Hosea 8 - 14 (21st July) - Sky

As we start today’s blog summary. A lot of people shared that in the book of Hosea is a sad story of unfaithfulness and sorrow. But I disagree, in this book I learnt “Love that will not quit”

Look for ways that Hosea loved his undeserving wife and consider how God does the same for us.

Hosea 8 - Israel to Reap Whirlwind

This chapter starts with judgment, like an eagle over the house of the Lord. This image signified God’s coming judgment as Assyria would invade and destroy Israel.

Putting this chapter into context with Hosea life. If your wife/husband is unfaithful, sleeping around and doing whatever that’s sinful. How would u feel? That’s how God feels. It is written countless of times. God has feelings. He can be grieved, angered, frustrated or delighted with our behavior

Israel is to reap a whirlwind as this image portrays the sad fate of Israel in its apostasy, idolatry and infidelity. Rather than sowing productive seed, Israel sowed wind, that is, mere air or a trifling nothing. The tragic harvest of such sowing is a devastating storm of judgment against the nation’s sin.

Have you been sowing wind? And feeling you are reaping a whirlwind? Or
Have you been sowing seeds and reaping fruits?

Hosea 9 – Punishment of Israel

Countless prophecies of judgment, punishment are listed here. Treasures taken, thorn overrunning their tents to yielding no fruit and losing off springs.

Israel glory merely a memory, a shame to the past.
As the prophet Hosea shared in verse 10
“When I found Israel; it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.”

Early figs are considered especially delicious. Hosea used this poignant imagery to picture God’s delight in his chosen people in Israel’s earliest days as a nation. Glory fly away, like a detestable fruit spitted out of the Lord’s mouth Israel has become.

Hosea 10

Israel has quite a few contrast of poetic images are personified in this chapter.
Spreading vine – Growing and becoming a nation bearing fruit

Poisonous weeds in a plowed field – Becoming an infection to the world
From a fruitful spreading vine, Israel became poisonous weeds.

Hosea in verse 12 gives Israel a wake-up call hoping that Israel would turn from wickedness to righteous. Reaping fruit of unfailing love rather than reaping evil and eating fruit of deception.

Hosea 11 – God’s Love for Israel

Hosea switched the love analogy from husband-wife to father and son. Just as a father cares for and nurtures his son, God had taken care of the people Israel, bringing them out of Egypt and establishing them in a land of promise.

As the Lord bless, nurture and love them more. The further Israel was to our Lord, they sacrificed to Baals, refusing to repent and determined to turn from Him. Countless of times they displease the Lord. But always always The Lord forgave, can’t bear to give them up in V8. Like father and a son.

Would u say to yourself “I know a love that does not quit.”

Hosea 12 – Israel Sin

Jacob known for his deceit was the father of Israel’s 12 tribes. Like their ancestor, the people of Hosea’s day also were deceitful. But Hosea wanted them to follow Jacob’s further example. Jacob searched for God and allowed God to transform him, he had cleansed himself and his household of idol worship, and he had received God’s blessings.

Hosea shared the story of Jacob to Israel hoping they would follow his example.

Hosea 13 - The Lord’s Anger against Israel

As your see the chapter transits, from judgment to love etc. Chapter 13 shows the Lord’s anger to even to an extent it may sound brutal.

Israel sin more and more, building idols, kissing them, sacrificing their own children, anger of the Lord grew and grew. In V14 God said he will have no compassion.

Does that shock you? It did for me. But read the above blessing. The promise of the blessing in the first part of this verse appeared within the larger context of judgment. Death and the grave in fact, spoke of the nation’s ultimate demise. But in spite of all that, Hosea offered a glimmer of God’s love in God’s promise to ransom and redeems the people. The nation, after being judged and destroyed would be restored. But for the moment, God would show no compassion.

Sometimes I feel God love us too much until we sometimes take it for granted. And yet Our Lord still out of everything loves us. That’s why HIS Love does not quit.

Hosea 14 – Repentance to Bring Blessing

As Hosea ends the chapter, asking Israel to once again return to the Lord. Hosea denounced the empty religious rituals of the people in the earlier chapters. In V2 He elaborated further by describing a genuine sacrifice –lips that sincerely offered one’s whole being to God. The fruit of lips is a phrase used to describe human praise and thanksgiving in worship.

Israel has always thought rituals solve everything, but God is always searching your heart, not your doings. If it’s still by our works we are holy, what for we need Christ th ultimate fulfillment of Love shown and died for us?

Remember “His LOVE never Quits”