Book of Hosea
Chapter  2

Hosea Chapter 2
Commentary by Ron Beckham

Verse 1. "Say to your brothers, ‘Ammi,’ and to your sisters, ‘Ruhamah.’"

It is important to explore the historical Israel, as revealed through the Word of God (the Bible). That country is a "model" nation, for through this people, we learn God’s ways of dealing with the nations. The Book of Jonah provides a look at a country called Ninevah. That country ALSO became a model, and we can learn from their experience. If we turn to Him, as Ninevah did at that time, He will show us mercy. And the greatest mercy of all, is the sending of Christ Jesus, Who died that we might become ALIVE in Him (John 3:16).

"Ammi" is "My people", and "Ruhamah" means "pitied". In the midst of the judgments delineated in these Chapters, we must not forget that God loves and watches over us. Each person and every country deserves the judgment of God – just look in the daily newspapers! And look in your own heart – Do you love your neighbor? The guy in the next cubicle? That family member? We all need His grace, and He has indeed shown pity on His people by sending us the Son of God.

Verse 2. "Contend with your mother, contend, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; And let her put away her harlotry from her face And her adultery from between her breasts,"

God is continuing to use the analogy (parable) of the unfaithful wife, to show Israel her sins. Every once in awhile, by the way, we find a husband who really does love his wife. And that is the imagery in these verses. God REALLY loves you and me. That’s very good news, but there is a problem when the husband, who is full of love for his beloved, has to deal with the news that she is unfaithful to him.

When we sin, God sees us as that unfaithful wife. As people we tend to gossip and stretch the truth. Often, people hate their neighbors instead of loving them. As people and as individuals, we tend to reject authority and to lack faith. When we are this way, God views us just like the little "lady" in the house with a red light, who leans out the window and calls to passing sailors. He is not pleased with our sins.

Verse 3. "Or I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness, make her like desert land and slay her with thirst."

You will be judged for your sins. God LOVES you – Notice that He pleads (contends) with us (as in verse 2), to tell one another that we are in danger of His judgment. The judgment of God, by the way, is often misunderstood. That is, the events of our lives are often corrective in nature. "How could this HAPPEN to me?", is best answered by Luke 9:23, where Jesus teaches, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." The "cross" in our lives is designed to bring us to Him.

Life can feel like a "wilderness", a "desert land" (as in this verse), in which we "thirst" for something we do not have. Sometimes, God will correct these situations, but other times, they are necessary in order to heal our "adultery" within. Adultery, by its very nature, is a dissolution of the marriage. Idolatry is spiritual adultery. To place anything (or anyone) first in our lives, before God, is a form of idolatry. The only way we can live in peace is to finally trust in the God who made us.

Verse 4. "Also, I will have no compassion on her children, because they are children of harlotry."

"God is love" (1 John 4:16) and we clearly see His love in Jesus the Christ. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). He died for every one of us, including the children of these Israelites, about whom He said "I will have no compassion" upon them. Jesus Christ IS our compassion, and He is love. This apparent lack of "compassion" was corrective in nature – God was removing their blessings, so they might receive something (Someone) far better.

God can see our future. If He had "compassion" on these people, it would have meant allowing them to continue in their sins. They might have had pleasant lives but then they would have lost everything for all eternity. We are too quick to lay up our treasures on this earth. Let us be patient in our troubles and learn that God has eternal outcomes we cannot yet perceive.

Verse 5. "For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’"

Their mother is Gomer, who was selected to represent Israel, in this parable we call the Book of Hosea. Her "lovers" were the nations around (and the "gods" of those nations). Israel had decided that she would trust in her cleverness and made treaties with other countries, in a attempt to ensure "her" future as a nation. These treaties were logical enough. They would sell their goods at a profit across national lines, in exchange for needed items, such as bread, water rights, wool, flax, and oil.

This was all well and good, but they trusted in their cleverness more than they trusted in God. Yes, our plans should be made with intelligence, but they should also be wrought in prayer to the One who created us. God is our great Resource, and what you have, comes from Him. Our perspective is limited and so is our ability to deal with the future – We need the Lord!

Verse 6. "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths."

Have you ever felt that your way has been hedged up with thorns? It’s sometimes like you want to do something, but there’s a "wall" in front of your life, and you just can’t get through. It can be especially frustrating when you want to do a "good" thing, and cannot make it happen. People don’t listen to you, and then the money runs out, the door closes on the opportunity, and you end in bitterness.

Israel was about to feel like that. They were quite a "religious" people and were thought of as "fair minded" by the nations around them. They no longer insisted on unyielding allegiance to "Yahweh" (Jehovah), but were now "open" to other "ideas." And that was the problem. God had opened many incredible "doors" of opportunity for them. For their own good, the "doors" would now be closed.

Verse 7. "She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, "I will go back to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now!’"

This is a key verse in Scripture. Outwardly, to their contemporaries, this was a fine nation of excellent people. They were highly industrious, and were clever in their dealings with others. They made favorable treaties based on human wisdom, which solved national disagreements. The "exclusiveness" which previously marked them was now gone, and they were a center for "new" ideas.

God saw that all of this was like a bandage over an infected sore. They had turned against God and would continue in their sin, unless God destroyed them as a nation. When their dreams were gone, they would be open to the God who made them and who loves them. God is sovereign and the loss allowed in your life is to bring you to a better place; a deeper, closer walk with Him. Your real need is to have faith in God – Anything less will ultimately destroy you. But in destruction, you may turn to Him.

Verse 8. "For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal."

When we thank God for our food, we often don’t understand the relationship. We could be homeless persons in a moment, except that God has chosen otherwise. Israel had plenty of grain, wine, oil, silver, and gold, and responded in two ways: 1) They did not praise God, who gave them those resources, and 2) Incredibly, they credited this "Baal" a false "god," and gave the credit to "him". It’s time for us to thank God for what we have and who we are. Even your "natural" gifts came from Him.

Where did your resources come from? Did you get that job because of your excellent job skills, as reflected in that fine resume? Was it due to your education and grade point average? Perhaps. If you married well, is it because you are witty and good looking? Did those beautiful children come from some decision you made to have attractive parents? Every good thing about you, came from Him.

Verse 9. "Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness."

If I decided, for some reason, to start giving you money, I might continue to do so for quite some time. Initially you might say something like "Thank you" but later, you would expect it, because it was always there. Let’s take it a step further, and at some point, you might decide that yes, you like the money, but you don’t like having a benefactor. So you start ignoring me and don’t return my calls.

At some point, I would get tired of that kind of treatment, and I would stop sending the money. That is exactly how God regarded His giving of goods and services to them, as reflected in this verse. He had BLESSED the people Israel, and they responded by ignoring Him. We need God but don’t be surprised if material blessings stop, if you do not include Him in your life. God has something better than money for you.

Verse 10. "And then I will uncover her lewdness In the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her out of My hand."

Notice their "nakedness" (verse 9) would be exposed, along with the "lewdness" of this verse. God will reveal your sins and mine. And He will allow it to happen right in front of those we have been trying to fool with our "dignity" all this time. We would continue in our pride, except that God exposes us for the sinners we are. It is really much, much better to live clean lives and to trust in Him.

In every one of us, there is a heart of sin. This "heart trouble" we have, can only be cured by the God who loves us. In the Book of Leviticus, we see offerings given for the sins of the people. Life was taken, that the dead might live. But the offerings did not "stick" for the people, because the sacrifices were only a symbol of something far greater – we needed God to become a man and die in our place. Sin can be subtle but it permeates our lives. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We need the Lord.

Verse 11. "I will also put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths and all her festal assemblies."

Israel’s "feasts" had included the three annual festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The "new moons" were the monthly celebrations at the beginning of each month. The "Sabbaths" had been instituted as a day of rest each week, dedicated to the Lord. They had added to these celebrations by incorporating rituals dedicated to "other gods." These events were "religious" but misguided, and they would be stopped.

God does not want our false religion. David understood this and said, "You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering" (Psalm 51:16) God had instituted these rituals, but there must be MORE to our religious observances than ritual, and David continued; "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart – these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). And if we become broken to the point of trusting in God, He will receive our religion (Psalm 51:19).

Verse 12. "I will destroy her vines and fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages which my lovers have given me." And I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour them."

Not only would the harvest fail (verse 9), but God would go to the source of the harvest (the groves that produced the fruit), and destroy them. When we attended the "Stand-Down" a few months ago, which amounted to three days of food, shelter and safety for homeless Veterans, we were able to pray with these men, one at a time. Their requests for prayer were interesting and surprising.

For one thing, most of the homeless people we met had come to the Lord. That is, things got so bad on the street that many of them had turned to the Lord out of desperation. And of course, He had done His work in them, and they had been changed. Yes, they had needs and yes, they personally wanted prayer, but their first prayers were often for others. There were requests for parents, former spouses, children – By losing everything, they had found their need of God and a desire to pray.

Verse 13. "I will punish her for the days of the Baals, when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, and follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me, declares the Lord."

We were in Dan, in Israel, during May of 2000, and saw the ruins of the temple in that place. The offerings of Israel that were given in that temple (as observed by God through Hosea) were not given to the Lord, but were presented to Baal-zebub, Baal-perazim, Baal-zephon, Baal-zamar, et al, the "Baals" (false "gods" or "lovers") of this verse. We were created by God, for the purposes OF God, and our devotion is to be to Him alone.

When we adorn our "temples" (our Churches) and ourselves with crosses and other symbols, we are making a serious statement – we are telling the world that we belong to Jesus Christ. But this symbol has been used by other religions and is not necessarily "Christian", unless we are "Christian" inside. It is not the symbolism but the HEART that God wants, and "religion" can be like the "lovers" of this verse, when we love religious practices more than we love God.

Verse 14. "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her."

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). When we are proud and haughty, we don’t look to God, but instead trust in ourselves. Israel was to be brought low as in the preceding verses, and finally, at the bottom of her fall, God would speak words of love to her, that she might LIVE and not remain in despair.

When our lives are filled with ease and we have what we want, our incredible tendency is to turn away from the One who gave everything to us. We were designed to be in concert with our God. To live any other way, is to find a nagging ache that can never be satisfied. If you are brought low, it is to bring you to God, who will allure you, give you His love, and speak comfortably (kindly) to you. He longs for the moment when you will LISTEN to His love.

Verse 15. "Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt."

The Valley of Achor is literally the "Valley of Trouble." When they came into the Promised Land, the first enemy they met was Jericho. Israel followed the Lord and got the victory. Next they went against Ai, in their own strength and were defeated. Joshua put his face to the ground and prayed - it was ultimately revealed that an Israelite named Achan had sinned against the Lord (see Joshua Chapter 7).

Achan and his property were taken to the Valley of Achor, where they were destroyed and buried. After that, Israel had the victory under Joshua. God judges our sins, and after we are judged, there is glorious hope for us. "Sharon shall be a pasture land for flocks and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds for My people who seek Me" (Isaiah 65:10). Out of the wreckage of our sin-ruined lives, will come the glory of God. We shall sing of our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Verse 16. "It will come about in that day,' declares the Lord, That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali."

"Ishi" meant "my husband." "Baali" is "my lord" or "my master." The people of Israel liked to be thought of as "religious", which was sort of a "hobby" with them. It kept them busy and made them appear "respectable." They viewed Jehovah God as on a level with the "Baali" (idols) and were trying to worship both. It is impossible to do so, for God will do anything to rescue you from that which is false.

There will come a time when false religion and all that is associated with it, will be done away. Israel will worship the true God. Those who teach there are "other ways" to reach God, will be no more. The relationship between God and His people can be compared to a bridegroom and bride who are utterly in love with one another. That is the analogy used here, for His people will be to Him as the bride who adores her husband.

Verse 17. "For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more."

When we were in Israel, during May of 2000, it was noticeable that the worship of Baal is gone from the land. In Old Jerusalem, the Armenian and Christian Quarters are filled with Churches. Those places, along with the Jewish and Arab Quarters, contained no discernible worship of the "Baali" mentioned in verse 16. Baal worship appears to be gone from that place, just like this verse promised, so very long ago.

There is much idolatry in the world, but Israel is not presently a nation of idolaters. They were, but during the centuries when the people Israel were "scattered", their idols (other "lovers" - verse 10), were done away. God’s people do fall into error, from time to time, but He will take great measures to rescue those He loves. His measures can be "difficult" and it IS much better to never go away from Him at all.

Verse 18. "In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety.

When God speaks of animals and plant life, He is often discussing people in a parable format. For instance, in Isaiah 61:2, God prophesies that He will "comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion," and He continues in verse 3 "…that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." Thus the "trees of the field" that "shall clap their hands" (of Isaiah 55:12) – are people. So it is with animals, and there are many examples.

The "beasts", the "birds" and the "creeping things" of this verse, are nations of people. The "covenant" He will make is actually a treaty, enforced by God, that will cause Israel to finally lie down in safety. Israel had made treaties with all her neighbors (her "lovers" were both "gods" and the nations around) which ended in disaster – the ruin of the nation. God has made a "treaty" (a covenant) written in the Blood of our Lord, which changes the hearts of people. Israel will lie down in safety, because God removes war from our hearts, and we will need the "sword" no more.

Verse 19. "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion,"

"Betroth" in this verse is literally to "woo a virgin" (or as J. Vernon McGee called it, "to court a girl"). As this is written, Genevieve and I are engaged to be married. I would do anything for her, and feelings of love and compassion fill my soul. I want JUSTICE to fill her life, and I would like others to treat her fairly (righteously). I understand the feelings being expressed here, because those are precisely the feelings I am having at this time.

Notice the "forever" in this verse. God is expressing that His people Israel will be right in heart before Him. This worship will be pure, based in a change of heart, brought about by devotion to the Messiah. There is no other way any of us can find the "forever" of righteousness, justice, lovingkindness and compassion, except in Him. The Book of Daniel concluded with mention of the Tribulation to come, but those who trust in our Lord, he went on, are to "rise" and be with Him – forever!

Verse 20. "And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord."

There is a peace and comfort in faithfulness. Occasionally, we find a marriage where the parties are faithful in love for one another, and they are BLESSED people, offering much to their children. This is the promise of God to Israel – "I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness" and you "will know the Lord." This is what is extended to us (and promised) in Christ Jesus – that we will be joined to Him in peace and in the comfort of faithfulness - forever.

And "you will KNOW the Lord." Most people feel like hungry children, their fingers on the glass, looking in at the restaurant or candy store. Others somehow seem "inside" that "window," but ALL have sinned and are outside of the glory of God. In Christ, we hear the words "you who have no money, come, buy and eat" (Isaiah 55:1). In Him, you will know the peace, comfort, and faithfulness of God. You can enter in – with our Lord.

Verse 21. "It will come about in that day that I will respond, declares the LORD. I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,"

The "heavens" became as "brass" to the people Israel, and, as Matthew Henry put it, the earth had become as "iron." Life was one failure after another, but all that would change. They would pray in faith, and the "rains" would come at just the perfect time in relation to the harvest. The earth would yield its produce, and their land (their LIVES) would be blessed by God.

The land, of course, represents people. You may wonder if God will EVER answer your need. You may have decided that life works for some people, but not for you. Here is good news (read Galatians 3:28-29), "If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." All the promises of God are going to be "yes" for you. Just keep praying, for there is a purpose in your life, and He will never let you go.

Verse 22. "And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel."

The name "Jezreel" means "scattered" (Hosea 1:4), and it was attached to them because they would be scattered throughout the world. But "scattered" referred to seed, with the added meaning "seed of God" or "God will sow." You may feel "scattered" by God, but the very difficulties of your life, are the seeds which will bring about the glory of God in you.

God will answer you, and where you have experienced emptiness and loss, He will give you abundance in its place. Sometimes we see results here on earth, but often what we really need is simply HIM, in eternity. Jesus told us to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20). We need to stop dwelling merely on our problems and start TRUSTING in our Lord. He loves us - and He will give us all the "grain, new wine and oil" we will ever need.

Verse 23. "I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’"

Verse 21 contains the phrase "In that day" which refers to the last days of this age, from the perspective of the nation Israel. In the time of disaster, God will show mercy to them. Paul quoted these promises in Romans Chapter 9, as to "even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles (Romans 9:24). He said "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her ‘beloved’ who was not beloved, and it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ they will be called sons of the living God" (Romans 9:25-26).

Those who are "not My people (The "Lo-Ammi" of Hosea 1:9), are enabled by God to become "Ammi" (My people). The time of Tribulation will usher in the Millennium. The problems you have now, will become, in the Hand of God, the peace you have always needed. He is speaking softly to us, "You are My people." It is time for us to respond, "You are my God." Let us do so right now.

Lord, I RECEIVE you as my God. You ARE my God and I will be your child. I give up trying to do things my way, and I trust in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Ron Beckham
Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org