Feb 4, 2018 Reflections

Summary:

  • God is very longsuffering to unfaithful people (particularly Israel and Judah–mostly Israel), and continues to love them, but His patience has very real limits (they will be given over to judgment, unless they repent).

Insights:

  • 2:17 – It is God who removes idols from being mentioned by us
  • 2:21-22 – The chain of command sounds like a company with God as the CEO, and heaven and earth as dutiful employees
  • 3:2-3 – this is utter humiliation, to have to buy your wife to live with you and stay faithful to you.  Gives insight into God’s heart.
  • 3:5 – clear relationship between “fear of the LORD” and God’s “goodness”…reminds me of Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia: “Of course he’s not safe, he’s a lion.  But he’s good.” 
  • 4:1 – faithfulness, steadfast love, knowledge — all influence each other
  • 4:3 – animals are punished when humans sin
  • 4:5 makes sense in light of 2:2
  • 4:6 – willful rejection of knowledge from church leaders leads to punishment
  • 4:6 – God’s law is like a child to Him
  • 4:7, 10; 9:11-12 – increase/multiplication = glory
  • 4:11 – serving other “gods” and/or our flesh leads to blindness
  • 5:1 – “For the judgment is for you” …I am so quick to see God’s rebuke in other people, but how many times is He saying, “No, Brian.  This judgment is for you.” ?
  • 5:4 – there are places where we can get beyond repentance
  • 5:5-6 God withdraws Himself from proud people
  • 5:15 – God draws near when we: acknowledge our guilt and seek Him
  • 6:1 – “let us”: Hosea includes himself among those needing to repent
  • 6:2 – seems prophetic of Jesus’ resurrection 
  • 6:4 – Who is Ephraim?  When Israel split into 2 kingdoms, 10 tribes were part of the Northern Kingdom, and 2 tribes were part of the Southern Kingdom (Judah and Benjamin).  Because Judah was the largest and most notable of the 2 Southern tribes, the Southern Kingdom, over time became known as “Judah” (even though Benjamin was part of it).  Similarly, Ephraim (maybe because of size or notoriety?) was sometimes used as a reference to the Northern Kingdom (even though it was one of many tribes).  Thus, in Hosea, Ephraim = the Northern Kingdom, and Judah = the Southern Kingdom.  The Northern Kingdom was way worse, and so was destroyed utterly by Assyria.  The Southern Kingdom was a little better, and so only temporarily were taken by Babylon.
    • Check out Isaiah 7:1-9 to see “Israel” (I. E. Northern Kingdom) interchangeable with “Ephraim”. 
    • Also: Samaria was the capital of Northern Kingdom, and is also sometimes used as a reference for Northern Kingdom…see Isaiah 7:9
  • 6:7 – Adam possibly discussed here
  • 7:8-9 – mixture with world robs God of strength we could give him
  • 7:14 – weeping does not mean we are crying to God with our heart.  He is looking for sincerity.
  • 8:14 – a sign of forgetting God is trying to build on our own, with our strength, and trying to eliminate the need for God
  • 9:15 – our sin can take us to a place where, in a very real sense, God no longer can love us (at least not in our present form)–like a woman whose husband becomes an alcoholic…she no longer loves who he has become
  • 10:9 – For Hosea 10:9 “days of Gibeah” reference, it’s referring to the story of Judges 19-21, where a concubines raping and killing forced a war between Israel and the tribe of Benjamin…Gibeah is where the rape and subsequent war occurred
  • 10:12 – how do we break up our fallow ground?
  • 11:1 – I think this is a powerful verse when compared with Matt. 2:15…Hosea clearly refers this to Israel who is rebellious. Yet Matthew clearly refers this to Jesus who is obedient. It is one of many clear indicators that Jesus came to institute a “new Israel” of sorts.  one that is faithful to God.  Just as O.T. Israel began with 1 person, and from him came 12…so the new Israel begins with Jesus, and from Him came 12, and all who believe in Him are incorporated in.
  • 11:7 – God’s people can be prone to leave God, even though they claim He is their God/Lord.  God does not honor/bless this hypocrisy, though.
    • granted…in Christ, we are “faultless” positionally to God.  but it doesn’t mean He’s not still grieved by our wayward behavior in our experience
  • 11:8 – Admah and Zeboiim were neighbors to Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (see Deut. 29:23)
    • and Gen. 10:19, too
  • 11:8 – God is different than humans in His self-control
  • 11:8-11 – note God’s incredible long-suffering!!!
  • 12:3-4 – Jacob wrestling the angel was really God…”angel of God” is interchangeable with God Himself…seems probable that this was Christ…or at least it was God in a human form, which sets the stage for the ultimate entrance of God in human form = Christ the Lord
  • 12:6a – we need God’s help to return to Him
  • 12:6b – we need to obey God even when He doesn’t seem to show up, and wait on Him from that position…not hurry to another helper to “improve” our situation outside of waiting on God to deem how and when to help
  • 13:2 – “idols SKILLFULLY made” – idols can be conceived and shaped with great skill…when that skill is meant to glorify God
  • 13:6 – we think that when God gives us what our heart desires we will seek Him all the more.  More likely the opposite will happen.
  • 13:9 – “helper” is same word God uses to describe Eve (Gen. 2:18)…shows that God’s image is seen in both male and female
  • 13:11 – just because God gives us something does not mean it’s a sign of Him being happy with us
  • 14:8 – whoever the world may think is providing for them, it is really God
  • 14:9 – God’s ways — a path that helps the upright; but makes the wicked stumble

Challenges for Brian to Obey:

  • see/expect God’s grace to be revealed in others before His judgment
  • Hold earthly activity very lightly; but make much of eternity (e.g. Hosea married an unfaithful wife in obedience to God and to reveal God’s word…similarly, would I allow desires of mine to play 2nd to God’s purposes?)