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 …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 2: Divorced and Remarried. A Broken Heart. It can easily be seen in Hosea 2 that Yahweh is taking Israel’s unfaithfulness personally. God evidently feels like a jilted lover, a betrayed husband. His chosen people with whom He has had a longstanding covenant of spiritual marriage have turned their back to Him, …
The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 1: Spiritual Adultery! “When the Lord Yahweh first spoke through Hosea, He said to him, ‘Go and take a promiscuous woman and have children who come from her unfaithfulness. This will represent how the land of Israel has abandoned Me and become a prostitute to other masters.” (Hosea 1:2). Spiritual Adultery. But …
The Gospel of Hosea: A Big-Picture Summary. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.” (Flannery O’Conner). On Prophets as Actors in God’s Street Theater. If the biblical world was a classroom, God’s prophets were the visual aids. As the Lord’s mouthpieces, they were often called upon to be symbols of His …