Bible Commentaries

John Brown

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

14 My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

1. The Lord's desire is ALWAYS for repentance not judgment.

II. NOW LET's TURN OUR ATTENTION TO HOSEA

A. Before us this morning is a love-story.

1. Young Hosea meets a girl by the name of Gomer in the hill country of Ephraim and they fall in love.

2. They commit themselves to each other, and marry but after a time, Gomer decides she doesn"t want to follow the Lord anymore.

a) And as a result, she leaves her family and as a result of her sin, eventually she turns to prostitution to make a living.

(1) Now according to Mosaic Law, Hosea could have brought her before the elders and had her stoned to death for her unfaithfulness, but there was one problem with this- he still loved her.

3. This is not too far removed from another couple who also fell in love in the hill country of Ephraim some700 years later- Mary and Joseph.

a) The principal difference was that Joseph had a misconception about Mary's character, but for Hosea 1:1-2 (NASB)1The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea 1:3-5 (NASB) 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

5 "And it will come about on that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel."

1. Hosea's first son's name was Jezreel = "God will scatter, and God will avenge".

a) To get the full picture we would need to go to2Kings Chapter9 and read of Jehu's destruction of King Ahab.

(1) The Lord had instructed him to do Hosea 1:6-7 (NASB) 6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them.

7 "But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen."

1. The second child's name was a daughter and her name was Lo-ruhamah = "she has not obtained (her father"s) compassion".

a) Now, personally this means is that Lo-ruhamah didn"t know who her real father was because of her mother's adultery.

b) What it means to Israel is that the Lord is saying, "You will not know my pity and compassion because I am not your father!"

C. Hosea 1:8-9 (NASB) When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son.

9 And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God."

1. Hosea"s3child- a John 8:44 (NASB) "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

IV. CONCLUSION

A. As we continue the story- Gomer leaves her home a goes back into the sin of prostitution.

1. She even sells herself into slavery and her loving and forgiving husband goes after her and buys her freedom and brings her back home. THAT IS LOVE!

a) And that is a very clear picture of Jesus and his love for us.

(1) Let's close with the last2verses of Chapter1 Hosea 1:10-11 (NASB) 10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And it will come about that, in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not My people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the living God."

11And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.

(a) So though Israel was scattered, though she did not in the past, have her Father's compassion an even though she was not behaving as the Lord's child- He would not give up on her!

b) What kind of a son or daughter are we to the Lord?

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