The book of Hosea is difficult to outline, but not difficult to understand. I would, perhaps, be difficult to go verse by verse through the book in a outline form, but that is the style of the book. Where Amos is like an outlined sermon, Hosea is a grieved and broken husband and the style and flow comes out that way.
There are some differences of opinion about the interpretation of the first three chapters of the book. If you read the first three chapters of the book, removing all chapter divisions, I think the meaning is clear. Once you have the story of Hosea’s life and the parallel that illustrates God’s relationship with Israel, then chapters 4-14 are easily understood in that context.
God commanded Hosea to get a wife, a wife of whoredoms from children of whoredoms. Whether Gomer is promiscuous or she is of a land of idols is unclear. I do not believe either interpretation will change the point of the story. He was to go and marry someone that was not exactly a trophy wife for a prophet of Israel. Hosea goes and marries Gomer and starts his family. Gomer bears three children, two boys and a girl. The first child, the Bible says, was born unto Hosea. The next two, I believe, were the result of adulterous affairs.
The second and third children the product of adultery. Romans 9:25 gives us some insight into the other children. As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. These children were called not loved and not my people. This makes it pretty clear they were from her adulterous affairs. Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Gomer was not finished with her life of ill repute. Hosea 2:2-5 tells us that she was shameful in conception and that she went after her lovers and was no longer his wife. The poor relationship of these two children to Hosea was the result of their mother’s sin, not Hosea’s. The change of the names of the children (as we will notice later)also gives us understanding that they were not his.
The children were to plead with her mother, because she was not longer the wife of Hosea. They had separated because of the adulteries. She went after her lover’s whole-heartedly. But after they had used her, they wanted nothing of her, so she wanted to go back to her 1st husband because he had always taken care of her. When she had her fill of sin and the consequences of her sin had left her to a point of destitution, then she decides to come home. Hosea did not let her come back. She would now reap what she had sown.
Notice the prayer of adulterous Israel and the response of God
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. (Hosea 6:1-7)
I think that Hosea had left Gomer to her sins. She was no longer being supported by her offended husband, and her lovers no longer care for her. I believe that she was forced either into prostitution or slavery. Israel did that over and over. God would deliver them from their enemies and they would follow Him for a while, then go right back to other gods. Then after they got in trouble and needed deliverance, they would cry out to God. Gomer had done this too. She would go off to her lovers, give them credit for Hosea’s goodness, then when trouble came and she was in need, she would go back to her husband because she knew he would help her. The time had come where Hosea said enough is enough and left Gomer in her sins and deal with the consequences of her adulterous life. God did the same with Israel. Their repentance was not true repentance, but like the morning dew. So Gomer was force, in my opinion, either into slavery.
But, here comes the happy ending. Though Gomer left him, and cheated on Him and sold herself into harlotry, Hosea purchased her out of His love for her.
Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
(Hosea 3:1-5)
I believe this still to be Gomer. God did not tell Hosea to go and marry another, but Go yet, or go again, and love a woman. I think that Hosea is the friend who loved her, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel. What a statement. What a picture of the grace of God. Hosea was to go and purchase this woman who was sold into slavery, who was living the just recompense of her sins. No one was to blame but Gomer, and there was nothing Gomer had done to show that she had changed, or there was nothing in Gomer to love; yet Hosea, out of unconditional love to his wife, bought her from her bondage. She didn’t deserve it, but love compelled Hosea to purchase his wife. Hosea and Gomer’s relationship was not the same, they had no relations, but this pictured that Israel would not have the same relationship until God fully restores his chosen people in the millennial kingdom.
But I can’t help but to see God’s saving grace to the individual as well. When we read the Bible, we like to put ourselves in the situations that make us the hero. We put ourselves in David’s shoes as he hurls the stone towards Goliath’s head, or we put ourselves in Elijah’s shoes as he battles the prophets of Baal. We are NOT Hosea in this story, we are Gomer. We are the adulterous, undeserving wretch.
Hosea’s name means “salvation”(Same as Joshua, same as Jesus in NT). Hosea shows us the love of Christ. This is love. Love is not a “cupid’s arrow” type love, and is more than physical attraction. Love doesn’t look for what you get, this was unconditional love. We see Christ in the forgiveness of Hosea. We see Christ in the salvation of Gomer by Hosea. Hosea redeemed Gomer, he bought her. Hosea went and paid a redeeming price for her which hints to the price of buying a slave. Hosea bought what was his, his love. Redemption in Christ is illustrated here. Christ paid for HIS people, that which belonged to Him. Though we did not deserve it, we did not do anything that warranted Christ purchasing us, Christ paid a great price, not corruptible things, like silver and gold, but by the precious blood of the Lamb. It was not out of righteous works that we have done, but according to His Grace, He saved us.
Now there was restoration. Hosea’s love knocked the “not” off of his children.
“lo” (which means 'not') was removed from the names of the children. Ammi means my people, and Ruhamah means loved. We have a restoration of the family with full, free forgiveness (cf. 13:14-15; 14:4). I think that Hosea had adopted those children that Gomer had outside of marriage. The children that were not his by nature but are now his by adoption, and to show that, he changed their name. By changing their name, he change their relationship. This is the point God showed to Israel, that in the millennial kingdom, they will be restored, brought back to the Lord God. And though I was a child of wrath like other, I am a child of God by adoption in Christ Jesus.
I am not deserving of God’s amazing Grace, yet He loved me, redeemed me, justified me, gave me life, adopted me, preserves me and keeps me by His power.
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Douglas Newell IV
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