July
15, 2001
Hosea 1-2
v. 1 - 58 years of ministry - lived to see it
fulfilled
Hosea was a pious & patriotic man in a godless
generation. Never
won any man of the year awards,
won no popularity contests in his home town.
A LIVING PORTRAITURE OF
& FAITHLESSNESS
The background of Hosea is the story of a fallen woman and
a broken home - contrast that with God's ideal of marriage
and womanhood -
v. 2 - “the land hath committed great whoredom, departing
from
the Lord” - Really, a brothel
brothel! WHEN YOU PLAY FAST & LOOSE WITH
GOD YOU ARE A SPIRITUAL HARLOT!
Materially prosperous like
weakness & rotteness, for
which no amount of materialism
could rectify or remove.
Isaiah 1:1-6 Contemporary
of Hosea
Hosea’s home life - symbolical of Israel, of America,
that second land of milk & honey in the
Christian or
I should say, Post Christian Dispensation.
In this home there were three children, two boys and a girl.
Their names: (1) Jezreel - meaning national
ruin or
God will
scatter. The
name implies
degeneracy.
(2) Loruhamah - meaning loss of Divine
favor - she never knew a father’s pity -
Didn’t know who her daddy was. The
name implies extreme desolateness of
condition - a long course of iniquity had
sinned away the day
of mercy.
(3) Loammi - not my child - forfeiture of
position as chosen people of Jehovah.
The name implies deplorable degradation.
Hosea (salvation) marries Gomer (a daughter
of pleasure
& devotee to sin)
From bad to worse, apostasy to idolatry. God
abandons
them to their fate.
v. 4 - the overthrow of the house of Jehu was
the beginning
of
the end, the beginning of the process of decomposition.
It was more than the destruction of a dynasty, it was the
destruction of a kingdom.
The bond is broken - in verse 9 God tells them to their face -
“ye are not my people”
The real message - THE TRAGEDY OF A BROKEN
HOME!
The home is the foundation of society - the most
important unit of social structure - God made man
and placed him at the head - how dare vain woman
to try and restructure placing woman at the head
and relegating man to effeminacy. NEA
Then they wonder why people home school or send
their children to private schools.
A Rick Pitino this week - Providence College
What the atom is to the universe - the building
block of society is the home.
A nation is no stronger than it’s homes.
God put safeguards - Matt. 19:6 “what God hath
joined together, let no man put asunder”
God's attitude
is "marriage is honorable in all" - Heb. 13:4
Lev. 20:10 Deut.
22:20-21
Maggie’s Testimony - a chaste virgin -
If I had to make a choice for life, I would stake
it on her virginity.
Article in paper - attitude of woman or girl that
wrote response concerning the motorcycle
convention in
Contrast attitudes in sitcom - while channel surfing - this is the
outfit in which I plan to lose my virginity and it
wasn’t a bridal gown.
Two peas in a pod - where secular humanism
is leading
led
Especially ch. 4:14,17
my oft quoted fall!
One of the worst sins a man or woman can commit
is adultery.
The greatest sin is unfaithfulness to God, committing
spiritual adultery against Him, who created you,
sustains you, gives you health, intelligence, &
talents
or gifts (difference)
v. 1 - playing both ends against the middle.
v. 2 - making breasts bare - cheap/tawdry type of
allurement
- just so happens that is the major
issue
of the afore mentioned motorcycle convention.
Have you ever seen the big convention
in
Their countenance bold, their breasts bare, shameless!
v. 3 - Nation threatened - property loss, prosperity,
population
& privileges - dishonor &
aggravated
misery.
v. 4 - “children of whoredoms” - in the genes -heredity? environment? -
II Kings 2:23-24
v. 5 - “their mother.... the harlot” - “hath done
shamefully” Notice - my, my, my, my.
Apparently Hosea was not wealthy enough
to
provide for her life style.
v. 6 - hedging, walled - difficulty set up. Get hurt
trying
to get through hedge, painful
lacerations. Barred, obstructed by wall.
v. 7 - Self interest.
v. 8 - Ignorance & abuse - blessings “prepared for Baal”
Perversion - employing blessings in service of
idolatry.
Things created for man’s service to glorify God -
Deut. 8:10,11,18
The question with the heathen, then & now, also Israel
&
drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?”
The question should be: How
shall we use God’s gifts
to God’s glory; so that whether we eat or drink, or
whatsoever we do, we may do all to the glory of God!
The abuse of God’s mercies shortens their enjoyment!
Alas, how often do we abuse the best gifts of God & pervert them to
the
vilest purpose.
How often are wemore zealous in a wrong course than in
a right?
How often do sinful pursuits engross our noblest powers
to the point of left-overs or no time for God?
Sin & mirth can never hold long together; but if men will
not take away sin from their mirth, God will take away
mirth from their sin!
v. 9 - The taking away of God’s bounty, merry making
ability - all because of declension & apostasy.
McGee - "We have too many judges who know a great
deal
about the law but know nothing about how God overrules
even the laws of a nation, especially when the laws are
wrong and the wrong men sit on the benches of our
Judicial
System - witness
in The
Food, refreshment, raiment, taken away - the effects
of materialism on a nation which is only interested in
mammon.
v. 10 - For sale - bargain basement women, slightly
soiled
and greatly reduced in price.
Progressive
Farmer of the 1960’s
v. 13 - Artificial beauty to attract attention to self -
Today tattoos and
earrings and wild hair coloring
and
provocative dress, anything to be but a
nobody
which apparently they are!
Great pains to secure acceptance of deities like
(Mother Nature) but God they forgot!
vs. 16-17 - Marriage - youthful love - my husband.
vs. 19-20 - A complete reclamation project -
renovation,
recreation.
Received back, not as a repudiated wife, but as
a chaste virgin.
Durable, lasting, forever.
vs. 21-23
Love in law, law in love!