(REFLECTIONS ON Hosea 1:1-11)

Have we ever had the experience making a point, and what everyone focused more on was how we were making the point, than the actual point itself?

Have we ever used an example or illustration to elaborate on what we were trying to communicate, and rather than leading to understanding, led to more confusion instead?

This is what I feel happens to many readers especially in the first three chapters of Hosea. Hosea was prophet of the Lord and the Lord said to him,

“Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry;”

That is Hosea was to go find a woman characterized by harlotry. It isn’t clear if she was a prostitute, someone that was sexually immoral, was or would be unfaithful. But, let’s get back to the point. Hosea married Gomer and she conceived and bore three children.

Yes, books have been written, many scholars have commented on this, and yet we still sometimes scratch our heads and are confused on what is happening. However, aren’t we told why all this is happening? The Lord said,

“For the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.”

What is more interesting to me than Hosea and Gomer is why it is the land, rather than the people of the land, that is said to commit flagrant harlotry.

The land was given to Israel as a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, Israel in turning to other gods and other nations turned what was to be a holy land devoted to the worship of God, to a land filthy and being sold out for the worship of idols and the reliance on other nations.

The land commits flagrant harlotry, telling us the acts of Israel defiled the land, and in defiling the land forsook the Lord that gave them the land.

Let’s get back to the point then. Hosea, Gomer and their children were to illustrate to Israel their unfaithfulness to the Lord, that included polluting the land of promise.

Hosea and Gomer’s three children, Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah, and Lo-ammi, represented the results of what would happen to Israel because of their unfaithfulness.

Let’s get back to the point, and understand that Jezreel represented the Lord putting an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. Lo-ruhamah represented the Lord no longer having compassion on the house of Israel. Lo-ammi represented God declaring that Israel was no longer living as His people, saying, “you are not My people and I am not your God.”

What is the point then? The point is for us to consider in our hearts if we have whored out our lives to the world, to any god except our God, or even have at times idolized ourselves?

Yet through it all, and what we will see unfold throughout Hosea is that there is still hope despite the pollution and defilement of the land, and the unfaithfulness of the people of God. Yes, there is grace and mercy in the midst of depravity, and that is what Hosea, Gomer, and their family is to portray and teach us as well.

If we get back to the point, then we perhaps will look at Hosea and Gomer differently. Rather than total depravity, we will see compassion, mercy, hope, and yes, the love of God.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Hosea 1