HOSEA

The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date.

1:7    Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them - not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the Lord their God."

    This sounds to me to be another prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. When I have doubts about my faith, all I have to do is to see how prophecy was fulfilled. (DRM 6/2/89)

1:10    And they (Israelites) will eat, but not have enough; They will play the harlot, but not increase, Because they have stopped giving heed to the LORD.

    Spiritually, Israel today probably has plenty of synagogues. Many are going to their houses of worship - but are they learning about their Messiah or the prophecies in His Book? Not likely. Their population continues to increase from immigration and I don't know about their childbirth. Something will have to occur in each individual Israeli to change their heart to the Lord Jesus. It can only be the Holy Spirit. (DRM 8/21/05)

2:18b    Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.

    This chapter deals with Israel as an adulterous woman.  While upset at first, God is forgiving and promises a new land and no wars in the future. (DRM 6/3/89)

3:3    Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

    Hosea made up with his wife here. Again we see that the Bible shows that Hosea (the male) is dominant over the female (his wife), and lets her know what he thinks. (DRM 6/4/89)

3:5    Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

    The citizens of Israel have been coming back to the land from all over the earth for 63 years now. In the course of history that isn't too long - about a generation.
    The people will be trembling because of their fear of wars and desire for peace. Eventually we know they will (finally) come to the Lord for forgiveness. (DRM 8/21/11)

    Verse five looks forward to a time still in the future, when the "greater David" will reign as the Messiah (Ezekiel 37:21-28). (Word of Life diary)

4:3    Because of this (denying God) the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. 

    This is a great environmental verse. The land is dying because of our sins. But how few recognize it? 
    What about the droughts and the heat? Can anyone see God? (DRM 6/4/89)

4:6    They will go with their flocks and herds To seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them.

    Sometimes it's hard to imagine that these words were written over 2,500 years ago, as it seems so current! The nation of Israel has always been special to the Lord God. At times they have followed Him, but not, as a nation, for a long time now. 
    Individual people in Israel have now come to the Lord, but it is a tiny minority. At some point in the near future, they will recognize Him, after some great event. (DRM 8/22/05)

4:16    Since Israel is stubborn
           Like a stubborn heifer,
           Can the LORD now pasture them
           Like a lamb in a large field?

    Israel was supposed to have a lot more territory than it ended up with. I think it was because they feared their enemies and didn't follow His lead. This could be the "large field" mentioned here.
    With Israel's unbelieving mindset, would they follow the Lord and stay in His field (of belief-faith)? No. (DRM 8/22/11)

5:3    I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt. 

    This seems clear to me. God is not hiding! God knows all and sees all. Even when hiding in a closet, God is there with us. (DRM 6/4/89)

5:15    I will go away and return to My place
           Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
           In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.

    This is all about the Jews and Jesus - and it's in the Old Testament!
    Jesus was on earth and returned to His place in Heaven. The Jews still won't acknowledge Him as their Savior. When the tribulation comes, then they will seek Him and He will forgive them.
    This shows me how compassionate He is - that they can sin over 2,000 years and He will forgive them. He will also forgive my sins if I, like Israel, will just ask His forgiveness. (DRM 8/23/11)

6:2    After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

    This seems to be another prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day. Because of the "third day," we can live in His presence! (DRM 6/4/89)

    In 2 Peter 3:8, "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Jesus was revived after two literal days, but He gave us two millennium to come to know Him personally. We are now beginning the third day - which could last 1,000 years, but even so, I know that my soul will be with Him very soon - and I am looking forward to it. Rapture or death? (DRM 8/23/05)

6:6    For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
         And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

    We are told that Hosea wrote this in the 700s B.C. At that time the temple sacrifices should have still been going on, so this verse should have caused some thought about what was happening.
    The sacrificial system reminded people of their sinfulness. A person, then or now, that was loyal/obedient to the Lord is what He truly desires.
    It's been 2,700 years since Hosea wrote these verses and it applies to us as much today as then. God wants our complete loyalty more than anything else in this world. Put your complete faith in Him. (DRM 3/23/17)

7:14a    They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail upon their beds. 

    Many people know God and Jesus Christ in their heads, but NOT in their hearts. When they are ill, they don't go to Him, but depend on others instead! (DRM 6/4/89)

8:11    Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. 

    Ephraim thought they were pleasing God by building altars, but this just caused them to sin all the more — thinking the sacrifices would suffice. What about repentance and abstinence? (DRM 6/4/89)

9:13    I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim will bring out their children to the slayer."

    God had good plans for all of us in the beginning. Ephraim was probably like a garden of Eden - then it got caught up in its sins. Now the children will die spiritually. (DRM 6/4/89)

10:12a    Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love . . .

    The more time that I can study the Bible, the more truth comes out of it for me. I'm slowly realizing that God really loves me and is doing some great things for me. Part of the reason could be my overwhelming desire to learn more about Him and by trying to study His word as best as possible. (DRM 12/11/86)

10:13    You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice. You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,

    While this verse was directed to the Israelite nation, and how they had ignored the Lord's direction, it could also be my individual fate. As the Lord-God has been clearly revealed in my life - when I ignore His directives, I should expect some type of consequences. I should listen to the Holy Spirit for direction and not go on my own way. It's difficult! (DRM 8/24/05)

10:14    Therefore a tumult will arise among your people,
             And all your fortresses will be destroyed.
             As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,
             When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

    This refers back to v. 13 where the Israeli people sinned against the Lord with their wickedness and lies.
    God's anger can show up in various forms. In this verse it seems to be a battle (tumult) between parts of the same country (Israel).
    Wouldn't it be easier and healthier to just follow the directives that the Lord God gives us through the Bible? (DRM 8/24/11)

10:15    Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness.
             At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off.

    This is a prophecy about Israel. Israel as a nation has a long history of not following what God wants them to do - but He still (today) feels that they are His chosen people.
    The dawn could refer to their immediate future or their ultimate future when any ruler will abdicate to the King Jesus who will return to rule Israel and the rest of the earth. (DRM 4/19/12)

11:3    Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
           I took them in My arms;
           But they did not know that I healed them.

    Ephram is Israel or part of Israel. When Israel was young, they followed the Lord and did His will, as in David's time. When trials came God was there to heal or solve them for the people, but often they didn't know He was the healer.
    For believers, God is still alive and wants to heal or solve our personal trials. If we trust in Him more, I believe that He hears our prayers and acts on them - so long as it is His will. (DRM 8/25/11)

11:7    So My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call them to the One on high, None at all exalts Him. 

    If all of the Old Testament is contained in the Jewish Torah, then why don't they pay attention to it's contents? Here is another clear statement of God, through Hosea, that God wants Israel's devotion, so He can bless them. For believers like me, it doesn't seem hard. Still, they have gone their own way.
    I am thankful that He opened my eyes and soul and also need to follow and exalt Him all the days of my life. (DRM 8/25/05)

12:5,6    The Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name of renown! ⁶But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice and wait for your God always.

    A "backsliding" verse to me . . . when a Christian drifts away from the Lord, he loses his love for himself, God, and other Christians (especially). Here we are reminded that God wants us to return to Him and wait for His direction in our lives. (DRM 6/4/89)

13:6    As they (Israelite people) had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.

    It seems that God had vengeance in mind for the Israelite people as Hosea wrote this passage. This verse explains why. Time and time again, the Jewish people forgot their Provider, and He wanted recognition for what He had done for them. Perhaps they didn't realize that He was/is their Provider. I pray that I will never forget my Provider, Protector, Healer . . . (DRM 8/26/05)

13:9    It is your destruction O Israel,
           That you are against Me, against your help.

    God=Jesus is available to all who call on Him in faith and trust. If a person or nation (e.g. Israel) doesn't trust in Him, destruction could come immediately or in the future.
    As a person/nation drifts further and further away from God, the more likely they will see destruction in "Acts of God" (e.g. tornadoes, earthquakes, weather events). (DRM 8/26/11)

13:14    I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?

    This well known musical verse causes the greatest hope on earth! This prophetic verse tells us of Christ and how He redeems us from death. With our acceptance of Him, the grave has no power of destruction over our lives! (DRM 6/4/89)

14:6    His shoots will sprout, And his beauty will be like the olive tree, And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

    I've always thought that countries were referred to as female; but in this case, I think the country of Israel is referred to here. This prophecy has been partially fulfilled in that Israel is a country, and grass and trees are growing there again. Still, the country has conflicts with it's neighbors. In the future Israel will be the country to look up to — blessed by God. (DRM 8/27/05)

14:7    Those who live in his shadow
           Will again raise grain,
           And they will blossom like the vine.
           His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.

    In the future Israel will be blessed by the Lord. It seems that the Lord has already started this process as Israel has dramatically improved since its founding in 1948.
    While they still are not worshipping the God=Jesus that is desired, that will come eventually.
        They (Israel) are living in His shadow.
        They are raising grain today.
        They will blossom spiritually like grapes on the vine (Jesus).
        Jesus will be Lord of Lords and known throughout the world. (DRM 12/10/12)

14:8    O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols?
           It is I who answer and look after you.
           I am like a luxuriant cypress;
           From Me comes your fruit.

    This is clearly written as God is speaking. God will have nothing to do with idols - where we worship other things than Him. He is the One who watches over and protects us.
    The Holy Spirit living within us tells us what to do, and through Him we produce fruit through the sharing of the gospel in some way. (DRM 8/27/11)

    In continued use of metaphors, verses 4-8 tell of the glorious relationship between the Lord and Israel when the nations says the words of verses 2-3. (Word of Life diary)

14:9    Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.