Hosea 9
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for you have gone whoring from your God, you have loved a reward upon every cornfloor. (868 “reward” [ethnan] means hire of a prostitute, price, gain of a harlot, gift or profession of a prostitute.)
DEVOTION: There is a time for everything under the sun. There is a time to live and a time to die. There is a time to rejoice and a time to refrain from rejoicing. The book of Ecclesiastes chapter three gives a list regarding time for things.
Here Hosea is informing Israel it is not a time for rejoicing. Rejoicing is for other people not them. Why? The reason is that they have been going after other gods. They have put into practice in their life things that are displeasing to the LORD. They are now going to pay the consequences for their actions.
They thought that because things were going so well for them that the LORD didn’t care how they acted. They seemed to be having fun. They seemed to enjoy all the pleasures of sin. They liked the price they were earning.
However, it was time to pay for their sins. They would not like it but it was going to happen. The LORD had sent warning after warning and they didn’t care. HE had used up HIS longsuffering. This is a warning to the kingdom of Judah that they were next if they didn’t get their actions together and follow the LORD.
The blessings they thought were from the LORD were coming to an end. Captivity was just around the corner. Their joy was going to turn into mourning.
The god of this present age is not the God of the Bible. There are so many people who think that the good things they have are coming from the LORD when in reality they are coming for the enemy. He is causing them to be tricked into believing that they can worship possessions or sex and not have to pay a consequence. He has done a good job in many of our churches around the world. The time of consequences could be very near.
CHALLENGE: Hearken to the LORD. HE will speak plainly to those who are willing to listen. Don’t accept the price of false worship.
: 7 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. (7696 “mad”[shaga] means act like a maniac, lunatic, demented, to think irrationally and not be in the right state of mind or carry on like a madman.)
DEVOTION: The children of Ephraim were happy in their sin. They were seeing a harvest that they said Baal gave them.
However, they were headed for Egypt again in the form of Assyria. Egypt was a symbol of captivity. They were going back into captivity because of their sin. Memphis was noted for its burial sites. The people were going to be buried in a foreign land. They were not allowed to stay in the LORD’S land.
In the land were true prophets of the LORD. They were warning the people of coming judgment but they were not listening to them. They considered them to be fools. They thought they were lunatics. They didn’t want to even think about their judgment that was coming. The prophets were watchmen that cared for the souls of the people.
However, the people only cared about all the sin they could commit. They had a hatred for the rules of the LORD. It was a great hatred. Their hatred was compared to the days of Gibeah.
In Gibeah there were men that wanted other men. They were called the “sons of Belial.” They were evil men. They wanted the Levite to come out of the house for them to have relations with him. The old man that the Levite was staying with offered his daughter and the Levite’s concubine. They abused the concubine all night. In the morning she was found dead on the doorstep of the old man of the city. The Levite took her body home and divided it into twelve pieces and sent it to all the tribes of Israel. The tribes of Israel gathered against this city of Gibeah that was in the tribe of Benjamin. A war ensued with the children of Benjamin defeated. Now in Hosea’s day there was a similar situation. The children of Israel had strayed far from the LORD.
We need to learn from this situation to watch our attitude toward sin. We need to listen to the Word of God. We need to listen to those men who are walking with the LORD. In our day sin is running rampant and those who preach the Word of God are considered lunatics. They are not with it. Who would we rather follow: the LORD or the people around us????
CHALLENGE: Realize that those who preach the truth of the Word of God are going to be considered crazy. Accept that designation and keep preaching the truth.
: 15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of MINE house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. (5637 “revolters” [carar] means rebellious, stubborn, slide back, be defiant, be obstinate, not be willing to change a behavior in any regard, or withdrew.)
DEVOTION: This is the LORD speaking. There comes a point when the LORD stops loving some people.
Remember that the New Testament informs us that “For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten son, that whosoever believes in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3: 16].
Now God loves everyone in the world enough to offer them salvation. Most will reject HIS offer and HE knew that before the foundation of the world. However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t share the gospel with all those in our world.
Hosea has shared the truth of God with those who were living in Judah. He used the nation of Israel as a backdrop for his warning. Those who listened could become a follower of the LORD by repenting of their sin and turning toward the LORD in their actions. Few did.
The Bible informs us that God is longsuffering but that it will not last forever. In Romans one we see groups of individuals who rejected the message of salvation and God gave them over to their desires. This is happening in this chapter as well.
God doesn’t force anyone to become a follower but HE does give everyone an opportunity. When those who reject stand before the Great White Throne judgment they will not be able to say they never had a opportunity.
CHALLENGE: Witness while there is time. Don’t let any of your family or friends look at you on judgment day and ask you why you said nothing to them.
: 17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken to HIM: and they shall be wanderers among the nations. (5074 “wanderers” [nadad] means to flee, escape, stray, put to flight, or cast aside.)
DEVOTION: Does God speak to us today? The answer is yes. Have you heard HIS voice in your ears lately? Not really! Well, then how do we hear God speak today? HE speaks through the Word of God and through those who are preaching the truth of the Word of God. HE also speaks to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We have to be listeners. If we take the time to be silent before HIM HE will speak to us. As we read HIS word we can hear what HE has send through the writers of the Bible. When we pray we can come into HIS presence and listen for HIS teaching.
When we walk down the street we can hear HIM tell us to witness to someone or help someone. This can be the moving of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk with HIM.
Be open to hear HIM speak and then obey what HE tells you to do.
CHALLENGE: Remember HE will never tell you to do something that is against HIS Word the Bible.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Hosea’s prayerverse 14
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Wine offeringverse 4
Sacrificesverse 4
House of the LORDverse 4
Solemn dayverse 5
Day of the feast of the LORDverse 5
House of his Godverse 8
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3-5, 14
LORD’s landverse 3
House of the LORDverse 4
I found Israel like grapes in the wildernessverse 10
I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first timeverse 10
I will bereave Ephraim of their childrenverse 12
I will depart from Ephraimverse 12
I have hated their wickedness in Gilgalverse 15
I will drive Ephraim out of MINE houseverse 15
I will love them no moreverse 15
I will slay the beloved fruit of Ephaim’s wombverse 16
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 1, 8, 17
shall cast Ephraim away because they
Have not hearken to HIM
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Egyptverses 3, 6
Assyriaverse 3
Memphisverse 6
Baalpeorverse 10
Tyrusverse 13
Gilgalverse 15
Nationsverse 17
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Whoring from your Godverse 1
Loved a rewardverse 1
Eat unclean thingsverse 3
Polluted offeringsverse 4
Foolverse 7
Iniquityverses 7, 9
Great hatredverses 7, 8
Hatred in the house of his Godverse 8
False prophetverse 8
Corruptedverse 9
Sinsverse 9
Baal-peorverse 10
Separated to shameverse 10
Abominations were according as they lovedverse 10
Murdererverse 13
Wickednessverse 15
Revoltersverse 15
Did not hearkenverse 17
Wanderersverse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Rejoiceverse 1
Joyverse 1
Offer offeringsverse 4
Pleasingverse 4
Come to the house of the LORDverse 4
Days of visitationverse 7
Days of recompenceverse 7
Prophetverse 7
Spiritual manverse 7
Watchmanverse 8
Loveverse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverses 1, 7, 10
Ephraimverses 3, 8, 11, 13-17
Return to Egypt
Eat unclean things in Assyria
Not offer wine offerings to the LORD
Their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD
Their glory shall fly away like a bird
Bring forth his children to the murderer
Prophet asks LORD to give them a
miscarrying womb and dry breasts
All their princes are revolters
Is smitten – their root is dried up
They shall bear no fruit
Not hearkened to God
Wanderers among the nations
Thorns shall be in their tabernaclesverse 6
Watchman of Ephraim was with MY Godverse 8
Prophet is a snare of the fowler in all his waysverse 8
Days of Gibeahverse 9
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Days of visitation are comeverse 7
Days of recompence are comeverse 7
Prophet is a foolverse 7
Spiritual man is madverse 7
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