WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday January 17, 2016
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AN UNFAITHFUL BRIDE
(Our unfaithfulness interrupts our relationship with GOD)
(Hosea 1-3)
The
book of Hosea is divided into two sections, the first, chapters 1-3, focuses on
Hosea’s personal life, while the second section, chapters 4-14, focuses on his
divinely acquired messages. Hosea prophesied to the people in the northern
kingdom of Israel prior to its fall into the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
Two contrasting things clearly stand out during this period in Israel’s
history; the love of GOD for Israel, and Israel’s reckless disregard for, and
unfaithfulness to, the GOD of their fathers.
The prophet Hosea’s ministry spanned
several decades, as it began in 750 B.C., near the conclusion of the ministry
of the prophet Amos. It was also near the end of a prosperous period that had
been enjoyed by both northern Israel and Judah, during the reigns of King
Jeroboam II of Israel, and King Uzziah of Judah. His lengthy ministry concluded
circa 715 B.C., during the early years of King Hezekiah’s reign in Judah (Hosea
1:1).
Hosea was the son of a man named Beeri, and
is one of the most unique prophets in the annals of Old Testament history by
way of his being ordered by GOD to marry a prostitute named Gomer, who was the
daughter of a man named Diblaim. She bore Hosea a son, and the LORD instructed
them to name him “Jezreel”, as a sign that GOD was about to punish King Jehu’s
dynasty and avenge the murders committed in the Valley of Jezreel (Vs. 3-5).
Later she bore him a daughter whom the LORD
named “Lo-ruhamah”, which means “not loved”. This signified that the LORD would
no longer show love to the people of Israel, nor, would HE forgive them. After
Gomer weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again conceived and bore another son, whom the
LORD instructed the couple to name “Lo-ammi”, which means, “not MY people”. It
signified that Israel was not GOD’s people anymore, and, that HE was no longer
their GOD (Vs. 6-9).
Chapter 1, however, ends on a bright note,
with a promise from GOD, that, in time, HE would again allow Israel to prosper
and become a great nation. They would return from exile in Assyria on the “Day
of Jezreel”. On that day, they would call their brothers “Ammi” (my people),
and they would call their sisters “Ruhamah” (the ones I love).
In chapter 2, verses 2-5, GOD calls Israel
into account for alienating itself away from HIM and behaving as a prostitute,
worshipping other gods (v.1). In verses 2 & 4, the “mother” is Israel, and
the children are each individual Israelites. Both the nation as a whole, and,
each contemporary individual, was guilty of “spiritual adultery” by way of their
forsaking of the GOD of their ancestors.
Israel had done a shameful thing by hooking
up with the idol gods of the world, instead of clinging to its “covenant
relationship” that she had once enjoyed with the Almighty GOD of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. Now, they were rearing up a “spiritually illegitimate generation of
people”, who could only be considered as “worldly” in, both, their behavior,
and, their lifestyle. They physically resembled their earthly parents, but they
were far from resembling GOD, WHO created them in HIS OWN spiritual image.
In chapter 3, GOD tells Hosea to go and buy
his wife back out of the slavery that she had sold herself into, and to love
her despite her continued propensity to do wrong by him. It would serve as a
sign of how GOD would purchase Israel back out of the bondage of sin, through
the sacrifice of HIS only begotten SON, JESUS CHRIST, at a future date.
Hosea purchased his wayward wife out of
bondage for fifteen pieces of silver, five bushels of barley, and a measure of wine
(v.2). Then, he told her that she must live in his house for many days without
having sexual intercourse with anyone, including himself. This was to
illustrate that the nation of Israel would be a long time without a king, or a
prince, and, without sacrifices, a temple, priests, or idols (Vs. 3-4). The
people would then repent and once again fear and reverence GOD, and HE would
restore them back into a relationship of friendship and obedience with HIM in
the last days (v.5).
Not much is known of Hosea, or Gomer,
beyond the biblical account of their strange marriage. However, strange as it
was, their marriage presented a perfect picture and demonstration of the
relationship that man has with GOD. GOD has been constantly faithful to us,
just as Hosea was faithful to his wife Gomer. However, just as Gomer was
continuously unfaithful to Hosea, so man has been continuously unfaithful to
GOD.
Gomer abandoned her marriage to Hosea, over
and over again, taking on several other lovers in the process. Yet, Hosea’s
love for his wife was so great that he could not give her up. When her
profligate ways led her into slavery, Hosea bought her back and returned with
her to his home to give her yet another chance to live a GODly life. By doing
this, with his own life, Hosea shared GOD’s own experiences with his people,
Israel.
Though bound to the LORD in a covenant
relationship, Israel abandoned GOD over and over again by pursuing idols, and an
adulterous lifestyle that linked them to paganism. This action by Israel also
led it into slavery at the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Still, GOD
would not stop loving Israel, and would later buy her back, and restore her to
her homeland, just as Hosea restored Gomer back to her home.
Hosea’s experiences make for a deeply
moving story, as the reader can easily sense the pain of his “dysfunctional
relationship” with his wayward wife. From this story, we, as Christians, should
also be able to sense the pain of the ALMIGHTY GOD as we waver back and forward
in our relationship with HIM. Hosea’s unhappy family experiences becomes one of
the all-time great “object lessons” in Scripture, concerning the sin and dysfunction,
which we engage in, whenever we disobey and reject GOD’s will and kindness,
over and over again.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official
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