinful relationship with God. On the other hand Hosea persists in loving Gomer which also reflects God's attitude to his people.

In chapter 1 it is God who commands Hosea to marry Gomer who would be adulterous symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness to God owing to pagan idolatry and worship. As the couple had children God gave them symbolic names too with symbolic meaning. The first was named Jezreel: "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel". Next they had a daughter whom they called Lo-Ruhamah meaning 'not loved' or 'no mercy', reflecting God's attitude to his people owing to their persistent rebellion. Then came another boy which was named Lo-Ammi ('not my people'). "For you are not my people and I am not your God". Then gratefully the chapter ends positively and a restored people will be called "sons of the living God and Judah and Israel will be re-united".