ISRAEL'S SPIRITUAL ADULTERY

Passage: Hosea 1:1-2:1

Key verse: 1:2

NIV

1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,(B) Jotham,(C) Ahaz(D) and Hezekiah,(E) kings of Judah,(F) and during the reign of Jeroboam(G) son of Jehoash[a] king of Israel:(H)

Hosea’s Wife and Children

2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous(I) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness(J) to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer(K) daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,(L) 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. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.(M)”

6 Gomer(N) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),(O) for I will no longer show love to Israel,(P) that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow,(Q) sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God,(R) will save them.”

8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,(S) Gomer had another son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.[b](T)

10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.(U) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’(V) 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together;(W) they will appoint one leader(X) and will come up out of the land,(Y) for great will be the day of Jezreel.[c](Z)

2 [d]“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’(AA)

Footnotes
  1. Hosea 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Hosea 1:9 Or your I am
  3. Hosea 1:11 In Hebrew texts 1:10,11 is numbered 2:1,2.
  4. Hosea 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, (A)in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of (B)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Hosea's Wife and Children

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, (C)“Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have (D)children of whoredom, for (E)the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while (F)I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and (G)I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day (H)I will break the bow of Israel (I)in the Valley of Jezreel.”

6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, (J)“Call her name No Mercy,[a] for (K)I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But (L)I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I (M)will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, (N)“Call his name Not My People,[b] for (O)you are not my people, and I am not your God.”[c]

10 [d] Yet (P)the number of the children of Israel shall be (Q)like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. (R)And (S)in the place where it was said to them, (T)“You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, (U)“Children[e] of (V)the living God.” 11 And (W)the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and (X)they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished

2 [f] Say to your brothers, (Y)“You are my people,”[g] and to your sisters, (Z)“You have received mercy.”[h]

Footnotes
  1. Hosea 1:6 Hebrew Lo-ruhama, which means she has not received mercy
  2. Hosea 1:9 Hebrew Lo-ammi, which means not my people
  3. Hosea 1:9 Hebrew I am not yours
  4. Hosea 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
  5. Hosea 1:10 Or Sons
  6. Hosea 2:1 Ch 2:3 in Hebrew
  7. Hosea 2:1 Hebrew ammi, which means my people
  8. Hosea 2:1 Hebrew ruhama, which means she has received mercy
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA Hosea was a prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which was commonly called 'Ephraim' after the dominant tribe. During the time of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, ten tribes of Israel had broken away and established a separate nation, whose capital was Samaria. Hosea prophesied for almost 4 years, during the reigns of seven different kings, in a very unstable and difficult time for the nation. Ephraim had fallen deep into idolatry since their first king, Jeroboam I, had set up two calf idols, and the nation was now facing God's judgment. This book consists of Hosea's prophetic statements in poetic form. Hosea was told to preach not only with his mouth, but to demonstrate God's faithful love with his life as well. He was told to marry a prostitute and love her and be faithful to her to the end, as a model of God's love for unfaithful Israel. The book of Hosea be an impressionistic painting of the gospel. Through Hosea's proclamations, we can see all the ins and outs of God's relationship with sinful and difficult people. Hosea shows how difficult it is to bear with sinful people until they are changed. But through God's faithfulness, the result is repentance, salvation and fruit-bearing. ISRAEL'S SPIRITUAL ADULTERY 1. A very personal message (1:1-5) The word of the Lord came to Hosea in order to make his whole life a message for the unfaithful people of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). God told Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman as a sign of Israel's spiritual adultery in abandoning the Lord and giving themselves to idol worship. God warned of his coming judgment against the line of King Jehu, who had massacred the entire house of King Ahab at Jezreel. 2. Gomer's children (1:6-2:1) The Lord told Hosea to name his children "Jezreel" and "not loved" as further signs of God's judgment. To discipline Israel, God would treat his people as if they were not his people. Yet there was also a message of hope. The Lord would reunite Israel and Judah and make them like the sand on the seashore. They would again be called "my people" and "my loved one." The Lord may not ask us to do what he told Hosea to do. But he does expect our message and our life to work together as a testimony in sinful times.

Prayer: Lord, help me guard my heart against spiritual adultery. Make me and my family a sign of your presence among people who have forgotten you.

One Word: Make my life the message