Berean Bible Church

The Prophets

Lesson II

The Man Hosea

January 10, 2010

I Hosea 1:1 naming the Kings, dates the writing to be before the Assyrian Captivity

The date reveals the times to have been very prosperous and evil in Israel

2 Kings 17:16 they left all the commandments of the Lord their God

2 Kings 17:22 walked in the sins of Jeroboam I 1 Kings 14:16

Morgan: “It was the darkest period of Israel’s history”

II The Background of Hosea’s story

There is a personal story about Hosea, his wife and his family.

The story is so interwoven with the ways of God in dealing with His people, Israel, that at times it is difficult to draw the clear line between the personal story and Israel’s story as a Nation.

1 Corinthians 15:46 “first the natural and after that the spiritual”

This principle is illustrated and demonstrated in the book of Hosea

III Hosea 1:2-3 God tells Hosea to go marry Gomer

She was a woman of sin. Daughter of a prostitute. We could say she had a very degraded background. Why would God tell him to marry her?

IV Hosea 1:3-9 Gomer became the mother of three children ,all named by God

1 Verse 3 a son, to be named “Jezreel” (scattered) Some history in 2 Kings 10:7)

2 Verse 6 a daughter named- Lo-ruhamah ( not pitied)

3 Verses 8-9 a son named- Lo ammi (not my people)

4 This all sounds so human, but God was revealing His plan for Israel

V Hosea 2:2 Implies that Gomer had left Hosea

For Hosea tells the children to plead with their mother to return home.

Here is a story of a broken home.

God allowed her to leave and live in whoredom and adultery. As we shall see He was working out a plan. One revelation of this story is that all suffering cannot be explained in this life. This part of Hosea’s story is not uncommon, even today. We still have run-away wives.

VI Hosea 2:5 reveals at least two facts.

1. Hosea was not able to afford the things that Gomer wanted

2 So, Gomer turned to her ‘lovers” who would supply all her wants

VII Hosea 3:1-3 Time passes, Gomer does not come home

1. Vs 1 God says “go yet and love that woman

2. Vs 2 her beauty was gone, up for sale as a slave, he bought her for half price

3. Vs 3 He brought her home to love her as if nothing had happened.

VIII The great lesson. Hosea was to be sent to preach the love of God for Israel

In God’s school he would learn to feel as God feels about His people Israel

God taught Hosea how to love the unloveable

See Deuteronomy 7:6-8