HOSEA, GOD STILL LOVES THEM AND US

HOSEA, GOD STILL LOVES THEM AND US

Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14:

Chapter 9:
Verse 1, Israel was not to have the joy, they had gone a whoring from they God, loved a reward upon every cornfloor. Verse 3, Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. This may not mean that they actually went to Egypt but was in Egypt like bondage. Many of the Jews did settle in Egypt after the captivity. Verse 6, they are gone because of destruction, Egypt shall gather them up and Memphis shall bury them, nettles shall posses their silver, thorns shall be in their tabernacles. Verse 7-8, sounds like these verses are referring to the way the people thought of Hosea. Verse 9, as in the days of Gibeah, they were deeply corrupted (a must read.. Judges 19: 22-30...a woman was molested all night long...read the rest to see what happened to her...even tho it wasn't even her fault). Verse 17, My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him; and the shall be wanderers among the nations. The Jews wanderings began in Hosea's life time and has continued down even to today.

Chapter 10:
Verse's 1-4, Israel is an empty vine, Their heart is divided, they have no king, because they didn't fear the Lord, spoken words, swearing falsely. Verse 5, The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven (calf idols). Verse 8, the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us and to the hills, Fall on us. Verse 11, Ephraim is as a heifer. Verse's 12-14, Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy. Ye have plowed wickedness. Therefore shall a tumult arise among they people. Verse 15, in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

Chapter 11:
Verse 1, going out of Egypt, this statement is quoted in Matthew 2:15 as to when Jesus' parents fled to Egypt. The Messianic Nation had to leave Egypt in its childhood, so did Jesus when He was a child. Verse 7, as the were bent on backsliding from God, His heart was yearning for them.

Chapter 12:
Verse 2, Israel's lying diplomacy, making secret agreements with Assyria and Egypt, one against the other, would naturally bring disaster. Verse 4, the center of their horrible idolatry was on the very spot where their father Jacob had dedicated his life to God (Genesis 28:13-15).

Chapter 13:
Verse 1, by adding Baal worship to calf worship, under Ahab brought national death.

Chapter 14:
Verse 2:14-20, Israel shall return to God. Jehovah's wayward bride shall return to her husband, and again respond to His love, as in the day's of her youth. These four things are what Hosea is about: Israel's idolatry, her wickedness, her captivity and her restoration.

Hosea had a filthy mess as is in found anywhere in the Bible. The utter beastly degradation of the people was simply unbelievable. But Hosea never gave up. He kept right on laboring unceasingly to make them understand that God still loved them.

Most of our Bible believing, God fearing Preachers and in some cases family and friends, yes even sometimes people we don't even know are laboring unceasingly to make us understand that God still loves us. I fully believe our World today is getting in just as filthy as Israel was. Haven't we just about reached utter degradation? Has money become an idol to a lot of people? What we need to do is check our own lives and see what we have set us idol's. Some of us might not be too happy with what we found there.

God's blessing to each of you,
LJG

Sources: Kings James Bible, H H Halley's Bible Handbook, Smith's Bible Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary.