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…Marriage is primarily an illustration of the relationship between the Lord
Jesus and His bride, the church. (Eph 5)
…The book of Hosea comes first in the biblical order of the minor prophets,
not because it was written or spoken first, but it is first in regard to its
__message__.
…What
Jeremiah was to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Hosea was to the Northern
Kingdom of Israel, only 150 years earlier. One day God came to this young
prophet and asked him to do a very
__difficult__
thing, “I want you to marry a woman who will be
__unfaithful__
to you, but to whom you are nevertheless going to be faithful. You will love
her, but she will
__disgrace__
your love. I am asking you to do this as a object lesson to your people.”
THREE EVENTS OF A MOVING DRAMA UNFOLDING THE STORY OF THE GOD’S
GREAT
__LOVE__
FOR US.
I.
The Marriage Of The Prophet Hosea To
Gomer. (Chapter 1)
A. Hosea
is a young preacher (prophet) who meets Gomer.
1.
Hosea is a man
who has kept his life
__pure__.
He is godly, and therefore brings much to this marriage.
2.
Gomer
is less than he…for her petals of
__purity__
have already been plucked.
B. Hosea
marries Gomer. (vv 2-3) Perhaps he thought her to be pure at first.
1.
However, he
comes to see her sordidness, her shame!
2.
Perhaps he did
not give her the
__time__
she needed:
…He was busy calling his people back to God…
…She did __not__ share his heart, and so began to drift back to wild
living.
C. Gomer
bears three children. (vv 4, 6, 8)
1.
“Jezreel” meant to cast away, to
__scatter__.
What an object lesson! Like: Dachua
2.
“Lo-Ruhamah”
meant unpited. No mercy, no
__love__…
3.
“Lo-Ammi” meant
__not__
my people.
D. God
tells Hosea what he is name his children. These
__names__
are very revealing:
1.
They sketch the
condition of
__Israel__
at this time: utterly deplorable, awaiting judgment
2.
They give us a
hint of Hosea’s
__family__,
for he was to learn that the children were not his.
II.
The Departure And Unfaithfulness Of
Gomer. (Chapter 2)
A.
The day came when
Gomer
__left__
her husband for wild and riotous living. (2:5) So she leaves her husband and
children for another man. Perhaps he came home and found a note…
B. It
is a good guess to assume that Gomer thought she was
__bettering__
herself, for such thoughts come when is in this sin.
1.
She falls from one man
to many men.
__Downward__!
A reminder that all sin is downward.
2.
Amazingly,
Hosea goes to her lover, who cannot
__provide__
for her, and he provides for…
…you ask, “Does __God__ really loves us that much?” YES!!!
C. Hosea
does with Gomer what God sometimes does with us. (2:15)
…He lets her __hit__ rock bottom, and then __provides__ a way of
escape.
III.
Hosea Redeems Gomer From The Slave
Market To Be His Wife. (Chapter 3)
A.
Gomer falls lower and lower until her lover
__sells__ her as a slave.
B. She
stands in the slave market
__stripped__
of her clothing…you can hear the gossiping…
C. Hosea
buys her…he redeems her, but not for vengeance, but for
__love__.
(3:1)
D. Hosea’s
words to her are extraordinary, “I will live with you,” (idea: “I will be
__for__
you”)
LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES:
1.
To those who are saved: What we would not do out of our own free will, now we
are to do so prompted by our __redemption__. For this is how much God
__loves__ you. May this compel you to live for Him all your days.
2.
To those who are not saved: The message of this book is, “God is __not__
lost, but man is.” Come to know the love of God for __lost__ sinful
men and women. Come just as you are, and be saved today.
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