Hosea

(S1) The timeline

David - Solomon - Split

Northern (Israel) Southern (Judah

Jonah, a prophet from the North who’s called to the capital of Assyria (Israel’s enemies). Assyria repents while Israel is moving further from God.

4 groups of events to know

BC 765-725 Prophets are warning Israel of coming judgement. (Hosea, Amos, Micah, Isaiah)

2. BC 720 Israel is destroyed by Assyria and taken into captivity.

3. BC 645-605 Prophets are warning Judah of coming Judgement. (Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Nahum)

4. BC 605 Egypt and Babylon subjugate Judah BC 588 temple is destroyed.

God provides commentary through the prophets (Ezekiel, Lamentations, Habakkuk, Obadiah)

(S2) Hosea

Hosea is not a story about a prophet and his wife. If you’ve ever heard teaching or preaching on this book that may be the story you’ve heard but it’s no where near complete. That’s only 3 chapters… there are 14.

The book of Hosea is not one story but instead a collection of Hosea’s works throughout all of his ministry.

Why is that important? Because it covers a lot of topics. It talks about God’s judgement, His pain, His people and their disobedience, but also His salvation. We are going to look at the theme of each of Hosea’s writings and instead of trying to force them together in a coherent whole, let’s try and find the theme of Hosea’s ministry.

Hosea marries a prostitute: 1-3

Hosea 1:2 (NIV)

2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”

Name your son Jezreel after the judgement of the 70 sons of Ahab. (A previous judgement in 2 Kings)

Name your daughters “Not loved” and “not my people”

(S3)

God interprets for us:

Hosea 2:11–13 (NIV)

11 I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. 12 I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. 13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,” declares the Lord.

(S4)

Even though Hosea’s wife has broken their marriage covenant God tells him to go buy her again

Hosea 3:1–2 (NIV)

1 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.

God is going to redeem His wife from her lovers (Egypt, Samaria, Babylon)

(S5)

Hosea 2:21–23 (NIV)

21 “In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord— “I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; 22 and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. 23 I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’ ”

(S6)

(S7) Charges against the people 4

Hosea 4:1–2 (NIV) The people have forsaken justice

1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

(S8)

Hosea 4:5–6 (NIV) You die without the Law because you’ve ignored it

5 You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother— 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

(S9) Charges against the priests and kings 5

Hosea 5:1 (NIV) Israel is sick from the people to the kings to the prophets

1 “Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor.

(S10)

Hosea 5:13–14 (NIV) They know their suffering but they don’t turn to God

13 “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. 14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.

(S11) A call to repentance 6-7

Hosea 6:1–2 (NIV) In the midst of this God is offering them a home to return to

1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

Hosea 6:4–6 (NIV) God doesn’t want them to sacrifice more He wants relationship with them

4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. 5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth— then my judgments go forth like the sun. 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 7:10 (NIV) Why doesn’t Israel turn back to God?

10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.

(S12)

Hosea 7:13–15 (NIV) God longs to redeem them

13 Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely. 14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me. 15 I trained them and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me.

(S13)Charges according to the law 8

Their trust in kings, idols love of wickedness and hatred of what’s good. I freed them and they sold themselves like a wild donkey to be abused by Assyria.

(S14)God’s rejection 9-10

God is going to drive them away from Him. He’s going to rip them from their land. He’s going to dry up the wine and drought the land. He will reject and destroy them.

How did it come to this?

Hosea 10:1 (NIV) The more they had the more they loved their stuff

1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.

(S15)

Hosea 10:12–13 (NIV) They traded relationship with God for relationships with their neighbors and depended on themselves instead of Him

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. 13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,

(S16)God’s love for His son, Israel 11

Hosea 11:1 (NIV) God remembers

1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

(S17)

Hosea 11:1–4 (NIV) God was good to Israel

1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

(S18) A call to repentance 12

Hosea 12:4–6 (NIV) Return to God, remember Israel your name sake

4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there— 5 the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name! 6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

(S19)

(S20) Israel’s pride fails them 13

Idols and worship of Baal. Human sacrifices. Kissing golden calves.

(S21)

Hosea 13:4–6 (NIV) Remember how I loved you, remember Egypt

4 “But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. 5 I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat. 6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

(S22) A call to repentance 14

Hosea 14 (NIV) Turn back to God and He will save you

1 Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! 2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. 3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” 4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; 6 his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. 7 People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”

(S23)

9 Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

(S24)The theme of Hosea’s ministry: Pride has separated you from God, but He has always loved you

God called Abraham out of love. He made a covenant with Israel to provide for them. He called them out of Egypt and taught them how to live in His blessing. And they took that blessing and perverted it with pride. They served the gifts and worshiped created things instead of their creator. What’s God’s response to all this? I will buy you back. I will save you from Assyria. I will save you from Babylon. I will save you from Egypt. I just want RELATIONSHIP with you. ISRAEL SAYS NO. Why? Because God’s right. They didn’t want relationship with him, they wanted money, sex, and wine. They wanted a nice car, porn, and a box of wine in the fridge.

(S25) Francis Chan Sermon Jam

(S26)

Hosea 6:4 (NIV)

4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.

Hosea 11:1–4 (NIV)

1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

Hosea 11:8 (NIV)

8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.

God is going to give Israel to Assyria. Why? Because that’s who she loves

If Hosea’s ministry teaches us nothing else, it’s that God’s love does not stop during His judgement. Yes, God has given this world over to the lusts in their hearts but He still loves it. Yes, God still loves this world but He’s still coming to judge it.

Keep an eye on those things that you love. And when you finally realize that God is better, and everything else you’ve been chasing has left you destitute and alone listen to Hosea - Return to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. 3 No one can save us; we can’t fight anymore. We will never again serve those things our hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” 4

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew; and you will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar you will send down your roots; 6 and your young shoots will grow. Your splendor will be like an olive tree.

Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.