Hosea and me

Can you imagine being asked by God to do something that seemed just a bit too much? I don’t know, something like selling everything you owned and giving to the poor. Or maybe leaving your native land and serving God in a foreign place. What if you were Isaiah, and God told you to walk around naked for three years!? (Isa. 20:1-4) Or, what if you were Ezekiel, and God told you to lay on your left side for 13 months or so – only to tell you to lay on your right side for 40 days after that, not to mention the special diet God will have you on! (Ez. 4) Or, imagine if you’re Hosea’s mom. Your son comes home and says to you, “Guess what Mom? I’m getting married!” Think of the pride you’d have knowing your son was marrying into a fine Jewish family, with a good background, and wonderful history…until he tells you that God told him to marry a prostitute.

In Hosea’s story and prophecy, we see a picture of a relationship that is torn apart by sin. It’s a picture of a man who is faithful, even when his wife isn’t. It’s a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. And I believe that there are many parallels in the book of Hosea to life in America today.

The Israelites had taken to worshiping a false god. This was their “spiritual prostitution.” They had melded the worship of Yahweh with that of Baal, saying that they were one and the same. Baal was the “god” of rain and fertility. The Israelites fell into the practices of their neighbors and abandoned God as the giver of prosperity (grain, wine, oil). They sought those blessings bestowed by Baal…and they worshiped Baal like the pagans around them did.

Now, if you read the book of Hosea, you’ll see some of this coming to light as God’s case against Israel is laid out in the later chapters. But a few things stuck out to me in my latest reading of the book. “Fertility” could be seen as “prosperity,” and we have a group of people who forgot the Giver of all good gifts in order to gain more for themselves. It was materialism. And I know that we don’t ever suffer from materialistic thought…or do we? Or is our problem more of a consumerist attitude?

Another item that stands out in this study is the way sin is portrayed. It isn’t just a “mistake” or something to be winked at. Sin is seen and portrayed as adultery in the eyes of God. Hosea understood this first-hand, but could also understand that God still loved the ones who had betrayed Him. There were consequences that were laid out for the nation of Israel in the book of Hosea, but there was also hope. There was hope for another, better day. A day of rejoicing. Oh, what a day that will be!

The book of Hosea is a great study, and it’s not too late to join us in this study as we see how God’s story is still relevant for us today!

But be careful. In the study of God’s Word, one could expect to be asked to change…into the likeness of God’s Son, Jesus. Are you up for the challenge?

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Kyle