Rudy Ross and I have decided to end our study of Proverbs mid-way through the book. The chaos of the world fits a study of the prophets more than the wisdom of Solomon.
Today’s YouTube video and my blog article begin a study of Hosea, an eighth-century B.C. prophet to Israel.
The Hebrew people in Hosea’s day was divided into two kingdoms. Israel (often called Ephraim) was the northern and Judah was the southern kingdom.
We can date Hosea by the listing of the kings of Judah and Israel from the first verse.
The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel (Hoses 1.1).
Hosea was called by Jehovah to prophesy the destruction and exile of Israel at a time when Israel was at the height of its prosperity under King Jeroboam II, 793-753 BC. It is estimated that Hosea began his ministry in 760 B.C.
Henry Blackaby met a Chinese Christian leader after the Communist Party had lifted some restrictions on the church.
The leader remarked to Blackaby, “I think we’ve fared better under persecution than the church in America has under prosperity.”
Apparently, Israel was similar to America. Prosperity didn’t draw them closer to God. Rather, it took them in the opposite direction.
Hosea didn’t offer his personal commentary or opinions about world events. He received God’s word and communicated it to the people.
Hosea had a daunting task. He had to convince a self-satisfied and successful nation to turn from their behavior back to a faithful relationship with God.
A Prostituting Nation
Hosea used “prostitute” to describe Israel’s unfaithfulness to Jehovah. There were instances of ritual prostitution that surrounded the worship of the false god, Baal.
However, Israel’s prostitution was more subtle than that. It was similar to saying, “I need A, so I do B and disregard C.”
Suppose a person in 2023 said, “I need more money (A), so I work long hours (B) but don’t have time for prayer and Bible study (C).” That’s an example of what was taking place in ancient Israel.
The Israelites said, “I need rain for my crops and fertility for my herds (A), so I serve the fertility Baal cult (B), and by doing so I show that I don’t trust Jehovah’s provision (C).”
They also said, “I need alliances with powerful nations to protect me from surrounding countries (A), but in doing so I agree to serve their gods (B), and I fail to trust Jehovah for my protection (C).
One of the ways I read the Bible is to ask, “How am I like the bad guys?”
I like to think that I’m God’s pet. That was Israel’s problem. They believed that they were God’s pet nation and He would overlook their behavior as they turned from Him to get what they believed they needed.
How does our behavior fit into the A – B – C formula I have applied to ancient Israel? Below are a few examples that come to my mind. I’m sure there are examples that you can add to my list.
— At the top of my desires is owning my own home (A), and I work two jobs to make it happen (B), but I don’t have time to take my kids to church on Sunday (C).
— I really enjoy attending sporting events (A), and I spend a lot of money to attend the games and participate in online gambling and fantasy football (B), but I don’t have money to give to God’s work (C).
— I realize that I always am thinking about myself (A), and all of my energy and emotions are centered around myself (B), so I make God the servant of my desires (C).
— I desperately want a relationship with another person (A), and I do things that I know are contrary to God’s guidance (C), so that person will be with me (B).
Some other priorities that call for our devotion are higher education, social media engagement, social status and recognition, personal freedom, career advancement, health and fitness, etc.
A Sign Prophet
Many of the prophets acted out the message God wanted to deliver to the nation. Hosea did so through his family.
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and have children of prostitution, for the land commits great prostitution by forsaking the Lord.”
So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son (Hosea 1.2-3).
In two of the books I have read on the Book of Hosea, the authors doubted if Gomer was a practicing prostitute. They believe that she was typical of Israel and had a prostituting spirit.
Gomer, like her fellow Israelites, had bought into the above A – B – C formula. She had merged her faith in Jehovah with Baal. Such a merger fundamentally changed their understanding of God’s character.
Whenever we merge our understanding of God with a false god, it changes the truth of God’s reality.
For example, when nationalism is blended with the worship of God, the image of God is dramatically changed.
The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), was political but had significant religious overtones. Catholics fought Protestants, while it is estimated that between 4 and 8 million perished in the hostilities.
Nationalism blended with religion greatly diminished God’s reputation, as people who worshiped the same God brutalized one another.
At the root of this merger (called “syncretism” by scholars) is that human need is the driving force.
When humans focus on what they believe they need, they attempt to manipulate the gods to give them what they long for.
Using the above formula Gomer may have said, “I want to have children and security (A), and I believe Baal will help me get what I want (B), so I sacrifice to Baal at the high places while I claim to follow Jehovah (C).
Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah. He served the northern kingdom while Isaiah was the southern. In Isaiah’s famous encounter with God, he said:
“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6.5).
Isaiah knew he was influenced by the sin of Judah. Similarly, Hosea, Gomer, and their children knew they were part of a nation that had a “prostituting spirit.”
Both Isaiah and Hosea had the task of separating themselves and the nation from trying to serve God and human desires at the same time.
Our role is similar. My study of Hosea has influenced how I talk with God. Instead of telling God about various needs as I would at a drive-through fast-food restaurant, I am approaching Him with this question.
What do you think or feel about what you see in the world? How can I join you in what you are doing?
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 