1 – The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel:
2 – When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ?Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.?
3 – So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 – Then the Lord said to Hosea, ?Call him ?Jezreel,? because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
5 – In that day I will break Israel?s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.?
6 – Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, ?Call her ?Lo-Ruhamah,? for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them.
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.?
8 – After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son.
9 – Then the Lord said, ?Call him ?Lo-Ammi,? for you are not My people, and I am not your God.?
3:1 -The Lord said to me, ?Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.?
2 – So, I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.
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.?
Experience has taught me that there are several different styles of preaching. For example: some pastors speak extemporaneously relying on few, if any, notes. Our pastor in the DR this week, Carlos, preaches like that. Others, like me, use a word-for-word manuscript. Some pastors preach in mostly quiet tones. You might say they ?talk? their sermons while using their ?inside voices.? Others raise their voice a great deal when they preach. In fact, they don?t really need microphones because their volume level is high enough on it?s own. They YELL more than they talk. My college pastor was like that. He had red hair and a face full of red freckles?and those physical characteristics matched his preaching style?because he was very flamboyant. You might say he was ?red hot? in the pulpit?and as an indication of just how hot?how much physical and VOCAL effort he put in his messages, he perspired a great deal. In fact, whenever I would go up to lead the invitation hymn there would almost always be a little pool of sweat on the floor behind the pulpit. I don?t remember much of what he said?but I will never forget how he said it!
Here?s a couple more preaching styles I?ve witnessed. Some pastors include themselves as learners. In their sermons they use pronouns like ?we? and ?us? ? even when they talk about sinful attitudes and actions. Others are less inclusive. They preach in ways that condemn their congregations. Their favorite pronoun is ?you? and it is often said while pointing a finger at someone in the pew. I remember one time after I preached a friend said, ?Mark that was pretty good?but you didn?t make me feel bad enough. I think people should leave church feeling guilty.? And?he was serious! He liked it when pastors went from preaching to meddling!
Well, the little known person of the Bible that I want us to study this morning was a preacher whose early sermons would have pleased my friend. I?m referring to Hosea?a prophet of God who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the last half of the eighth century before Christ.
Hosea preached during years when the nation of Israel?the northern kingdom?was almost literally falling apart. To show you how bad things were, there were six kings in thirty years, four of whom were assassinated?usually by their successors. And, due to all this political chaos, the structure of society in Israel began to come apart at the seams. Violence in the streets became commonplace and to make matters worse, the threat of an invasion by Assyria increased during this time. You see, they had a STRONG, stable government led by a king named Tiglath-pileser and Tiglath threatened Israel?s borders with his growing military might.
So, as a prophet, Hosea had a tough row to hoe?and by reading his little-known book you can see that he decided to ?hoe it? with harshly delivered ?turn or burn? sermons. I mean, in the first few years of his ministry Hosea always preached against sinners and warned of the peril that was VERY close at hand unless the people repented and returned to the Lord. And?I think Hosea may have even ENJOYED this kind of preaching. There is after all a power rush that comes from delivering messages like this, I imagine Hosea liked making people feel guilty. He enjoyed that feeling of superiority. He liked people to leave his sermons with their heads bowed in shame.
Reading about him reminds me of a comment I heard about a similar hell-fire and brimstone preacher. People who heard him speak said they had the feeling that he was saying, ?You folks are sinners and if you don?t repent you are going to Hell, and it would give me GREAT PLEASURE to see that you get what you deserve.? This seems to have been Hosea?s preferred theme?the coming judgment of God upon the sins of the people.
Well…this was not something the Israelites wanted to hear. They didn?t like it when Hosea preached this way…so Hosea?s audience dwindled to the point that continuing to preach seemed pointless. When this happened Hosea no doubt spoke to God and asked for His help in getting the people to listen. When he did this God told him to do a strange thing. Remember what it says in verse 2 of this little book? God said to Hosea?and this is a rough paraphrase??I want you to get married. In fact I have a girl all picked out for you.?
Now..I think Hosea must have brightened up a bit at that, because he was a bachelor. And then, when God mentioned the girl?s name, Hosea?s heart must have fluttered…because the name of this girl was GOMER…and GOMER was one of the most beautiful girls in all of Israel?but don?t get side-tracked by her name. I mean, I doubt seriously that she looked anything at all like Jim Nabors. Who knows, maybe in those days GOMER was an name that was associated with great beauty, like, like ?Beyonce? or ?Angelina? or ?J-Lo?? or ?SUE.? You get my point.
Anyway…when God told him to marry Gomer, Hosea was definitely interested. But God warned him and said, ?I want you to know the whole story about this girl, Hosea. I want you to marry her, but understand…she is going to be unfaithful to you. In fact she will eventually become nothing but a common street prostitute. But I want you to marry her anyway.?
Now undoubtedly, Hosea was very puzzled by God?s strange command. And, let?s face it, from our limited perspective God?s commands can often seem strange. God often does things we don?t understand until later when we can look back on them. Do you remember what Philip Yancey said about this? He said that following God involves having a faith in Him such that you believe in ADVANCE what will only make sense in REVERSE.
Well…Hosea apparently had enough faith that, in spite of these somewhat odd instructions, he obeyed so he went courting. And…sure enough, GOMER was attracted to this shy young preacher man. After some time Hosea finally summoned up the courage to ask her to marry him.
To his great relief she said ?YES!? and they were wed. At first it was heaven on earth. Hosea genuinely, deeply loved this girl. You can?t study his little known book of prophecy without seeing that. Reading these pages indicates that…in the beginning Gomer and Hosea must have been wonderfully happy together…and then they had their first child. It was a boy! Hosea?s heart was filled to bursting! And then God asked him to do ANOTHER strange thing. He instructed him to name the boy, ?JEZREEL.?
Now Jezreel means ?cast-away? and at this time it was a name of shame in Israel. Let me tell you why. Do you remember the bloody story of Queen Jezebel and King Ahab? 2 Kings 9 tell us that Ahab cheated his neighbor out of his property and stole his neighbor?s vineyard and Jezebel was the wicked queen who put him up to it…and other crimes.
Well God?s judgement eventually fell on this evil, demonic woman. She was looking out her upper story window one day when General Jehu was down in the courtyard and he ordered the servants to CAST her AWAY…to throw her out the window. They did and she fell to her death on the pavement below and the dogs ate her flesh. The courtyard where she fell had been called JEZREEL??cast-away??ever since.
Well, Hosea obeyed God and gave his son the name God had picked for him….for he understood that his son was to be a living sermon illustration…a warning from God to the people of Israel, that they too would be CAST AWAY if they didn?t recognize the folly of their sinful actions.
Eventually another child?a daughter?was born to Hosea and Gomer. God instructed this one to be named ?Loruhamah? which means, ?not pitied.? Hosea realized that this was to communicate to the people that God would no longer have pity on them if they continued to live as they were living. The name of Hosea?s little daughter?s was to communicate to the people that God?s patience was wearing thin…that a time was coming when He would hand them over to invading armies. Then, when this little girl was weaned, Gomer conceived again and bore a 3rd child…another little boy. God named this one, ?Lo-ammi? which means, ?not My people? ? for God was saying, ?You are not My people and I will not be your God.?
Now…if you think it is STRANGE that Hosea would give his kids these odd names…remember, preachers can be odd?just kidding?this odd naming practice was nothing new back then. You see in Hosea?s culture it was customary to teach by using SYMBOLS. God often used this method of instructing His people. Hosea also knew that NAMES were very important. God repeatedly used them as symbols to teach Israel certain truths. And now God was planning to use this prophet and his family as a living object lesson for His people. Perhaps Hosea read in the ?newspaper? that something like this was happening with his fellow prophet, Isaiah, at about this time down in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. You see, Isaiah, had two children, both boys. Their names were jaw-breakers to pronounce but they also had a special meaning. The younger boy?s name was Shearjashub, which means, ?a remnant shall return.? Giving this name was to remind the people of God?s promise to Judah that even though they were taken into captivity, a remnant would one day come back. Isaiah?s older boy?s name was Mahershalalhashbaz. Mahershalalhashbaz means ?haste to the prey? or ?hast to the spoil,? and it was God?s prophetic way of telling the southern kingdom that they were in deep trouble…that the prey was on the way to ravish their nation. In any case…giving children names like this to communicate important spiritual truth was not that shocking back then.
Well, after the birth of little Lo-ammi…there were no more children in Hosea?s household. And…that little family began to have hard times because Gomer started to fulfill the sad prediction that God had made when He had told Hosea to marry her in the first place. What a heartbreak it must have been to this young preacher as he heard the whispers that began to circulate about his wife and what happened when he was away on his preaching trips. His own children may have even unconsciously dropped some remarks about the men who visited when Daddy was away. Things went from bad to worse and soon the children were left un-cared for while Gomer wasted all her time running around behind her husband?s back.
One day Hosea came home and found a note from Gomer. It said that he had decided to find the happiness she felt she deserved and she was leaving him with the children to follow the man she really loved. Eventually she went so far as to give herself over to the life of a temple prostitute.
I imagine that she bragged to Hosea that her lovers provided her with rich foods?raisin cakes, wine, and gifts?all things that he could not afford on his preaching income. NOW…Understand…Hosea never stopped loving Gomer deeply…just as God never stopped loving the people of Israel even after they had left Him to worship other gods.
And…about this time a new tone came into Hosea?s preaching. Oh…he still warned people of the judgement that was to come and the fact that God was going to send the Assyrians down across the land, but he no longer preached this by angrily pounding the pulpit. Now He spoke to them with tears. And in his sermons Hosea began to speak of a day when love at last would triumph?when after Israel learned the folly of ignoring God?s law?they would return to the God Who loved them. With God?s help Hosea saw that a time would come when his children?s NAMES would be changed…to foretell a coming change in the HEARTS of the people of Israel.
In Hosea 2:23 God said,?I will say to those called ?not my people,? ?You are My people? and they will say, ?You are my God.?? In chapter 1, verse 11 God said, ?The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.?
You see, through Hosea?even in this time when God was announcing His JUDGEMENT?God was also showing His GRACE. So…understand…Gomer broke HOSEA?S HEART but his response to this also made it possible for this little-known prophet to give the world a picture of the HEART OF GOD.
Perhaps he shared his observations with his fellow prophet in the south, because Isaiah began to talk like this as well. In Isaiah 63:9 he spoke of God?s perspective on the sins of the people of Judah saying,?In all their distresses, God too was distressed.? It began to dawn on these two prophets that God may have turned His face from His people…but it was a face streaked with tears. Hosea realized that if his love for Gomer could exist in spite of her betrayal of their marriage vows, then God might still love His people no matter how sinful they had been.
So…in all this Hosea saw something that he had missed before?back in his ?hell-fire and brimstone preaching years.? He saw a very important principle. Hosea saw that all sin is not so much against God?s LAW as it is against His LOVE. When this happened he began to change the whole tune of his preaching…and started speaking about the LOVE of God for SINNERS instead of the judgement of God upon SIN. His sermons included loving words from God like this,?How can I give you up Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? ?My heart is changed within Me; all My compassion is aroused. I will not carry out My fierce anger…for I am God, and not man…the Holy One among you.? (Hosea 11:8-9)
So it was his response to a domestic tragedy that gave Hosea the motivation to become the truly great preacher that he was.
Well…one day word came to Hosea that Gomer was to be sold in the slave market. She was no longer as lovely as before…no longer requested by the male worshipers who frequented the pagan temple. Her sinful lifestyle had made her too unattractive for use as a temple harlot?so she was to be sold as a slave. I imagine that this brokenhearted prophet didn?t know what to do at this point. So, he went weeping to God and asked for His guidance. And God must have said something like this, ?Hosea, do you love this woman in spite of all that she has done to you?? Hosea nodded through his tears, and God said, ?Then go show your love for her in the same way that I love the nation of Israel.? So Hosea went to the marketplace and watched Gomer being brought up and placed on the dock where she was stripped of all her clothing and stood naked before the crowd. The auctioneer pinched her and prodded her and showed how strong she was, and then the bidding began. Someone bid three pieces of silver and Hosea raised it to five.
Someone else upped it to eight and Hosea bid ten. Another bidder went to eleven…he went to twelve. Then Hosea offered fifteen pieces of silver and a bushel of barley. Together all this was equal to more than a year?s wages…an unbelievably high price to pay for a slave?especially one as unattractive as Gomer had become.
Well, no one could beat that, so the auctioneer?s gavel fell as he shouted, ?SOLD!? and Hosea officially had his wife back. He went to her and put her clothes back on and he led her away by the hand and took her to his home. And then I think what follows is one of the most beautiful verses in all the Bible. In chapter 3, verse 3 Hosea said to Gomer,?You must dwell as mine for many days; you shall not play the harlot, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.?
Did you catch the love in these words? Hosea pledged his troth to his wayward wife all over again. In essence, he renewed his marital vows to her…and that was more than this poor sinful woman could take. She had gotten down to the very dregs of shame and disgrace, but the grace-filled love of this man melted her cold heart, and from this time on tradition says that Gomer was faithful to Hosea. She became an honest, industrious, selfless wife…a foreshadowing of the way Israel would one day return to God.
The final picture in Hosea?s book is one of beauty and glory, for it looks to that day when Israel would come back to God?her true Husband and would say in essence, ?What have I to do with idols? I have seen (God) and heard Him and He has won my heart.? (Hosea 14:8ff)
Well, can you relate to this story? I know I can?because the life of this little known prophet is a picture of God and us. You and I?we are like Gomer?the unfaithful wife?and God is like Hosea?paying an unbelievably high price to free us from sin?s slavery by sending of His Son to die on the cross. As it says in Hebrews 9:15, ?Jesus died as a RANSOM to set us free from our sins.? 1st Corinthians 7:23 says that we, ?…were bought with a price.?
We take communion as a way of reminding us of this fact. As we share this meal today, let me invite all Christians present to partake with us…because even if you are not a member of this church….If you are a Christian…if you are His, this is Yours.
If you are a Christian?and you are THANKFUL for the freedom and forgiveness that you have experienced through faith in Jesus, will you just raise your hand? Thank you.
You know, the older I get?the more humble and grateful I am for what Jesus for me. The longer I live?the more clearly I can see my sin?and the more I see it?the more I praise God for His grace. Do you know what I?m talking about? I mean?isn?t it wonderful to feel what Gomer must have felt?but to a much greater degree…to see our SIN in the light of God?s amazing GRACE?
If you are here this morning and have never responded to that love?if you?re NOT a Christ-follower then I invite you to become one right now. To use Hosea?s words in chapter,?Come to the Lord, say to Him: ?Forgive my sins and receive me graciously.?? (Hosea 14:2) I will testify that God will answer that prayer?if you ask Him, He will forgive your sin and come into your heart and life?and you will know what it means to be truly free.
If you make that decision come and talk with me or Bobby or Kevin. If God is leading you to join this church family ? or if you would just like us to pray with you come forward. Come now..as God leads.
BENEDICTION:
Let the PEACE OF CHRIST rule in your hearts
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Let the WORD OF CHRIST dwell in you richly
and whatever you do…in word or in deed
Do it all in the NAME OF CHRIST giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.