Israel

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 3

Posted on March 24, 2023 by RKM in The Book of Hosea

The narrative in Chapter 3 shares a thematically identical structure to that of chapters 1-2 except that it is given in the first person rather than the third and utilizes different terminology to convey the same ideas. What has burdened the interpreters of this chapter is whether or not the woman in question is Gomer and even whether chapter 3 is parallel to chapters 1-2 at all. It seems if we follow the text chronologically that we are left with, not Hosea acquiring Gomer for the first time, having children, separating due to her adulterous ways, but reacquiring her post-unfaithfulness to him. This is the first time that the term adultery is used in the book[1]. Some argue that this needs to be a new woman since the children are not named but the parallel symbolism of Israel/Gomer and Hosea/Yahweh is still in place hence it would be a strange deviation from the entire argument to suddenly move to another lady to communicate the same symbolism.

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The Book of Hosea: Chapter 2 (2)

Posted on March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 by RKM in The Book of Hosea

We now enter a transition in the second half of the chapter from a description of the justice and shame for their sins to a glorious restoration and conversion of the nation; A similar pattern from the previous chapter. Yahweh moves to describe a great reversal from His judgment upon the nation, to a restoration of the glory days of old and a transformation from being Lo-Ruhamah & Lo-Ammi to a people who receive mercy and become the people of God. It is God who will conquer these things and seek her out through his mercy and grace. He will go into further detail in this segment to describe the great restoration. This won’t be simply a reversal to take them back to pre-Jeroboam, but it will be as the days of her redemption from Egypt.

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The Book of Hosea: Chapter 2 (1)

Posted on February 17, 2023 by RKM in The Book of Hosea

It is always good to remember that chapters and verses in the bible were not included in the original autographs. This is an example where it could affect the context if we depend too readily on these divisions. The first verse in Hosea’s 2^nd chapter is a good example of the significance of this. The passage is interlinked with 1:10-11 rather than introducing a new segment. Previously, the prophet spoke of a future reversal for the nation in Yahweh’s dealing with them. The great day of Jezreel (1:11) demonstrated the renewal of the first son of Hosea. Now, in 2:1, the same is said of the 2^nd & 3^rd child. In this instance, Jezreel seems to be the one addressing his siblings, Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi. The two will experience a similar reversal in their state going from being shown no compassion and not my people to receiving mercy and being transformed into “my people”. This is to be taken symbolically of the renovation of the nation since note that the prophet uses the plural “brothers and sisters”.

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The Book of Hosea: Chapter 1

Posted on February 3, 2023 by RKM in The Book of Hosea

The book of Hosea is a prophetic encounter that mingles history, metaphors, poetry and repartee to accentuate the message judgment and restoration to his recipients. It is filled with familial expressions such as “children, descendants, son, wife, husband, groom and brothers & sisters” reflecting God’s dealing with Israel & Judah metaphorically as a family unit. The book can be broken down into 2 main segments; Verses 1-3 speaking of Hosea’s marriage/Yahweh’s marriage to Israel and 4-14 are judgments and restoration promises to the northern and southern kingdoms (Israel & Judah). The pattern of sin, followed by judgment, followed by restoration is a prominent theme found throughout the prophet. Smith breaks up the historical alignment to address these in that chapters 1-3 would address thematically the same issues as Amos’ prophecy, chapters 4-11 deal with the Assyrian engagement through Tiglath-Pileser III and chapters 12-14 address the final few years prior to the exile[1]. Keeping in mind the historical standpoint when Hosea’s messages were delivered, there was a serious transformation in their economic standing. They went from being very wealthy during the reign of Jeroboam, to losing everything due to heavy taxation, social chaos and losing control of their resources. All these things experienced from an invading Assyrian army. Hosea will further reveal the perversion in their worship in mingling Yahweh and Baal adoration that can be seen in Amos.

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The Christian Identity

Posted on November 7, 2022March 1, 2023 by RKM in People of God

I’d like to take time to consider further address our identity in God’s promises as Israel by reviewing some key passages in the New Testament. As we’ve seen, the recipients of the promises are Israel and few question this reality. We’ve been contemplating the question of the identifying attributes of Israel on a number of angles and have come to the conclusion that Christ is the true Israel. The same can be said of Christians since we’ve seen that we are identified as an expansion of the recipients of these promises. Christ’s death and resurrection fulfilled the promises to Abraham concerning his descendants and the nations and as we’ll see below, creating one man of the two. We can’t attribute this identity of Israel simply to a circumcised ethnic descendant of Abraham since these promises belong to those who find their ethnicity in a new creation in Christ by faith.

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Identity in Worship

Posted on October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 by RKM in People of God

The uniqueness of those who are in Christ is manifested in the important reality that only they are the true worshippers of Yahweh. Divine adoration is a fundamental marker of the people of God and we shouldn’t diminish this reality! The scriptures use concepts and identifiers to communicate that which is to be accepted as authentic worship. These include the place of worship, the worshippers and the offerings.

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Our Identity & Inheritance

Posted on October 17, 2022 by RKM in People of God

Finding our identity as a people in Christ means that we should have a good idea of God’s promises to Christ and how we receive this promised inheritance through Him. Receiving the promises of Abraham as the children of God through Jesus requires a little further examination. As we endeavour, we also need to keep in mind the pattern throughout the New Testament of a fulfillment in Christ and then an expansion into greater blessings bursting forth from Him. If the OT was a shadow and had revelatory limitations, the NT certainly brings them to light without limits! I want to take a moment now to write about the most controversial of these ancestral promises mainly the promise of the land inheritance.

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Identifying as Sons

Posted on October 10, 2022 by RKM in People of God

The identity of the Son is truly the most important part of identifying ourselves in Him. We know that this was a significant title applied to our Lord Jesus and communicated His special relationship to God the Father. Keeping this in mind, this title, however, is not unique and applied to others in the scriptures (Genesis 6:2). This is especially the case when appropriated to Israel. In His command to let the people go, the Lord refers to Israel as His son (Deuteronomy 14:1) and even His firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). The importance of identifying the Sonship of Israel with Jesus is crucial to understanding the fulfilment of this Sonship and its expansion in the New Testament in Christ and in His people.

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Unity & Abraham’s Seed

Posted on October 3, 2022October 3, 2022 by RKM in People of God

As we previously mentioned, understanding who we are in Christ has significant impact upon our unity and in return upon taking the nations for Christ. Even though the enemy unites under the banner of identity, we shouldn’t refrain from doing so also. We need to establish our identity in Christ as new creatures who represent a new creation, a creation which broke into this world through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation and especially of this new creation which He established at His resurrection. We are today a new creation in Him, and new things have come, and the old things are gone (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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