Hosea 2

Say of your brothers, “My people,” and of your sisters, “My loved one.” Hosea 2:1

The children are now mostly grown. We note that Hosea addresses them with love, compassion, and acceptance. Frederick Brotherton Meyer, beloved English Bible scholar, comments, “Hosea is represented as having exhausted his expostulations upon his faithless wife. He has tried every arrow in love’s quiver, but in vain; so now he sends his children, worse than motherless, to plead with their mother, before she brings upon them all irretrievable retribution.” [1]

“Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts” (2:2). Apparently, Hosea is about to lose his patience with Gomer. The words, “ she is not my wife, and I am not her husband,” if spoken publicly in the ancient Near East, were the legal formula for divorce. [2]

We note here how the harlot has a certain adulterous look and manner about her. Those who work in law enforcement commonly see prostitutes arrested and brought into headquarters from America’s city streets. Many of these women flaunt their sexuality, often even toward the police. They have a pitifully depraved and hardened look about them. How far they have removed themselves from God’s plan of the loving wife and tender and loving mother. How far from the reality and truth that God has ordained in marriage.

Our society must take some blame for these many broken lives. Our culture tends to glamorize adultery and loose sex. Boice says of adultery, “It is the chief product of Hollywood.” [3] Adultery and loose sex seem to work well on the silver screen, but these things never work out in real life. They create massive problems by stirring up hatred and jealousy among partners and others. They are the cause of much violence and even murders. Quite simply, illicit sex does not work. It never did, and it never will.

Unfortunately, the pagan princess Jezebel had almost replaced the worship of the True God with Baal worship throughout Israel. There were hundreds of prophets to Baal, while the few prophets of God were in hiding. Much of the attraction to pagan worship was its sexual appeal. Warren Wiersbe, well-known Bible commentator, says, “Pagan worship involved sensual fertility rites, and for these rites, both male and female prostitutes were provided. In a literal as well as a symbolic sense, idolatry meant prostitution.” [4] We can imagine that sexual abuses ran wild at these pagan nature-worshipping sites. Adultery was normalized, although in the true faith of Israel, adultery was punishable by death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22).

In light of all this, Wiersbe warns us in our sex-crazed society: “We must be careful not to love the world (1 Jn. 2:15-17), be friendly with the world (Jam. 4:4), become spotted by the world (1:27), or conform to the world (Rom. 12:2).” [5] The Apostle Paul says, “ I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Cor. 11:2).

Punishment For Ungodly Living

Otherwise, I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born; I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. Hosea 2:3

Baal was the nature god, the god of storms, rains, and fertility. Asherah was his female partner. Baal worshippers felt that their gods gave them everything they needed in the natural world. These false gods gave them the essentials of life: food, water, oil, wool, and linen. God began to punish Israel by taking all these necessary things away. Their pleasant land became a desert, and they began to be parched with thirst. They soon lacked the necessary clothing (cf. Deut. 28:48). Ezekiel once spoke of this same thing: “They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry. So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt…” (Ezek. 23:26-27). Barnes comments about the real starkness, “The invisible nakedness is, when the soul within is bared of the glory and the grace of God.” [6]

We must always remember that God is standing by to supply us with all our needs according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). He can clothe us with the robes of righteousness and quench our burning thirst. Jesus says, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:14). He also says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (Jn. 7:38).

“I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery. Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ Therefore, I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way” (2:4-6). Utley says, “The wife symbolizes unfaithful national Israel, while the children symbolize individual Israelites.” [7] How amazing that these Israelites came to believe that Baal and the other false gods could provide all their needs. They could feed the people, clothe them, and give them drink. God was about to give them a real good crop of thornbushes. He was about to take all their blessings away.

Wiersbe comments: “What wickedness it is to take the gifts of God and use them to worship false gods!… One of the first steps toward rebellion against God is a refusal to give God thanks for his mercies (Rom. 1:21). God will not allow us to enjoy his gifts and at the same time ignore the Giver, for this is the essence of idolatry.” [8]

Pett brings it all down to modern times when he comments, “Of course, we today would not behave in such a way. Instead, our gods are sports stars, film stars, musicians and singers, or even celebrity chefs. But they nevertheless similarly entice us or encourage us into breaches of God’s commandments. And where that is so, they must be put away, otherwise we too are guilty of spiritual adultery.” [9]

“She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’ She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold – which they used for Baal. Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her naked body” (2:7-9)

Pfeiffer & Harrison state, “Neither Gomer nor Israel could find satisfaction in infidelity.” [10] It is pretty difficult to find a nonentity anyway. Millions fail at this task in our own day. Meyer comments: “There was no better method of turning Israel from her idols than by withholding that material prosperity which she thought they gave.” [11]

God, who freely gives all that the body needs, can take all these things away, as we see in Leviticus 26:14ff. and Deuteronomy 28:15ff. Popular pastor and author Charles (Chuck) Smith says, “‘America, America, God shed his grace on thee.’ …And we begin to attribute the greatness of America to many other things, forgetting that it was God who gave us the corn, the oil, and the wine, the gold, the silver; it was God who made us great.” [12]

“So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands. I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days – all her appointed festivals. I will ruin her vines and her fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers; I will make them a thicket, and wild animals will devour them. I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,’ declares the LORD” (2:10-13). I am reminded again of the many prostitutes brought into police stations. In the bright light of the station, the women look lewd, unattractive, and shameful. It is all a part of a tragic deception that the devil has worked.

Apparently, Israel had mixed biblical feasts and festivals with those of Baal and the other pagan gods. Even the holy Sabbath had become defiled with pagan worship. God was about to put an end to all the unholy mixture. The natural world was about to feel his wrath. Israel was famous for its fruit trees as it is today. James Burton Coffman, American minister and theologian, says, “Sensuous women ornamented themselves with jewels and offered themselves to all who desired them, a couple of raisin cakes being the customary price!” [13] There would no longer be grapevines, fig trees and olives. They will become a thicket for wild animals to ruin. Very soon, the Assyrians would destroy everything and lead the people away into captivity.

Good Times To Come

Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. Hosea 2:14

How strange it is that it is often in the wilderness where God blesses his people. We remember how he once fed and cared for them for forty years in the wilderness. Many good things have come out of the wilderness, like the ministry of John the Baptist and even that of Jesus. In the wilderness, God lures his people back to himself. Boice asks, “Have you ever run away from God? Of course, you have. And has he not taken you back? Of course, he has. God’s love is like this, and he has done this to teach you to know his love and come to him.” [14] Once again, God’s judgment is turned into faithful love.

“There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt” (2:15). Here we see a pattern that has happened several times in the history of Israel. There is the judgment of God because of the people’s sins, then there is the mercy of God poured out in new blessings. The Valley of Achor in the Hebrew language meant the valley of trouble. [15] Yet we see here that the valley of trouble has been turned into a door of hope.

We read in Joshua 7:1-26 the story of Achan, who sinned and took some devoted things from the conquered city of Jericho. A section of Israel’s army went on to conquer Ai, but they were soundly defeated, with some 36 of their soldiers lost in the battle. An inquisition was made by Joshua, and the guilt fell on Achan. With that, Achan, his family, and all that he had were destroyed. Then the wrath of God was allayed, and the armies of Israel continued their conquest of the land.

All this vividly reveals to us the awful cost of sin, even just the sin of one person. Achan caused 36 innocent people to die. Our sins always affect other people, whether small or great. We can also be assured that our sins will find us out (Num. 32:23). Implicit in the Bible is the holistic notion that one man’s sin, however small, affects the entire world, however imperceptibly, and vice versa. [16]

When sin is confessed, atoned for, and covered, the door of hope is opened. Then the valley of trouble becomes a resting place for herds for the people that seek God (Isa. 65:10). It is interesting that the Israelis once again control this area, which lies to the northwest of Jericho.

In New Testament times, the sin of Achan was repeated. In Acts 5:1-14, we read of Ananias and Sapphira, who took the devoted offering of God and used it for themselves. They both fell dead at Peter’s feet, and great fear fell upon all who heard of it. As a result, the early church made great spiritual advances. We must stop and wonder how many Achans we have in our churches today who are regularly stealing the devoted tithes and offerings by keeping them and using these precious things for themselves.

“‘In that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘you will call me “my husband”; you will no longer call me “my master.” I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked” (2:16-17). Baali means “my master, owner, lord” and even “my husband.” [17] Today in Israel, the most common word for husband is still Baal (my master). So, we see that God’s work of removing all traces of Baalism is still going on. Some today refuse to use the term and substitute Ishi, which means “my man.” This is an important thing to God, for he says in Exodus 23:13, “Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.”

“In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety” (2:18). This passage seems to look forward to the Millennial period of one thousand years, when the faithful will rule with Christ on the earth. The land will once again begin to look like the Garden of Eden.

Isaiah speaks in prophecy, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God” (Isa. 35:1-2). He also says, “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together” (Isa. 41:18-19). God will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isa. 43:19-21; cf. Zech. 14:8).

The Lord will even make a covenant with the beasts of the field, the creatures that move along the ground, and the birds of the air. All his people will be able to lie down in safety (Ezek. 34:25). God says, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:6-9).

During this blessed period, warfare will be abolished. Scripture says, “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire” (Psa. 46:9). “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isa. 2:4). There will at last be peace on earth and goodwill to man (Lk. 2:14).

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD” (2:19-20). Pett says here, “In Israel, betrothal was completely binding and lasted ‘for ever’, and release required divorce. It was the sealing of a covenant.” [18] Utley points out seven characteristics of this betrothal and marriage. It is permanent, righteous, just, loyal, true, compassionate, and faithful. [19] Feinberg says, “Finally, the promise is that Lo-ruhama shall be Ruhamah and Lo-ammi shall be Ammi.” [20]

“‘In that day I will respond,’ declares the LORD – ‘I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel’” (2:21-22). In these verses, we clearly see a principle often forgotten today. Human obedience and sin have a lot to do with the earth and heavens. John’s gospel tells us that the earth and heavens were made by the word of God.

Even our greatest physicists are now coming to a similar conclusion. They are saying that the universe is not just matter but something like “information.” [21] That is very close to John 1:1-3. When the word is broken or spurned, it affects the earth. Likewise, when the word of God is honored, the earth responds to that. Obedience brings natural blessings. Disobedience brings curses. An example of this is seen in the case of bloodshed. In Numbers 35:33, we are told that bloodshed pollutes the land. There is much that we need to learn about this whole subject.

“I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God’” (2:23). Finally, the faithful are called “Ammi” (my people). In the New Testament, we read about this promise: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Pet. 2:10; cf. Rom. 9:25-26).

Boice enlightens us with something really important here. “To the philosopher of Greece god was unfeeling, indeed, incapable of any feelings whatever. Their word for this was apatheia (apathy). But the Greek god is not the God of the Bible. In the Bible, God weeps for his people, yearns for them, works for their deliverance.” [21]

Footnotes

1. Frederick Brotherton Meyer, Meyer’ Commentary, Hosea, vs. 2:1-13.

2. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:1.

3. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 23.

4. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 1395.

5. Ibid.

6. Barnes, Barnes’ Notes, v. 2:3.

7. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:4.

8. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1395.

9. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, vs. 2:1-5.

10. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 803.

11. Meyer, Meyer’ Commentary, Hosea, vs. 2:1-13.

12. Charles (Chuck) Smith, Smith’s Commentary, vs. 2:1-23.

13. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 2:13.

14. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 25.

15. Brown, Driver & Briggs, A Hebrew And English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 747.

16. Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews (NY: Harper & Roe, 1987), p. 159.

17. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:16.

18. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, v. 2:19.

19. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:19.

20. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 21.

21. Jim Gerrish, Getting The Big Picture (Colorado Springs: Light of Israel Publications, 2022), pp. 2-3.

22. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 23.