December 20

HOSEA 9

Rejoice not, O Israel! Exult not like the peoples;
for you have played the whore, forsaking your God.
You have loved a prostitute’s wages on all threshing floors.
² Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
 and the new wine shall fail them.³ They shall not remain in the land of the Lord,
 but Ephraim shall return to Egypt and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.  

⁴ They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord,
and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners’ bread to them;
all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread shall be for their hunger only;
it shall not come to the house of the Lord. – Hosea 9:1-4

HOSEA 9 WHEN YOU FORSAKE THE LORD

Hosea warns the Israelites of the consequences of their adultery. He cautions them not to be so secure about their wages since they have forsaken the Lord and preferred to rely on their idols. According to some sources, at the time Hosea was alerting them of the coming doom, it may have been during harvest time when there was much rejoicing and fun because of the bountiful harvest they had. Boice comments “It was probably the case, though we do not know this for sure, that Hosea delivered the opening part of this oracle as a sermon on the occasion of a harvest festival…characterized by feasting, mirth, and dancing.”

In verse 2, the threshing floor was a place where grain was processed. Guzik comments that “Israel practiced idolatry on the threshing floor. They worshipped idols here because they believed that it helped the harvest. Because of their idolatry, the LORD would curse their harvest, and the threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them.” In our times now, we can easily do this by forgetting that all good things come from the Lord as James 1:17 reiterates. We think that we did well because we are talented or gifted or hardworking.

Aside from such curses, they would also be sent back both to Egypt and Assyria, where they would once again suffer the enslavement of these pagan wicked people. They will be eating unclean food in Assyria and they would only sacrifice to the Lord for their own survival and not to worship and thank the Lord.

REFLECTION

·       What are some ways that a believer can forsake the Lord?

December 17

HOSEA 8

Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law.
² To me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.”
³ Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.

⁴ They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
⁵ I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence? ⁶ For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it; it is not God. The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

                                                                       – Hosea 8:1-6

HOSEA 8 SOW THE WIND & REAP THE WHIRLWIND

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, obeying his law is your life

God is faithful and expects your whole heart, soul and mind

When you don’t follow his law, you are rebelling against him

You will surely reap the consequences of this grievous sin

God hates all forms of wickedness, idolatry and adultery

Turn away from sins that He hates, repent and return to Him.

Coffman’s commentary summarizes this chapter as “sow the wind reap the whirlwind.”

He says that this chapter is a continuation of the sad lament and prophecy of the forthcoming destruction. In verse 1, trumpets usually alarm or give notice of either a victory or some threat coming to them. It was a warning of coming doom to them as a consequence of their sin against the Lord. According to Ward’s commentary, “the vulture was referring to Assyria since it was the obvious threat to Israel’s sovereignty in the eighth century B.C.”  Verse 2 is an insincere cry for help to God when they are actually asking the other gods for help as well. In verse 4, Boice comments “To choose leaders without the direction of God is not only sinful, it is foolish. Those who follow their own wisdom in the choice of leaders inevitably get what they deserve.”

REFLECTION

• Why do you think some commentaries summarize this chapter as “sow the wind and reap the whirlwind?”

December 16

HOSEA 7
14 They do not cry to me from the heart,
but they wail upon their beds;
for grain and wine they gash themselves;
they rebel against me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms,
yet they devise evil against me.
16 They return, but not upward;
they are like a treacherous bow;
their princes shall fall by the sword
because of the insolence of their tongue.
This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. – Hosea 7:14-16

HOSEA 7 THE INSOLENCE OF GOD’S PEOPLE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Though God has shown steadfast love to his people
They did not reciprocate back his faithfulness
Instead, they pretended they worshipped the Lord
But simultaneously devised evil and insolence against God.

Some sources mentioned that in verse 14, God’s people said that they repented of their sins and promised to change. They made a show of worshipping God in their lips, but their hearts weren’t involved. Gill’s commentary says “when they howled upon their beds, lying sick or wounded there; or, as some, in their idol temples, those beds of adultery, where they pretended to worship God and pray to God through these idols.
In verse 16, God confronts their evil defiance. Instead of returning to Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord there, they went to Egypt. Gill comments on “treacherous bow” as “They were missing the mark it is directed to which being designed to send its arrow one way, causes it to go to the revere or its arrow returns upon the archer or drops at his feet; so, these people deviated from the law of God, acted contrary to their promises.” Mixing with pagans led them to compromise their covenant promise to the Lord.

REFLECTION
• What are the dangers of yoking with unbelievers as illustrated in these verses?

December 15

HOSEA 7

⁸ Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
⁹ Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not;
gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.
¹⁰ The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return

to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this.

¹¹ Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense,
calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.¹² As they go,

 I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
 I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.
¹³ Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!

Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. – Hosea 7:8-13

HOSEA 7 ON SPEAKING LIES AGAINST GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ

One is expected to obey his will and commands

His servant is to abide in him and live his truth

He is to keep away from the corruption of the world

It is evil and wicked to speak lies against God

You are serving the enemy when you do so.

In this account, Hosea describes what evil things Ephraim has done against the Lord. In verse 8, they were illustrated as “mixing with the peoples.” God specifically told them not to intermarry from outside the covenant people and is what exactly what they did. Without them even noticing it, they began to worship the pagan idols that their partners practiced. They didn’t keep their hearts pure for the Lord. Hosea also mentioned their pride in verse 10, they did not seek God anymore. They went to Assyria, a pagan country for help instead of going to their covenant God.  This stirred God’s jealousy and brought about destruction unless they repent and return back to the Lord.

REFLECTION

• How can a Christian lie against the Lord without them even noticing it?

December 13

HOSEA 6

⁷ But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
⁸ Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood.
⁹ As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to Shechem; they commit villainy.
¹⁰ In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;

Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

¹¹ For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

When I restore the fortunes of my people, – Hosea 6:7-11

HOSEA 6 WICKED & UNREPENTANT PEOPLE OF GOD

In this account, the people of God were likened to Adam in verse 7. Adam was the originator of sin, together with Eve.  In this verse we hear God accusing Israel of her lack of faith in him and unfaithfulness. Adam was the first man created by God and he was given dominion over all creatures. All his needs were met. He didn’t have to work, as God took care of all of them. He lived with God and had his presence constantly.  He was in paradise where he had no lack because God provided for all their needs. The Israelites were in a similar situation with Adam. They were given the Promised Land and were also provided, protected and cared for. God made a covenant promise to them. He provided them with food in the wilderness. Both Adam and the Israelites were unfaithful to God.

Biblehub.com says that Gilead is a region located east of the Jordan River, primarily in the territory that was allotted to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. It is characterized by its mountainous terrain and fertile land, making it suitable for agriculture and livestock. The region is often associated with balm, a resin used for medicinal purposes, as noted in Jeremiah 8:22. Absalom, David’s son who led a coup against his father, camped in Gilead and it was there that Absalom died.

Clarke comments “The idolatrous priests there formed themselves into companies, and kept possession of the roads and passes; and if they found any person going to Jerusalem to worship the true God, they put him to death.” What distorted acts these priests did when they were supposed to be the one setting examples for the people of God to stay pure and holy. What wickedness these people did!

REFLECTION

·       How can these chosen people of God continue with their wickedness?

December 12

HOSEA 6

⁴ What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
    What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
    like the dew that goes early away.
⁵ Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
    I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
    and my judgment goes forth as the light.
⁶ For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. – Hosea 6:4-6

HOSEA 6 WHAT GOD DESIRES FROM HIS PEOPLE

In these following verses, God speaks to his people just as our parents would when we continue doing what is against what they have in store for their children. In other words, because of the unconditional love, God presents a rhetorical question to them to make them accountable for what they have done to breach their promise to him to stay loyal and faithful only to the One true God who loves them and cares for them the most. Hosea described the fickleness of their love to the Lord by comparing it to the morning cloud and the dew that goes quickly away. Clark comments “Ephraim and Judah had too much goodness in them to admit of their total rejection, and too much evil to admit of their being placed among the children. Speaking after the manner or men, the justice and mercy of God seem puzzled how to act toward them. When justice was about to destroy them for their iniquity, it was prevented by their repentance and contrition: when mercy was about to pour upon them as penitents its choicest blessings, it was prevented by their fickleness and relapse!”

God’s response to the idolatry and unfaithfulness of his people is laid down in verse 5. The synonyms for the word “hewn” are: cut, chopped, axed. God poured such judgments upon them because he didn’t want his people to perish. Clark once again comments on this verse “And my judgment is as the light going forth.  It shall be both evident and swift; alluding both to the velocity and splendor of light.”

Verse 6 defines how God wants them to worship him. Matthew 9:13 reiterates this desire of God. He says “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. ’For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

REFLECTION

• How have you responded to God’s desire from you as his child?

December 11

HOSEA 6

“Come, let us return to the Lord;
    for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
    he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
² After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.
³ Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
    his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
    as the spring rains that water the earth.” – Hosea 6:1-3

HOSEA 6 LET US RETURN TO THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

In this account, Hosea invites the people of God to return to Him. He humbly reminded the Israelites that although they have sinned, there is a time for healing and binding them up again. We witness Hosea’s knowledge of God and his loving kindness and steadfast love and leads the people to return to the Lord as his love for them never changes despite all their sinfulness. Hosea presents how much God loves them just like a parent would unconditionally love a child and discipline is part of that loving kindness. When we are being disciplined, it may be very painful at the time that we are being corrected, but that is what true love is. The one who loves us deeply will never want us to go astray.

Verse 2 shows us again how much Hosea knew the Lord. He prayed confidently and trust that God will restore his people back again. He knew he is a promise keeper and he will never abandon his people. In this prayer, there is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus as he mentions that on the third day, God will raise them up. Just like how Jesus was torn on Calvary, died and raised up to life again.

Verse 3 summons the people of God to get to know him more. We are given his word so we can build up our faith and our intimacy with him. His mercy is abounding as Lamentation 3:22 says. His steadfast love never ceases. It is new every morning just as certain as the rising of the sun. Clark comments on the verse as surely as the early and the latter rain comes: “The first, to prepare the earth for the seed; this fell in autumn: the second, to prepare the full ear for the harvest; this fell in spring. Here is strong confidence; but not misplaced, however worthless the persons were.”

REFLECTION

• Why is it important for us to return to the Lord especially after sinning?