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THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson02,Chapter1
We’llopenHoseachapter1today,butbeforewedoI’lladviseyouaheadoftime
thatwe’regoingtocrawlthroughthefirstseveralversesatasnail’space
becausemuchhastobeexplainedforustooperatefromthecorrectbasisin
understandingGod’smessagethroughHosea.Itwon’tbelikethisthroughout
ourentirestudy.Let’sbeginwithsummingupwhatwelearnedlastweekabout
theman,Hosea,andaboutthecircumstancesandconditionsofhistimethatled
YehovehtousethisprophetinthewaythatHedid.
Hosealivedandprophesiedinthe700’sB.C.Atthistimetheformerunified
nationofIsraelunderKingsDavidandSolomonhadlongagobecomesplitinto
twoseparatekingdomsduetoabloodycivilwar.OneKingdomwascalledIsrael
(alsoknownasEphraim)andtheotherwascalledJudah.TheKingdomcalled
IsraeloccupiedthenortherntribalterritoriesandsoamongBiblecommentators
garneredthedesignationastheNorthernKingdom.TheKingdomofJudahis
knownastheSouthernKingdom.TheNorthernKingdomconsistedof10tribesof
IsraelwithEphraimasthelargestandmostpowerful.TheSouthernKingdom
consistedof2tribeswiththetribeofJudahasthedominant.Hosearesidedin,
andprophesiedabout,theNorthernKingdom.
WhenHoseafirstbegantoprophesyitwaslateinthereignofKingJeroboamII.
DuringJeroboam’sreignIsraelwasprosperousandlivedpeaceablywiththeir
gentileneighbors.ThisgeopoliticalsituationwasduetoJeroboam’spropensityto
maketreatieswiththenationssurroundinghim,andencouragingsocialand
religioussyncretismofhispeoplewiththeirs.Syncretismisafancywordthat
meanstocombineelementsoftwoormoredissimilarthingstoarriveat
conditionthatwasnoticeablydifferentandlesspurethanbeforethecombining
began.Soreligiouslyspeaking,Israelmaintainedsomeelementsoftheirancient
Hebrewfaith,butalsoaddedinelementsofothernearbyreligioussystems.
SincenearlyallofthesurroundingnationsworshippedBa’alinoneformor
another,Israelbegantodothesame.TheykeptYehovehastheirownnational
god,butmanyelementsofthelocalpaganreligioussystemswerewillingly
addedtotheirreligiouspracticesincludingvariousgodsandgoddesses.
Societally,Israeldidthesame.Intermarriagewasencouragedandsocial

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customsadopted.Inthenameofeconomicwell-being,toleranceandsecurity,
IsraelruinedtheirrelationshipwithYehoveh.
AfterJeroboam’sdeath(endinghisfamilydynastythathadbegunacentury
earlierwithKingJehu),Zechariahtookthethrone.Hewasmurderedinafew
months,and5morekingsruledoverIsraelafterhim,eachmurdered.Thisall
happenedovertherelativelyshortperiodof30years.Thus,uponJeroboam’s
deaththeNorthernKingdombeganasteadydeclineintochaos,aweakening
economy,andmoreandmorepressurefromthesuperpoweroftheregion,
Assyria.Hoseawitnesseditall;Israel’senviablepinnacle,theirsteepdecline,
andfinallythedeepvalleyofdespair.Heprophesiedoveraperiodofabout35
years.BecauseHoseaprophesiedoversuchanextendedperiod,thenwesee
chaptersofEphraim/Israel’shistoryplayedoutinchronologicalorderthat
reflectsthedifferentrealitiesthatcameatvariousstagesofIsrael’sdecline.
Wespentconsiderabletimelastweekdiscussingjustwhatexactlyaprophetwas
accordingtobiblicalhistory.Wediscoveredthatonecannotputthedutiesorjob
descriptionofaprophetintoaniceneatform;itchangedandevolvedoverthe
centuriesfromthetimeofthefirstpersoncalledprophetintheBible:Abraham.
We’llnotreviewitallbutIwillmentionthatoftheprophetsthatcamebefore
HoseatheonemostsimilartohimhastobeElijah.Thesimilarityisthatboth
ElijahandHoseaprophesiedthatGod’swrathwascoming,andthereligious
situationforbothinvolvedabattleagainstBa’alworship.Evenso,Hoseais
classifiedabitdifferentfromElijahinthatHoseabelongedtoanewbreedcalled
“writingprophets”.Thatis,they(orsomescribe)recordedandhandeddown
theirpropheciesinwrittenform,andthosewrittenformsbecamebooksofthe
Biblenamedforthatprophet.Thewritingprophetsaredividedinto2sub
categoriescalledtheminorandthemajorprophets,withHoseabeingclassified
amongtheminorprophets.“Minor”isLatinforlessorfewer,anditdoesn’tapply
totheirstatusorimportancebutratherreflectsonlythelengthorthebrevityof
theirwritings.Hoseaisthecut-offpointoftheminorprophets;thatis,his
writingsarethelongestamongthoseclassifiedas“minor”.
Inbrief,HoseaprophesiedtheendoftheNorthernKingdomandtheirexpulsion
fromthePromisedLandasGod’spunishmentfortheirgravesinsofidolatryand
unfaithfulness.Atthemomentoftheirexpulsion,itdidNOTincludetheSouthern

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KingdomofJudah;Judah’spunishmentandexilewouldcomeabout130years
later.AsGodtendstodo,HewoulduseanothernationtobringaboutHiswrath
uponHischosenpeople.ThatnationwouldbeAssyria.
Pleasenoticesomethingthatwetouchedonlasttime.Regardlessoftheir
personalrighteousnessbeforeGod(thatis,individualbyindividual)theentire
populationofIsraelwouldbejudgedandthereforeaffectedasasingleentity.
Thispunishmentwouldbeacorporatepunishment;itwouldbeenacteduponthe
wholeofthepopulation;noonewouldbesparedjustbecauseheorshemightbe,
inGod’seyes,righteous.ThisisagoodhistoricalexampleoftheprincipleofGod
judgingusfromtheplatformof2spheres:thepersonalindividualsphereandthe
corporateorgroupsphere.Nothinghaschangedeveninthe21stcentury.If
todayGoddeterminedtopouroutHiswraithontheUSAasawhole,ortheUK,
orAustralia,SouthAfrica,Brazil,Chinaorwhereveryoumightlive,evenasa
sincereBelieveryouwill(onaphysicallevel)beaffectedbyitandnotspared.On
theotherhand,fromaspirituallevel,youwillbesparedinthesensethatGodwill
welcomeyouintoHisHeavenshouldyouperish,andHewillbewithyouduring
whateverordealyouandallyourneighborsmightsuffer.Butasamemberofa
group,yourexperiencewillbenodifferentthananyoneelse’s,wickedor
righteous.
Asaresultoftheexileofthe10tribesoftheNorthernKingdom,Godpromisesto
eventuallybringthosepeoplebacktotheLand.Butitwouldbefuture
generationsofIsraelitesthatreturnandnotthosecurrentlyresponsibleforthe
sinsofidolatryandunfaithfulness.Thisisthesameprincipleandpatternofwhat
happenedtoIsraelwhentheyleftEgypt.TheyweredeliveredfromEgypt,they
weregivenGod’scommandments,Heformedacovenantrelationshipwiththem
(theCovenantofMoses),buttheybrokethecovenant.Thus,Godwouldnot
allowIsraelintothePromisedLanduntilthesinninggenerationcompletelydied
offinthewildernessandthenextgenerationofIsraelwasbornandbroughtto
adulthood.Therealityisthatuntilfairlyrecently(the21
st
century)
Ephraim/IsraeldidnotbeginitsreturntothePromisedLand,andnowtheyare
cominginincreasingnumbers,andwitharemembranceoftheirancienttribal
affiliations.So,thewaitfromthepunishmentoftheirAssyrianexiletotheir
returntotheLandhasbeen2700years.

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In745B.C.Tiglath-PileserIIIbecametheKingofAssyriaandhehadempire
buildinginmind.Thisambitiousrulerbegangobblingupthefewremaining
independentnationsthatsurroundedhim,andthenfinallysethissightsonthe
NorthernKingdom.Sincetribute(taxesandwealth)wasalwaysatthecoreof
thereasonthataggressivekingsattackedothernations,thekingsofIsraelat
firstagreedtopayTiglath-Pileser’spriceinexchangeforbeingavassalstate.
ThismeantIsraelwasgrantedpermissiontokeeptheirownIsraelitekingand
government,butthosekingshadakingabovethem:theKingofAssyria.
Ahead-strongyoungmankilledIsrael’ssittingkingandbeganananti-Assyria
movement.HisnamewasPekah.KingPekahralliedEphraim/Israeltoresist
payingtaxestoAssyriaandthissignaledthebeginningoftheend.Pekahwas
thenmurderedandreplacedbyHosheaBenElah.Heimmediatelyreinstituted
payingtributetoAssyriaandsoAssyriarelented.Someyearslater
Tiglath-PileserwassucceededbyShalmaneserV.KingHosheasawthisasa
momentofAssyrianweaknessandapproachedEgypttobeanallyagainst
Assyria.Healsostoppedpayingtribute.ShalmaneserattackedIsraelbecauseof
thisattemptedallianceandtheirrebellionagainstpayingtaxes.Eventuallyin
723B.C.AssyriacapturedIsrael’scapital,Samaria;thatwastheendof
Ephraim/Israelasanation.ThisKingHoshea(orHosea)I’mspeakingofwasnot
theProphetHosea.
TheProphetHoseastoppedhisprophesyingshortlybeforethefallofSamaria;
thereisnothinginhisbookaboutthatfinalbattleoreventhefirstwaveortwo
ofAssyrianattacksuponIsraelthatwouldleadtoitsfall.Thebeliefamongthe
traditionsofJudaismisthatHoseaescapedtothestillindependentSouthern
KingdomofJudahbeforethesefinalbattles,whereHoseacompletedhiswritings.
Whilethatisspeculation,itisalsothemostplausibleandlikelyscenario.
ThefallofIsraelandtheirexilehasledtothefamous10LostTribesofIsrael
legendthatwe’veallheardabout.And,asitturnsout,theyarenotso“lost”after
all.
So,withthatbackground,let’sopentheBookofHosea.
READHOSEACHAPTER1all

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Thefirstversegivesusplentytodealwith.Noticethatgrammaticallythevoice
is3
rd
person.Thatis,itisshe/he/it/theyandnotHoseasayingI/me.Soclearly
ascribeoraneditorwrotethis1stverseandperhapseventheentirefirst2
chaptersbecauseitspeaksaboutHosea,butitisnotHoseaspeaking.
OneofthedifficultthingsthatallBiblestudentsthatgobeyondthesurfacemust
faceanddealwithisthatforcenturiesmuchofwhatwefindwrittendownnowas
ourtreasuredBible,wasatfirsttransmittedbyoraltraditionspasseddown
generationtogeneration.Whenwritingbegantoreplaceoraltransmissionofthe
traditions,itwascommonforancientpeopletoemploypaidscribesbecause
scribeswereamongthefewwhowerehighlytrainedintheartofwriting.That
doesn’tmeanthatpeoplewereilliterateorcouldn’twriteatall,buttheirwriting
abilitieswererelativelyrudimentaryandcertainlyonlyaveryfewcouldconstruct
acomplexmessageinawrittenformat,anddoitinacoherentwayusingproper
grammar,spelling,structure,etc.Bywayofillustration,you,Iandmostpeople
canadd,subtract,multiplyanddividetosomebasiclevel.Wecanbalancea
checkbook,addupbills,etc.Butthathardlymakesusmathematicians.Thereis
aspecialistoccupationofpeoplewhoarehighlytrainedinadvanced
mathematicalskillsthatareemployedtodealwithcomplexcalculationsthatthe
vastmajorityofuscouldneverhopetomaster.Itwassimilarforwritinginthe
ancienttimes,andmoresothefurtherbackintimethatwego.Hencetheneed
forscribes.
MorethanlikelyHoseaemployedascribethatheexplainedmuchto;ascribe
thathelpedhimorderandconstructhiswork(andapparentlyactuallywrote
someit).And,aswithchapter1,thescribeprovidedanintroductionand
backgroundasaproperliterarystartingpoint.Or,aswemightthinkitasasort
ofextendedtitleforthebook.Infact,muchlikeatruebiblicalJewishParable(as
withthosetoldbyJesus),whichhadaspecificstructureandformthatidentifies
itasaParable(asopposedtothewordsbeingmereallegory,illustrationor
metaphor),theopeningwordsofHoseaalsoformanidentifiablestructure.In
Hebrew,theopeningwordsofHosearead:DabbarYehovehasherhaya’el.It
means,“thewordofYehovehwhichwasunto…”.Wefindthissamepreciseword
formulatoopenthebooksoftheprophetsJoel,Micah,andZephaniah.Without
goingdeeplyintoancientbiblicalHebrew,whatthismeansforusistherewasa
recognizedformatdevisedandinuseforrecordingthepropheciesofbiblical

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prophets,anditconstitutedwhatwasconsideredasaproperopeningtotheir
worksinthatera.Thisrealitylendsallthemoreevidencetomycontentionthat
indeedascribewasinvolvedinHosea’sandineachofthesepropheticworksthat
Ijustmentioned.
Fromaspiritualstandpointsomethingextremelyimportantisbeingimparted
withthoseopeningwords:atheologicaldeclarationisbeingmade.Whatthe
readerisabouttostudyis,onthewhole,amessagefromGod.Hoseaisonly
passingitalongandinHosea’scaseitismostlyintheformofrecountingavery
strangelife-dramathatunfoldedinorderforYehovehtocreateavisualaidfor
peoplearoundHoseatosee.Intheshorterwrittenformofhisname,Hosea
means“hehasdelivered”.Inlongerwrittenformitmeans“Yehovehhas
delivered”.
BeforewegoanyfartherI’llexplaintoyouthatwhileitismostcommontosay
thatinHebrewGod’sformalnameisvocalizedasYah-way,Idon’tthinkthat’s
correct.Ithinkitisa3-syllableword,not2,andthatitisvocalizedsomething
likeYeh-ho-vay.Thevowelsoundscouldbeslightlydifferentbecausetheancient
Hebrewdidn’tusevowelsintheiralphabetsosomeguessworkisinvolved.And
nodoubtdifferentHebrewdialects(andtherewereseveral)mighthave
pronounceditslightlydifferentlyovertheages.Nonetheless,inmyestimation
theearlyLatinizedformofGod’snamethatiscommoninveryoldChristian
BiblesandamongtheChurch,whichisJehovah,isfurtherevidencethatGod’s
namewasspokenas3syllablesandnot2.Wecanagreetodisagreeaboutit,but
Yehovehishowyou’llusuallyhearitoutofmymouththroughoutthisstudyof
theBookofHosea.
Onlyintheopening2versesofHoseaisthepropheteveridentified.Otherthan
he’sthesonofamannamedBeeri(whomwehavenoideawhothatis),wehave
nootheridentification.Wedon’tknowwhattribehewaspartof,norexactly
wherehelivedintheNorthernKingdom.
ThetermusedtocharacterizewhatGodgavetoHoseaisinHebrewdabbar;in
English,word.ThisHebrewtermismoreacomplexconceptthanhowinmodern
timesweusetheterm“word”.Asanexample:inancientHebrewculturethe
termWisdomdidn’tonlymeanknowledgeorcommonsenseorsomethinglike

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that,butratherWisdomwasalsoseenasalivingentity.BylivingIdon’tmean
thatallegoricallybutratherforreal.Wisdomwasevenassignedafemalegender
sowe’llsometimesseeitspokenofasLadyWisdom.Wisdomwasenvisionedas
adivineentityandamanifestation(ofsorts)ofthelivingGod.The
termdabbar…word…issimilar.Dabbarwasseenassomethingofdivine
substancecomingfromHeaven.Ithad,ofitself,powerandalivingnaturetoit.
Thinkforaminuteaboutoneofthemostfamousandmemorizedquotesofthe
NewTestament:
CJB
John1:1InthebeginningwastheWord,andtheWordwaswithGod,and
theWordwasGod.
IncontexttheApostleJohnwasspeakingaboutYeshuaofNazareth,JesusChrist,
beingasortoffleshlyembodimentofTheWordforHis30orsoyearson
earth.WhatdidthismeantotheJewishGodworshippersofthe1
st
century?I
cantellyouforsurewhatitdidNOTmean.TomodernChristianstheterm“word
ofGod”or“God’sWord”or“theWord”nearlyalwaysmeanstheHolyScriptures…
theBible.So,BelieversoftentakeJohn1:1asmeaningthatinsomestrangeway
JesusisequivalenttotheBible.OrthatHe’stheembodimentoftheScriptures.
OrthatinthebeginningwastheBible(oratleasttheconceptoftheBiblealready
existedinsomeetherealwaythatwouldeventuallybecomethephysicalBible
thatcanbebothspokenandwritten).Andifit’snotthat,thenwhatdoesThe
Wordmean?FortheancientHebrewsandfortheJewsofChrist’sday,itdidNOT
meantheScripturesnorthenarrativetextsthatwouldformit.TheWordwasa
divine,thoughmysterious,entity.ItwasamysticalandpowerfulelementofGod.
ItwasaspecialmanifestationoftheGodofIsraelcalledTheWord.TheWordis
atermthatspeaksofanactualpresenceofYehovehandnotmerelyliterature
writtenonapieceofparchment,nomatterhowprofoundandtruethosewords
mightbe.
Letmesaythisanotherwaybecausethisissofarfromhowithasbeentypically
understood.FortheHebrewssincethetermTheWorddidn’tequatetotheHoly
Scripturesitalsodidn’tequatetothatfortheApostleJohn.Therefore,whenwe
extendthatspecialmanifestationofGodintheformofTheWordtomeanwhat
wasgiventoHosea,itdidnotmeanawholelotofsentencesstrungtogether.
RatheritmeantthatHoseawashavingaspecialdivineencounterwithaliving

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agentsentbyYehoveh…somethingthatbearsGod’snature(similartotheway
theChurchoftenthinksoftheHolySpirit).TheWord,Dabbar,wasHosea’s
BurningBushexperience.Itwassimilarinessencetothefearfulcloudthatfilled
theTemplewhenSolomoncompleteditandwasconsecratingitintouse,asa
declarationthatGodfounditacceptable.InChristianTrinitydoctrinelanguage,
onecouldsaythattheancients…rightupthroughYeshua’sday…thoughtofThe
WordasapersonofGod,thesamewayChristiansspeakoftheFather,theSon
andtheHolySpiritas“persons”toattempttodescribeandcontemplatethe
unknowablesubstanceofYehoveh.
So,itiswiththatkindofenormousgravitasandawethatthoseopeningwordsof
Hoseaspeak.HewasbeingvisitedbyGod,intheformofTheWord.Another
revelationforusisthatwearetounderstandthatTheWordcametoHoseaata
specifictimeandplace.Itisahistoricalmarkerintimethatthisencounteris
recordedandthatIsrael,especially,couldrelatetothenandforcenturies
afterward.ItisalsofascinatingthatthelistofkingsthisprophetoftheNorthern
KingdomgivesusisactuallyalistofkingsoftheSouthernKingdom.Hoseawas
innowaycutofffromtheworldaroundhimorfromhavingintimateknowledge
ofwhatwasgoingonwiththeHebrewsisterkingdomofJudah.Theonlykingof
theNorththatHoseamentionsisJeroboamII.Whenwelookattheseparatelists
ofthekingsoftheNorthernandSouthernKingdomssidebysideweseethatthe
firstJudeankinghementionsisUzziah,andtheonlykingofIsraelthathe
mentions,JeroboamII,cameintopowerwithinayearofoneanother.Hislistis
historicallyaccurateandthenamesproperlylineup.
Verse2hasbeeninterpretedinseveraldifferentways,butmostliterally(and
ignoringEnglishgrammaticformat)itreadssomethinglike“thebeginningof
YehovehspeakingthroughHosea”.Wemusttakethisstatementinlightofwhat
Ijusttaughtyouaboutthe1stverseandtheactualsenseoftermTheWordas
itmeantwhenHoseawaswritten.TheWordisdabbarinHebrew;butherein
verse2theterm“speaking”usesadifferentformofthesamerootwordthat
isdibber.Dibbermeansspeechortalking.So,theparticularmanifestationof
God’spresenceinvolvedinthisventurebetweenGodandHoseaiscalledThe
Word,andtheworkofTheWordistoimpartspeech…Yehoveh’smessage…to
Hosea.So,whatHoseareceivesisspeech;andHereceivesitfromadivineentity
calledTheWord.It’snotadreamandit’snotavision.Itisaudiblespeechin

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someform;perhapshehearsitorperhapsitisasthoughtsformedinsideof
Hosea’smind.
ThescribesaysthatthefirstfewwordsthatTheWordimpartedtoHoseawere
justthe“beginning”allhewouldeventuallybetold.Itwouldcontinueforsome
undefinedamountoftime.IfHoseahadacalendaronhiswallandworea
wristwatch,hecouldhavecircledadayandrecordedatimewhentheentire
episodebegan.OnecanonlyimaginewhatHoseawasthinkingwhenitstarted.
Didheimmediatelyunderstandwhatwashappening?Washejustaregularguy,
withanoccupationortradecraft,andsuddenlyGodistalkingtohim?Orhadhe
beenaprophetforsomeyearsbeforethisstartlingevent?Canyouimaginethis
happeninginourtimetoyourself?Wouldyouandothersaroundyouperhaps
questionyoursanity?Inmoderntimes,nodoubt,fewwouldeverbelievethey
werehearingdirectlyfromGod(inthewayHoseawas),andevenfewerwould
daretospeakofittoothers,becauseinthemodernworldthathasbeenso
infectedbytheatheisticEuropeanEnlightenmentphilosophyofthe18
th
century,
anythingmysticalisusuallydismissedassomeone’sfruitfulimagination.Butin
Hosea’sday,itwouldhavebeeneasierforhimtoacceptit,andforthoseto
whomhetookGod’smessagetobelieveithappened.So,ifyouwonderwhy
prophetslikeHoseadon’tseemtoexistinourtimeoreveninthelastfew
centuries,maybeit’sexactlyforthisreason.Themoresophisticatedwegetthe
lessweacceptthemysteriousbecauseitisdubbed“notscientific”.This,
therefore,necessarilylimitswhatGodcantellusandwhowilllisten.
Theopeningwordsofverse2werenotsomuchinformationasinstruction.The
instructionisyetanothercontroversialonethatislessabouthowtotranslatethe
HebrewtoEnglish,andmoreabouthowtounderstandwhatitmeanstoimpart.
CJB
Hosea1:2"Go,marryawhore,andhavechildrenwiththiswhore;forthe
landisengagedinflagrantwhoring,whoringawayfromADONAI."
Ifyouhaveparticularlydelicateears,Hoseaisgoingtobeachallengeforyou.
Sexualreferencesandsexualrelationsarefrontandcenter,andnopunchesare
pulled.Justrememberthatwhatyou’rereadingandhearingisfromGodandnot
fromsomeHollywoodscriptwriter.It’stough.It’sharsh.It’sindelicate.But,it’s
howitwasandsowe’regoingtoplowthroughitandnotwince(toomuch).

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TheimmediatequestionthatisfiercelydebatedbyBiblescholarsisthis:didGod
reallytellHoseatogoandmarryawhore?Toliterallysearchforaprostituteand
marryher?TheHebrewwordthatismostoftentranslatedaswhore,harlot,or
prostituteiszonah.IntheOldTestament,wefindafewmentionsofIsraelitesas
prostitutesorcommittingprostitution.Thisismoreoftenanexpressionora
metaphor,andisnotmeantliterally.Itismeanttoaccuseandindicatehow
immoralandunfaithfulcertainIsraelites,orIsraelasawhole,isbehaving
towardsGod.Inthissensezonah,whore,isametaphortodescribethe
unfaithful.Let’stakealittledetourtodiscussthis.
Fromthe30,000-footview,wemustunderstandthateverythingwereadin
HoseaaboutIsraelandtheirillicitbehaviorandwhatGodlikensittoisbasedon
acontract“signed”betweenGodandIsraelcenturiesearlieratMt.Sinai.There,
justafewweeksafterdelivering(redeeming)IsraelfromEgypt,GodofferedHis
redeemedpeopleacovenant.AtthecoreofitiswhatiscalledTheLaworThe
LawofMosesortheCovenantofMosesortheMt.SinaiCovenant(andafew
morenamesthatallpointtothesametransaction).AtthefootofMt.Sinai,the
entirenationofthe12tribesofIsraelthatexitedEgypttogether,alongwitha
mixedmultitudeofgentiletag-alongs,weregiventheopportunitytoenterintoa
special,one-of-a-kindrelationshipwithTheCreatoroftheUniverse.Godoffered
ittoMoses,andMoses(asaMediator)offeredittothepeoplewhoresponded:
CJB
Exodus19:8Allthepeopleansweredasone,"EverythingADONAIhassaid,
wewilldo."MoshereportedthewordsofthepeopletoADONAI.
Atthatmomentthecovenantwasagreedtobyallpartiesandsealedup.The
CovenantofMosesismuchlikeamarriagecontract,mainlybecauseitisthe
joiningoftwopartiestogetherinacloseandexclusiverelationship.Infact,from
theExodusforwardtotheendofRevelation,God’srelationshipwithHis
worshippersislikenedtomarriagewherebyHeisthehusbandandwearethe
wife.TheScripturesarefullofmetaphors,illustrations,figurativewordsand
terms,parables,poetrythatexaggeratesforeffect,andsoon.So,hearthis:we
asGod’sBelieversdoNOThaveaHebrewmarriagecontractwithGod.Rather,
thecovenantwehavewithGod(basedontheCovenantofMoses)isLIKEa
marriagecontractinsomeways.Ithassimilaritiesworthexploringandsharing
terms.Andbecausemarriagecontractsandhusbandsandwivesaretangible

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visiblethings,wehaveameanstorelatetothemandthencarrythatovertoa
betterunderstandingofourexpectedrelationshipwithYehoveh.However;a
marriagecontractandourcovenantwithGodarenotidenticalnorexhaustively
thesamethings.
OneoftheliterarydevicesthatIleftoutofthatshortlaundrylistofdevicesIjust
mentionedissymbolism.Biblicalsymbolismcanbeadiceythingtodealwith.
SomethingsintheBiblearedeemedsymboliconlybecausetheyaretoodifficult
todealwithiftakenliterally;andotherthingsthatareintendedassymbolicare
insteadtakenliterallyandfromthatsupposedliteralnessallkindsofstrange
doctrinesarecreated.Howdowetellwhichiswhich?There’snoclearcutanswer.
Itcanbesubjectiveandsymbolismcanusuallyonlybeidentifiedbycontext.
However;thenecessarycontextthatisinvariablypassedover,andthuscauses
usthegreatestdifficultiesininterpretation,isthehistoricalJewishandHebrew
context…religiousandcultural…thatexplainswhatcertainwordsandactions
meanttothepeoplethatwerealiveintheeraswhenitwasspokenor
written.Thisisallthemorechallengingtoapproachbecausethetotalityofthe
Biblewaswrittenoveraspanofaround1500years.Hebrewsocietychanged
massively…andcontinually…duringthatlongspanofcenturies.EventheHebrew
languageevolvedandsothendidtheuseandmeaningofcertainwords.
Expressionswereborn,onlytodieofflater.Idiomswerecreated,andovertime
theirmeaningsmightbelost.Evolvingsocietalrealitiesgavethebiblicalauthors
newanddifferentwaystoexpressthemselves;differentfromtheirevenmore
ancientpredecessors.TheBible(inoriginallanguageandform)isgiventousin
theeverydaylanguageandbackgroundofthepeoplewhowerealiveatthetime.
Thosewhospokethosethoughtsandthosewhowrotethemdown,didn’tdoso
withthethoughtoffarfutureerasandaplanetfullofpeoplepracticinghundreds
offuturecultures.Therefore,itisuptoustoresearch,todig,andtostudyjust
whatthoseinspiredwordsmeanttothepeoplewhoutteredthemandwerethe
firstwhoheardthem.Andthenapplythespiritandtheintenttothe21
st
century
(orevenbeyond,shouldGodtarry)andtoourparticularculture…whatever
culturethatmightbe.
Withthatunderstanding,here’sthebottomline:symbolismisattheheartof
whatHoseaisbeingtoldtodo.Butsymbolismdoesn’tmeanthatsomethingis
notalsotangiblydone.MostthingsintheScripturesthataresymbolicalsohave

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astronglyliteralsidetothem.Oftentimestheliteralactingoutwasforthe
present,whilethesymbolicmeaningofitwasforalatertime(althoughthe
peoplewhowroteithadnoideathatwouldbethecase).Hoseawasinstructedto
literallymarry,andtohavechildrenwiththiswoman,andtogivethesechildren
specifiednames.But,thelanguageandthesymbolicmeaningofwhathewas
instructedtodoisthepoint;notthefactthathealsoactuallydidthesestrange
things.
So,knowingnowthatmarriageandmarriagetermsarecommonlyused
metaphorsthroughouttheBibletobestillustratethecovenantrelationship
betweenGodandHispeople,thenfaithfulnesstooneanother(andthereby
faithfulnesstothecovenantterms)isthecoredynamicofmarriage.Vowsare
undertaken…justasIsraelvowedatMt.SinaibeforetheCreatortodoallthatHe
saidtodo(meaningallthattheLawofMosesinstructed).Obligationsareset
down;blessingsforcomplyingwiththeterms,andcursesforbreakingtheterms.
ThepartiesareNOTnecessarilyequalinstandingorplacedinequivalentroles.
Marriageisastrongbondwithactuallegalstandingineverysocietyonearthor
inhistory.Thus,wecancallthislegalbondofhuman-to-humanmarriagea
covenantbetweenmanandwife;maletofemale.Commitmentandexclusivity
arethefoundationstonesofmarriage;prostitutionistheveryopposite.
Prostitutionisnocommitment.Prostitutionisimmoralpromiscuousnessand
involvesnothingonecouldcallarelationship.Butshouldprostitutionoccur
withinmarriage,thenitmeansthatunfaithfulnesshasenteredinandthebondis
weakenedorbroken.Afemaleprostitute(andthatisreallyalltheBibleenvisions
becausethat’showitwasinthosetimes)…azonah…wasthedefinitionof
false-heartedanduntrustworthy.Sheborenoloyaltytoanyone,andforaprice
waswillingtoshareheraffectionswitheveryone.MostofthetimeintheOld
Testamentthatwerunacrossthetermzonah,itismeantmetaphoricallyandnot
literally…butsometimesitisliteral.Itiswiththissymbolicandmetaphorical
meaningofzonah…whore…thatweneedtounderstandwhatHoseawastoldto
doandwhatthesymbolismofthetermprostitutewasmeanttocommunicate.
Thelastwordsofverse2confirmsthisunderstandingthatI’maskingyouto
acceptabouttheBookofHoseaasawhole.

Lesson02-HoseaChapter1
13/13
CJB
Hosea1:2…forthelandisengagedinflagrantwhoring,whoringawayfrom
ADONAI."
So,therewehaveit.Hoseamarryingaprostitutingwomanistobesymbolically
equatedtowhatEphraim/Israelasacorporatecommunityhasbeendoingin
theirrelationshipwithAdonai…God.TheNorthernKingdomasawholeis,in
God’seyes,behavingasanunfaithfulwifetoHim;awifewhohasenteredherself
intoprostitution.Theyhavebrokenthecovenant.Sonowthequestioncomes:
wasthiswomanthatHoseaistomarryactuallyapracticingprostitutebeforehe
marriedher?Ormightnotonlyhadshebeenaprostitutebutcontinuedinher
professionevenafterthemarriage?Iwilltellyouupfrontthatwhilewewill
confrontthisissue,it’snotasimportantassomeBiblescholarsmakeitouttobe.
Nomatterwhichscenariothismighthaveintendeddoesn’thaveanyrealeffect
onthemeaningorthedirectionofGod’smessagetoHosea,andHosea’sto
Israel.
Thisisthesubjectwe’llopenwithnexttime.