Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
1/13
THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson04,Chapters1and2
SymbolismisattheheartofthisBookofHosea.Attimestryingtoreconcilethe
biblicalconceptsofsymbolicversusliteralcanbedaunting;andalltoooftenin
theacademicworld(andevenatthepersonalBiblestudylevel)oneconceptis
regularlysetagainsttheotherasthoughtheyareopponents;ofthisthereisno
need.SymbolismisGod’swayofhelpinghumanstounderstanddeeplydivine
conceptsforwhichthereispracticallynoadequatevocabulary.Symbolismis
alsoawaytotransporttheseconceptsacrossculturalboundariesandthrough
thegreatexpanseoftime.Symbolismisnotmerelyacleverwayofstory-telling;
itismeanttoimpartGod-principlesthatcanbemoreeasilyremembered,
understoodandthenappliedonawiderscale.Thisisespeciallyimportantinthe
booksofprophecybecausesymbolismisinvariablyemployedinallofthem,
althoughinsomeitismoresubtle,whileinothers(likeHosea)itisadominant
feature.
So,inthecaseofbiblicalsymbolism,theissueofliteralnesshastobeappliedin
thesenseoftranslatingthosewordsaccuratelyandunderstandingthem
verbatimwithinthecultureandcontextofthetimestheywerepennedas
opposedtomanipulatingthewordstomakewhatseemstomakemoresenseof
themtoday.InthecaseoftheBookofHoseatotakethewordsliterallywemust
recognizethattheliterarydevicesusedarelargelysymbolismand,tomake
mattersmorecomplicated,thissymbolismisoftenpresentedtoususingancient
Hebrewpoetry.Asweallprobablyknow,apoetwilloftenchoosewordsnotas
muchfortheirexactnessasfortheirabilitytorhymeandtofitwithinthemeter
andstructureofpoem.Poetryisanexcellentwayinallagestocreatesomething
memorableandtoconjureupelegantwordpicturesofthoughtsandemotions;
poetryisinherentlyhumanandthusanexcellentmeansofcommunicating
amonghumans.
Weleftoffatchapter1verse7ofHoseasolet’sre-readsomeofHosea.
RE-READHOSEACHAPTER1:6–9

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
2/13
DependingonyourBibleversion,chapter1oftheBookofHoseamaynotendat
verse9andinsteadgothroughverse11.So,fortheBiblesthatendatverse9,
those2moreversesappearastheopeningversesofchapter2.Whyisitthat
way?TheHebrewBiblestructuresHoseatoendchapter1withthewordsof
verse9,whiletheEnglishstructuresittocontinuethroughverse11.Nonetheless,
alltheversesandwordsarethereregardlessofyourversion.Itisallthemore
reasonthatIurgepeopletodisregardchapterandversemarkingsinourBibles
becausethesenumberingsanddivisionswereneverthereintheoriginal.They
wereaddedbyeditorsathousandyearsaftertheBibleasweknowitwascreated
andthecanonclosed.Whilethesenumberingsanddivisionsweremeanttobe
helpful,chapterdivisions(especially)canoftengiveusthewrongimpression
thatonenarrativehasclosedandanewonebegun,orthatalocationhas
changed,orthatacircumstancehasshiftedwhennoneofthesesituationsare
necessarilythecase.
There’sacoupleofthingsforustobrieflyreviewfromourpreviouslesson.First
isthatHosea’sprophecyisONLYmeanttoapplytotheNorthernKingdomof
Ephraim/Israel,whichconsistedof10ofthetribesofIsrael.Verse7specifically
tellsusthatthe2othertribesofIsraelthatformtheSouthernKingdomofJudah
arenotgoingtosuffer(atleastnotfornow)alongsidetheirIsraelitebrothersto
theNorth.SecondisthatatthispointHoseahascarriedoutGod’scommandto
marryGomerandbynowshehasgivenhim2children:aboyandagirl.Theboy
wasnamedJezreelandthegirlLoRuchamah.TheseHebrewnames,when
translatedtoEnglish,mean“Godsows”and“unpitied”or“nomercy”.These
namesaremeantsymbolically,buttheywerealsotheactualnamesofthose2
children.
Verse8tellsusthatGomernowprovidedHoseawithanotherson;their3rdchild.
Howspreadoutwerethebirthsofthesechildren?Probably5–10yearsfromthe
birthofthefirsttothebirthofthethirdbecausetheweaningprocesslasted
anywherefrom2toasmuchas4oreven5yearsinthatera,oftendependingon
thecircumstancessuchashowmobileafamilywas,ortheavailabilityoffood,
andtoanextentthecurrentcustom.
Inverse9wereadthatAdonaisaidtonamethe3rdchildLoAmmi.SomeBibles
willsaythat“Godsaid”tonamethechildwiththatname.Infact,Godisn’t

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
3/13
directlymentionedhere.Ratherthemalegenderisusedinthegrammarofthe
openingwordtotheverse,andsosomeBibleversionsmoreaccuratelyand
literallyread:“ThenHesaid”.Whois“He”?Mosttranslatorsassumethe“He”
meansGodandsotheysimplyinserttheword“God”.Butwhatdidwelearn
aboutverse1thatbeginsintheHebrew“DabbarYehovehasherhaya’elHoshe”
orinEnglish“TheWordofYehovehcametoHosea”.Recallthat“TheWord”as
usedheredoesn’tmean“speech”.Itdoesn’tmeansyllablesandsentences.The
WordisanameforamanifestationofGod;alivingdivineentity.Heisoneofthe
“persons”orlivingattributesofGod.Infact,itwassomemanifestationofThe
WordthatappearedonearthasYeshua.
CJB
John1:1-5InthebeginningwastheWord,andtheWordwaswithGod,and
theWordwasGod.
2
HewaswithGodinthebeginning.
3
Allthingscametobe
throughhim,andwithouthimnothingmadehadbeing.
4
Inhimwaslife,andthe
lifewasthelightofmankind.
5
Thelightshinesinthedarkness,andthedarkness
hasnotsuppressedit.
So,the“He”whotoldHoseatonamethe3
rd
childLoAmmiwasTheWord,which
wasGod;butHewasGodinthesamewayaswesaytheHolySpiritorTheSon
isGod.Becauseunderstandingwhattheterm“TheWord”meansiscritical(so
farasispossibleforus),IneedtosaysomethingatthispointaboutTheWord
andwhattheApostleJohnhadtosayaboutYeshua.Thegeneralimplication
amongChristianchurchdoctrineisthatthemeaningofJesusbeingTheWordin
thefleshinherentlymeansthatallofwhateverTheWordwasatonetime,it
transformedintoJesus.Thus,TheWordfor30orsoyearsexistedonlyas,and
entirelyas,aJewishmanintheGalilee.Further,thiswouldalsonecessarily
meanthatwhateverformJesusisnowinHeavenisasasingularformthatsits
nexttoGodonHisownthroneinawaitingmodewithbasicallynothingelsetodo
untiltheFathersendsHimback.IthinknoneofthisisreflectiveofwhattheBible
actuallysays,butratherissomethingthatmanmadedoctrinehascreated,and
sowereadintotheBiblesomethingthatisn’tthere.
Tohelpusthroughthislet’sthinkontheHolySpiritforamoment.Whilewecan
speakoftheHolySpiritinthesingular…thatis,asasingulardivineentity….itis
alsoanentitythatliveswithinallBelievers.So,istheHolySpiritdividedup
amongmillionsofBelievers,eachreceivingonlyaportion?OrperhapsHe

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
4/13
multipliesHimselftomakecountlessHolySpirits?Ifwerejectthenotionof
manyHolySpiritsoradivided-upHolySpiritthenwealsomustaskiftheHoly
Spiritonlyexists,today,inacertainidentifiable,singularlocation:planetearth.
ThisisbecauseHisplaceofresidenceissaidbytheChurchtobeonlywithin
BelievinghumanbeingsandthereforelogicsaysHecannotexistanylongerin
Heaven(oranywhereelseforthatmatter).However,wedon’treallybelievethat
dowe?So,wetendnottohavealotofproblemwiththeconceptoftheHoly
Spirit,insomemysteriousway,havingnosingular,identifiablelocation;the
samesingularHolySpiritexistsinmanyplacesatonce…eveninadifferent
dimension…possiblywithnolimit.Norwhenconfrontedwiththenotiondowe
thinkoftheHolySpiritashavingcompletelytransformedintosomethingthatHe
neverwasbeforetheoccasionofPentecost.Itishelpful,then,tothinkof…to
mentallypicture…thedivine“TheWord”inasimilarway.TheWordstillexistsas
Hehasfromthebeginning;Hehasn’tchanged.So,whileJesuswas(inJohn’s
senseofit)TheWordwhenHewaspresentonearth,JesusthehumanJewish
mandidn’trepresentallthatTheWordwasorisorastheonlyplaceorformthat
TheWordthenexisted.Ortoputitanotherway,theentiretyofTheWordwas
notremovedfromonelocationandsomehowtransferredintotalintoMary’s
wombasaJewishfetus.
Mysterious?Veryhardtoconceiveof?Perhapstroubling?Mostcertainly.But
thinkuponthosefirstfewwordsofJohn’sGospel:CJBJohn1:1Inthebeginning
wasTheWord,andTheWordwaswithGod,andTheWordwasGod.Howdowe
reconcileTheWordbeingWITHGod(thatis,inacertainsenseidentifiably
separatefromGod)andyetalsosimultaneouslyBEINGGod?Ladies,youcan’tbe
bothWITHyourhusbandandatthesametimeBEyourhusband.Andsohowdo
wereconcilethisattributeorpersonofGodcalledTheWordbecomingflesh?And
yetatthesametimeremainingasGod?Therefore,wearenevermeanttothink
thatforawhiletheentiretyoftheattributeorpersoncalled“TheWord”was
completelyreformulatedintoYeshuaofNazarethandexistedinnootherwayor
place.Inotherwords,TheWordexistsandworkssimilarlyaswiththeHolySpirit,
butapparentlywithdifferentfunctions.
Strangely,thismatteroftheexistenceofTheWordisrarelytalkedaboutin
ChristiancirclesexceptinNewTestamentexplorationandinthecontextofJesus
Christ.So,wemustbecarefulnowthatweunderstandthatTheWord,asa

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
5/13
divinelivingspiritualentity,wasspeakingtoHoseaandotherprophetshundreds
ofyearspriortothebirthofYeshua.Unlikewhattheimplicationwithin
Christianitywouldsay,itwasNOTthepersonofJesusspeakingintotheearof
Hosea…itwasTheWord.TheWordexistedlongbeforetheman,Yeshua,was
born.Jesus,ifyouwould,isaproductofTheWordwhoinsomewaypossessed
characteristicsofTheWord.Jesus(Yeshua)wasthenameofa
living,fleshlyhumanbeingthatwassubjecttoalltheravagesoftimeandneeds
oflifethatweallare.Alivinghumanbeingwhocouldonlybeinoneplaceatone
time,livedforafiniteamountoftimeandthendied,butnowisaliveinanother
andentirelydifferentforminHeaventhatisalsomysterious.That’sprobably
enoughtothinkaboutsolet’smoveon.
Backtoverse9,thenamegiventoGomer’snewestbabywasLoAmmi;itmeans
“notMypeople”.Godemphasizesthemeaningofthenamebysayingthatbeing
declared“notMypeople”automaticallyalsoentailsYehovehnolongerbeing
Israel’sGod;thosetwothingsareorganicallylinked.Hereiswherethemajority
ofBiblescholars,inmyopinion,goofftherailsalittlebitbecausetheyfailto
graspthewidercontextofwhatishappening.Firstlet’stalkaboutGodsayingHe
willnolongerbetheirGod.
Godisgoingtoexilethose10tribesoftheNorthernKingdomtoforeignlands
(gentilenations)asapunishmentfortheirfaithlessnessandidolatry.Itwasa
giveninthethoughtoftheHebrews(andvirtuallyallthenations)thatevery
nationhaditsownseparatenationalgod.ThisispartofthereasonthatKing
JeroboamandthegeneralpopulationoftheNorthernKingdomcouldseriously
saythateventhoughtheyworshippedBaal(intheformofagoldencalf),they
alsoworshippedYehoveh;theysawnocontradictionorproblemwiththis.Baal
andYehoveheachserveddifferentfunctionsintheirwayofthinking.Thisis
becauseYehovehwasthenationalgodofIsrael;butasthenationalgodHedidn’t
serveeveryfunctionthatpeoplewantedandneededfromtheirgods.There
were(theybelieved)othergods;onethatprovidedrain,anotherprotectionfrom
diseaseandwar,yetadifferentonegavefertilitytothecropsandtothewomen,
etc.Thepointisthatanationalgodwasanchoredtoapieceofland;toa
particulargeographicallocation(anationwithitsboundaries).Ifapersonwho
worshippedthatnationalgodtraveledoutsideoftheboundariesofthatgod’s
territory,thenhelostallcontactwiththatgodbecauseheleftthatgod’s

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
6/13
jurisdiction.Itwasthegodoftheterritory(thenation)henowfoundhimselfin
thathe’dhavetoacknowledgeandworship.He'dhavetoswitchgodsuntilhe
returnedtohisformernation.Thebottomlineisthis:inHebrewthinkingifIsrael
weretobeexpelledfromtheirlandandsentintodifferentnations,theyalso
wouldbeleavingbehindtheirgod,Yehoveh,thusseveringtherelationship.So,
inthatwayindeedYehovehwouldnolongerbetheirGod.Ihavenodoubtthat
isthewayHoseaunderstoodthis,andhowthosewhoheardHosea’sprophecy
tookittomean(althoughthatisn’texactlyhowGodintendedit).Godmeantitin
amuchmoreexpansivewaythatdovetailedintowhathappenedonMt.Sinai
some500yearsearlier.TherewereadthisinExodus:
CJB
Exodus6:7Iwilltakeyouasmypeople,andIwillbeyourGod.Thenyouwill
knowthatIamADONAIyourGod,whofreedyoufromtheforcedlaborofthe
Egyptians.
So,inthisstatementinHosea1:9GodsaidthatHewasgoingtobackawayfrom
Israelatthistime,andinsomewaysreversewhatwasofferedtoIsraelsolong
ago.Anoffer,bytheway,thatIsrael…all12tribes…resoundinglyaccepted.
Hereisthethingweshouldimmediatelytakefromthis:followingGodina
covenantrelationshipbringsobligationsuponus.Thoseobligationsare
expressedinthetermsofthecovenant.Ifwefailinourobligations,theresult
canbedevastating.Althoughthelanguagebeingusedisexpressedsymbolically
inmarriageandfamilyterms,whatisbeingcommunicatedasauniversal
God-principleisthatrebellionagainstHimcanbringwithitadissolvingofour
personalrelationshipwithHim,andalsothelossofanyrighttobeprotected
underacovenantthatwe,inourwickedness,willfullybroke.Iwouldlikeforus
tonowreadthe2
nd
chapterofHoseaandthenI’llcontinuetospeakaboutthis
breakingofcovenantwithGod.
READHOSEACHAPTER2all
Itisfascinatingthatinessencethelastverseofchapter1speaksof
consequencesofbreakingthecovenantwithGod,andimmediatelythefirst
verseofchapter2speaksofrestoration.Inanutshellweseethetruenatureand
characterofGodasaGodwhoontheonehanddemandsobedienceandwill
punish(curse)Hisownfortheirdisobedience,butontheotherhandsuch

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
7/13
punishmentdoesn’thavetobetheendofthestory.Hewill,onHisterms,restore
ustoHimself.Whatelseisredemptionexceptrestoration?Redemptionmeansa
changeofstate.Achangeofwhatstate?Achangefromdisobedienceand
slaverytosin,toobedienceandfreedomfromthepowerofsin.However,thisnot
howtheseversesareusuallyexplained.
TheusualexplanationisthatwearewitnessingadissolutionoftheCovenantof
Moses.Orinthesymbolicmarriagetermsbeingused,adivorceisoccurring…
GodisdivorcingIsrael.I’mheretotellyouemphaticallythatthisisincorrect.
Let’sstartwithacoupleofbasics.Thecomparisonbetweenhumanfamily
dynamicsthatarebeingusedsymbolicallyandwhatGodisdoingwithIsrael
havesufficientsimilaritiessoastoprovideagoodillustrationforus.However,
theyarenotexactlythesame.Divorcecanbe,indeed,ameansofdealingwith
theunfaithfulnessofamarriagepartner.However,GodcursingHischosen
peoplefortheirunfaithfulnessisnottheexactequivalent.Further,God’s
covenantwithIsrael(theCovenantofMoses)hadbuilt-inrepercussionsfor
disobedienceaswellashappyrewardsforobedience.Thesearecalledthecurses
andtheblessingsofTheLaw.WhatGodwaspronouncingonIsraelthrough
Hoseawasthecursesofthecovenantforbreakingit;butnotbreakingitinthe
senseoftheabolishmentofthecovenant.Letmegiveyouasimpleillustration
usingmodernterms.
Thelawofyourtownisifyourunaredlightandyouhitanothercar,therewillbe
acorrespondingpenaltythatincludesanythingfromafine,totimeinjail,to
reparationsforthedamagedcar,toalloftheabove.But,didsuchbreakingof
thatlawagainstrunningaredlightincludedissolvingthelawitself,oreventhe
entirelawcodeofwhichitwaspart?Ofcoursenot.Therefore,ifasisusually
claimed,theCovenantofMoseswasherebyabolishedbyGodinresponseto
Israel’sunfaithfulness,thenwhatofpoorJudah?Wasthecovenantthatthey
werealsoapartytonowgonebecauseofwhatEphraim/Israelhaddone?And,
sincewealreadyknowthatJudahwouldnotsuffer,justyet,asimilarfateas
theirnorthernbrothers,thenweunderstandsomethinginterestingaboutthe
natureandtermsoftheCovenantofMoses;itisrelevanttoentirenations,
corporately,anditissimultaneouslyrelevanttoindividuals.

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
8/13
Anotherinterestingfeature(I’lldemonstrateitaswegoalong)isthatthe
proceedingwejustreadaboutinchapter2wasnotadivorceproceeding;itwas
anadulteryproceeding.Further,thenatureofitwasnottofacilitateadivorce
butrathertopersuadetheoffendingpartyGomer(symbolicallyrepresentingthe
10tribesofthenorth)torepentandchangeherways.Theproceedinghadthe
hopeofreconciliationinmind;notdissolution.Tobeclear:Godwasnotdivorcing
IsraelnorwasHeabrogatingtheCovenantofMoses.RatherHewaschartinga
pathtorestorationasHewasenforcingthetermsofthecovenant.Thecovenant
remainedfullyintact.
So:wehavebeenpresentedwith3characterizationsoftheconditionof
Ephraim/IsraelasGodseesit,asweenterchapter2.1)Israelwillbedeservingly
afflictedbyGod(Godsows),2)GodwillnotshowmercytoIsrael,and3)Israel
willlosetheirnationalGodbecausetheyaregoingtobesentawayfromtheir
land,thisbecauseGodisgoingtocursethemwiththenegativeconsequencesof
breakingthetermsofHiscovenantwiththem.Oncemore,breakingthe
covenantnomoremeans“endingthecovenant”thandoesourbreakingofalocal
lawmeantheendingofthelocallawcode.ImmediatelyYehoveh,throughThe
Word,offershope.
CJB
Hosea2:1"Nevertheless,thepeopleofIsra'elwillnumberasmanyasthe
grainsofsandbythesea,whichcannotbemeasuredorcounted;sothatthe
timewillcomewhen,insteadofbeingtold,'Youarenotmypeople,'itwillbesaid
tothem,'YouarethechildrenofthelivingGod.
Indirectcontrasttothecursesissuedthatthe10tribeswouldberejectedbyGod,
intimeHewouldtakethemback.Infact,thisspeaksofafuturetimewhenIsrael
wouldthrivemorethanever.Thereislittleinthebiblicaleratobetterdescribe
abundancethanapopulationexplosionandthatiswhatismeantbythesonsof
Israelbeingtooinnumerabletocount,likethesandsoftheseas.The“sandsof
theseas”isanidiomthatweseeusedfromtimetotimeintheBibleanditalways
meansthesamething:anumberthatisimpossibletocount.
Now,whywouldGoddothis?Whythispromiseofreversal?IsitbecauseIsrael
wouldrepentandbecomerighteousandfaithfulagain?No.SooftenweseeGod
dosomethingthathaslittletodowithapresentcircumstance.Ratheritisdone

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
9/13
inordertokeepapromisethatHemadealongtimeago,andsoHeactstokeep
Hisowngoodnameholy,notnecessarilyforthesakeofthosewhomightbenefit.
YehovehpromisedthePatriarchs,beginningwithAbraham,thatwhatHehas
justsaidregardingIsraelHewoulddo.
CJB
Genesis13:11-16
11
SoLotchosealltheplainoftheYardenforhimself,and
Lottraveledeastward;thus,theyseparatedthemselvesfromeachother.
12
AvramlivedinthelandofKena'an;andLotlivedinthecitiesoftheplain,setting
uphistentnearS'dom.
13
NowthemenofS'domwereevil,committinggreatsins
againstADONAI.
14
ADONAIsaidtoAvram,afterLothadmovedawayfromhim,
"Lookallaroundyoufromwhereyouare,tothenorth,thesouth,theeastand
thewest.
15
AllthelandyouseeIwillgivetoyouandyourdescendants
forever,
16
andIwillmakeyourdescendantsasnumerousasthespecksofdust
ontheearth-sothatifapersoncancountthespecksofdustontheearth,then
yourdescendantscanbecounted.
So,theeventualbringingofthe10tribeshomewouldhavenothingtodowith
themreturningtocovenantfaithfulnessinordertomeritit.Itwouldhavetodo
withGod’smercythatiscenteredaroundpromisesHehadmadetothe
PatriarchsofIsrael.GodhasjustgivenhopetothesamepeoplewhomHehas
chastisedandtoldthattheyareabouttoloseeverything.Thereisnothingthey
candotostoptheinevitablecursestheyareabouttosuffer,andlikewiseitwon’t
beontheiraccountthattheyareshownmercy,returnedtotheLand,andtheir
prosperityrejuvenated.
Godoperatesinthesestrangedualities.Hewillusefiretopurify,ortodestroy.
Hewillusewatertopurify,ortodestroy.Hewillusebloodtosanctify,ortomake
unclean.Oneofthosestrangedualitiesisdemonstratedhere.Godpromisesthat
inthesameexactplacethattheIsraelitesrebelledandsoHeexpelledthemfrom
thatplacedeclaringthat“YouarenotMypeople”,atimewillcomewhenHewill
returnthemtothatsameexactplaceanddeclarethattheyare“sonsofthe
LivingGod”.Nothinglikethishashappenedtoanyothernationofpeople…ever…
excepttoIsrael.2700yearsafterthisprophecy…27centuriesafterexpelling
IsraelfromtheLand…GodkeptHispromisetoAbrahamandreturnedIsraelto
thesameexactspotfromwhichtheyhadleft.Didtheydeserveit?Hadthey
changedverymuch?No.Truly,thefirstthingIthinkofasmyplanenearsBen

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
10/13
GurionAirportinTelAviv,istheastoundingmiraclethatGodhasdone.Ialways
chooseawindowseatbecauseIwanttobeabletogazetothehorizonwhereI
seenothingbutlushfieldsandendlessnewbuildings.Highwaysjammedwith
cars.Shoppingmallsandrestaurants.Hospitalsandschools.Universitiesand
Hi-Techcompanies.Idon’teverwanttobecomecallousedtoit.Therebirthof
Israeldidn’thappenbecauseofhumanefforts;ithappenedbecauseGodalways
keepsHispromises.
CJB
Hosea2:2ThenthepeopleofY'hudahandthepeopleofIsra'elwillbe
gatheredtogether;theywillappointforthemselvesoneleader;andtheywillgo
upoutoftheland;forthatwillbeagreatday,[theday]ofYizre'el.
Verse2speaksofafuturetimewhenthepeopleoftheKingdomofJudah(2
tribes)andthepeopleoftheKingdomofIsrael(10tribes)willbereunited.They
willagreeononeleader;thismuchisrathereasytotakefromthisverse.But
whatdoesitmeanto“goupoutoftheland”?OtherBibleversionsliketheNAS
andRSVsay“goupfromtheland”.Therehavebeenafewdifferentattemptsto
discernwhatthismeansincludingleavingthelandswheretheyhavebeen
scatteredinthevariousexilesIsraelsuffered.However,sinceMt.Sinaitheterm
“togoup”nearlyalwaysmeanttogotoMt.MoriahinJerusalem.Andoncethe
Templewasbuilt,itmeanttogouptotheTempleinJerusalem.Whyup?
Because,firstofall,Jerusalemsitsatanaltitudeofaround2500feet;thehighest
placeinJudah.Also,becauseGodisalwaysseenasliving“up”inHeaven.In
nearlyallgodsystems,shrinesandaltarswerebuiltonhighplaces…hillsand
mountaintops…togetclosesttothegods.Therefore,Ithinkthatthisstatement
aboutthereunitedpeopleofIsraelgoingupisaboutthemreturning,together,to
worshipattheTempleinJerusalem.And,wemustalwaysrememberthatwhen
therewasnoTemple,orIsraelwasawayfromtheirTemple,therewasnowayto
atoneforsinsthroughanimalsacrifices.So,itwasaprettyseriousproblemfor
themandconstantlyontheirminds.
Theday(orbetter,era)thatthisrestorationcomestofruitioniscalledtheDayof
Jezreel.Noticethatonceagainweencounteradualism.Jezreel,asthenameof
Hosea’sfirstchild,wasfirstsymbolicallymeantasanegativething.Itmeans
Godsowsinbothcases.However,inchapter1itmeantthatGodsowed
destructioninIsrael.NowthesametermisusedtosaythatGodwillsow

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
11/13
restorationandabundanceinIsraelatsomefuturepoint.Theconceptbeing
spokenofinthisverseisalsospokenofintheProphetEzekiel’sbook.This
importantprophecyinEzekielisworthreadingasitworkshandinglovewiththis
onefromHosea.
READEZEKIELCHAPTER37all
BetweenthewordsofHoseaandEzekielwegetaratherrobustpictureof
somethingthatisalreadyinprogress.Thisisnotpie-in-the-sky…itiscurrently
happening.JudahandIsraelaremakingtheirwaybacktotherebornnationof
Israel.Althoughthenon-gentilepeopleofIsraelarecalledJews,thatisinsome
waysmisleadingandamisnomer.TheexilesofJudah,andthosewholivedinthe
RomanprovinceofJudea,werecalledJews.Howevermorecorrectlythosefolks
wereonlyfromthe2tribesofJudahandBenjamin.Thisdoesn’tspeakofthe10
tribesoftheNorth,thatwereknownbythedualnamesofEphraimandIsrael.
HoseaandEzekielspeakofadaywhenthepeopleofJudahANDthepeopleof
Israelwouldreuniteintheirownland.ThisishappeningasIspeaktoyou.The
happyreunionisunderway.Thisoughttosendshiversdownyourspine.Weare
literallyeyewitnessestothefulfillmentofprophecy.Ihavepersonallywitnessed
peoplearrivingatBenGurionAirportwhowereimmigratingtoIsraelfromthe
tribeofManasseh(oneofthe10tribesofIsrael).Ofcourse,theprophecyisn’t
completed.Messiahhastoreturn(thekingfromtheHouseofDavid)beforethis
prophecyisfullycompleted.Butthismightbeacluethatwearen’tfaratallfrom
Yeshua’sreturn.
CJB
Hosea2:3"Saytoyourbrothers,'Ammi[MyPeople]!'andtoyoursisters,
'Ruchamah[Pitied]!'
ThisisastatementmeaningthatGodacknowledgesthatthecursefromIsrael
breakingtheLawhasbeenliftedandreversed.Restorationhashappened.God
hasre-acceptedHispeople(Mypeople)andshownthemmercy(pitied).No
divorceeveroccurred;buttherewasalongperiodofestrangement.
OneofthethingsthatIfindfascinatingaboutthisreunificationisthatthetribal
daysofIsraelendedbeforeChristwasborn.NotsincetheBabylonianExileofthe
6thcenturyB.C.hasIsraelsegregatedthemselvesortheirlandaccordingto

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
12/13
tribeandtribalterritory.WhenIlookatpre-WWIIcommentariesonHoseaand
Ezekielthegeneralthoughtisthatspeakingofthereturnofthetribesatsome
futuretimewasmerelyananachronisticwayofspeaking.Thatis,bythetime
thisreunionwouldoccur,anyvestigeoftribalismwouldbelonggoneandthe
peoplereallywouldn’tevenknowwhattribestheirveryancientancestorsmight
havebelongedto.Yetinonesenseonecouldsaythatthetribeshavereturned.
Againstallodds,theselong-lostIsraelitesdohaveamemoryofthetribesthey
camefromsoverylongago.Infact,oneofthemoreknowngroupsofpeopleto
migratetoIsraelweregiventhenicknameofTheBlackJewsofEthiopia.There
havebeenacoupleofpopularfilmsanddocumentariesmadeaboutthisevent
andthedaringrescuethatbeganaratherlargemigrationoftheseEthiopiansto
modernIsrael.Butinfact,theseEthiopiansarenotfromthetribesofJudahor
Benjamin.TheywillexplaintoyouthattheyarefromthetribeofDan;1ofthe
10NortherntribesofEphraimIsrael.It’sonlythatmanyofthemadoptedthe
religionofJudaismasanexpressionoftheirHebrewfaithandsointhatwayhave
beenlabeledJews.Buttriballyspeaking,theyareDanites.
AsoftenasI’vespokenonthesubjectofprophecyI’vestatedthatinmyviewthe
primaryproblemwithunderstandingbiblicalprophecyisthatwetendtonottake
itliterallyenough.Wetrytomakeitfitwiththeworldasitiscurrentlyandsowe
twistandturnitsmeaningandteachitthatway.Whenwedothatwetendto
missitwhenaprophecyisactuallybeingfulfilled.Let’svownottodothesame
asthepropheciesoftheEndTimesbegintohappeninrapidsuccessionexactly
astheyarewrittenthattheywillhappen.
Restorationissuchabeautifulthing.Israelblunderedandsinneditswayinto
God’scurseuponthemallthewhileself-assuredthattheirinventionofa
hybridizedreligioussystemwaspleasingtoHim,incompletedisregardofthe
CovenantofMosesandnumerousotherwarningsthathadbeengiventoobey
YehovehandtoworshipONLYHim.WhatGodaskedofIsrael,andisaskingofus,
istowaitinfaithandinfaithfulnessforwhatHehaspromisedtocomeabout.
AftergivingHoseaapanoramicunderstandingofhowthisisallgoingtoplayout
forIsrael,thesymboliccomplaintofGodtowardsIsraelcontinuesinverse4.

Lesson04-HoseaChapters1&2
13/13
CJB
Hosea2:4Rebukeyourmother,rebukeher;forsheisn'tmywife,andI'm
notherhusband.Shemustremoveherwhoringfromherface,andher
adulteriesfrombetweenherbreasts
AbetterEnglishwordtobeginthisversethanrebukeis“accuse”.Thisisbecause
alegalproceedingagainstadulteryisbeingenvisioned.Thecomplaintthat‘she
isn’tmywifeandI’mnotherhusband”isn’tmeantasapointoflegalfact;itis
whattheessenceofGomer’swhoredomamountstointheeyesofthehusband.
Thatis,sincesheisnotbehavingasaloyalwife,thusshemustnotwantHosea
asherhusband.Oncemore:donottakethisillustrationthatisgiveninfamily
symbolismtoofar.IsraelwasNOTGod’slegalwife,andGodwasNOTIsrael’s
legalhusband,eventhoughtherearesimilaritiesintherelationshipthatare
usefultohelpusunderstandGod’spointofview.Infact,itisonlyinthepagan
religionsthatagodsuchasBaalwouldbebelievedtohaveanactuallegalwife(a
femalegodlikeAshtoreth).However,tobeclear:inthissymbolicpicture,itis
meanttodepictGodintheroleasthehusbandandIsraelintheroleasthe
unfaithfulwife.
We’llstophereandcontinueinHoseachapter2nexttime.