Hosea 1-4

Let me just tell you how tempting it is to skip over Hosea and the rest of the Old Testament prophecies we still need to read on our Chronological reading list. Honestly, these stories just don’t mesh well with our postmodern theology of name it and claim it, health and wealth, prosperity gospel mindset. Haven’t you been taught in church that God isn’t going to call you to do something and not fully equip you to handle it? In your heart of hearts, don’t you feel like God would never ask you to do anything that is too hard? When you pray for God’s guidance, don’t you ask Him to give you a peace and a sense that everything is going to turn out according to your plans, oh I mean, according to God’s plans??? And when we say that we believe God wants the best for us, don’t we really mean that we believe God wants the easy road for us?

Well, when we take a good, hard look at the lives of most of God’s chosen ones anywhere in the Bible, they did not live easy lives. I really don’t find it biblical that a blessed life is particularly an easy life. Just look at Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. The angel said Mary had found favor with God; yet God called Mary to a life of heartache and misery. And King David was a “man after God’s own heart”; yet his family life was a shambles with his children killing and raping one another and then attempting to overthrow David’s kingship. Sorry, I’m rambling. We’re supposed to be studying Hosea.

Hosea’s assignment from the LORD was to marry an adulterous wife and be a father to children conceived in unfaithfulness. Doesn’t sound like a cake walk to me! As a pastor’s wife, I know what it’s like to live in a fish bowl, where everyone can walk by and see everything that is going on in the life of your family. It especially feels like that right now because our house is located on the busiest street corner in the county! However, my situation is far more pleasant than Hosea and Gomer’s home life. Their family was called to be a reflection of God’s relationship to the unfaithful people of Israel. Their children were named things like “God scatters,” “Not loved,” and “Not my people.” Hosea was forced to buy back his own wife out of the trade of prostitution. I much prefer the calling that my own family has to play the role of the faithful Bride of Christ.

Chapters 1-4 of Hosea offer harsh criticism for Israel because of her unfaithfulness. My prayer for my family is that we will remain faithful and true to our love relationship with God. I want the following verses to be true of us, “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.” (Hosea 2:16, 19-20)

In these passages there are two things Israel was punished for that are also very prevalent in our day. First, they did not acknowledge the blessings of God, and second, they rejected the knowledge of God. “She [Israel] has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold—which they used for Baal.” (Hosea 2:8) We have to teach our children that everything we have is from God. He is the One who provides for all our needs. Without God, we would have absolutely nothing. I am extremely thankful that my parents taught me that everything we have belongs to God, and we should share all we have with others. My mom would literally give away the farm if God told her to because she knows He is the rightful owner.

“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 will also ignore your children.” (Hosea 4:6) Ladies, you do NOT want God to ignore your children!!! But He says He will ignore them when we ignore our responsibility to teach them the law of God. Do you read the Bible with your children and grandchildren? Do you pray with them? Do you pray for them? Have you taught your children how to find the books in the Bible? Do you help them memorize Scripture? “Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119:11) Have you helped your children come to trust Jesus as their Savior? As parents it is up to us to make sure our kids will spend eternity in heaven. Dr. James Dobson commented how tragic it would be to lose our children to eternity. Talk to your family about placing their faith in Jesus today, before it is too late.