The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 14: Grace and Wisdom. “Return, O Israel, come back to Yahweh God (‘Elohim’), for you have stumbled because of your iniquity (‘avon’). Your sins have been your downfall.” (Hosea 14:1). In Other Words. God is making His last-gasp effort, His final passionate appeal to Israel for their repentance. Please, I beg …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 13: The One and Only. “In the past, when the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the other tribes of Israel trembled in respect; they looked up to Ephraim. But the people sinned by worshiping Baal, and for this they will die.” (Hosea 13:1). Ephraim. Since Hosea referred to Ephraim as a synonym …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 12: Return and Wait! “And you, to your God you must return (‘shuv’)! With the help of your God, maintain mercy (‘hesed’) and stand guard (‘shamar’) over justice (‘mishpat’)! And keep putting your trust in Him as you wait (‘qavah’) patiently for your God.” (Hosea 12:6). Hosea in a Nutshell. This …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 11: The Heart of Father God. “When Israel was a child, I dearly loved him…” (Hosea 11:1a). From Husband to Father. The prophet Hosea, inspired by the mind of Yahweh, gives us another peek into God’s compassionate heart. There are two great love chapters in Hosea, and they are very different. In …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 10: Sowing and Reaping. “Israel was once a lush, luxuriant grapevine that bore a bounty of grapes as it spread out, but then it emptied itself as it brought forth fruit for himself and has become barren. The more his fruit increased, the more pagan altars he built. The more …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 9: Eviction Notice! “O people of Israel, do not rejoice, neither make merry as other nations do. For you have gone a-whoring in unfaithfulness to your God. Like prostitutes, you have hired for yourselves other lovers, worshipping other gods on every threshing floor.” (Hosea 9:1-2). Threshing Floor. The people of Israel were …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 8: Sound the Alarm! “Put the shofar to your lips! A huge bird of prey is circling above the house of Yahweh, because My people have broken the covenant and rebelled against My Torah!” (Hosea 8:1). Hosea didn’t exactly need to gradually warm up to his topic sentence here. He …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 7: On Israel as an Oven, a Pancake, a Dove and a Bow. “Whenever I long to make my people prosperous again, whenever I desire to heal Israel, I am confronted by Ephraim’s guilt, and all I can see is Samaria’s sin.” (Hosea 7:1; Ephraim and Samaria represent Israel because Ephraim …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 6: Mercy and Knowledge. “My will (‘haspasti’) is that you show mercy (‘hesed’) and not sacrifice, and that you grow in knowledge (‘yada’) of Me rather than burnt offerings.“ (Hosea 6:6). In other words, hear the word of the Lord… I delight in loyal mercy to others and intimate knowledge of …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 5: Trapped into Spiritual Polygamy. “Israel no longer knows (‘yada’) Me, they don’t pay heed to Me, and they wouldn’t even recognize Me if they saw Me. Their evil deeds block the way for them to return to Me, their God, because they are possessed by a spirit of prostitution.” …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 4: Yahweh Makes His Case. “Israelites, hear the words of Yahweh, for He has brought charges against you…” (Hosea 4:1a). A Courtroom Setting. Here in chapter 4 we find Hosea standing up with his people and yelling out “Hear ye! Hear ye! Hosea here is offering a summary of the Lord’s case …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 3: Redeemed and Restored. The prophetic drama continues in this short chapter, and it packs quite a wallop… Betrayal, unfaithfulness, forgiveness, redemption, purification, eventual restoration, and hints of the coming Messiah. All in five verses! “And Yahweh said to me, ‘Go again to your wife, love her and show affection …