by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
To: Hosea
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I. Translation.
"Say to your brothers, "my people", and to your
sisters, "she has been shown compassion".
II. Hebrew Notes and the Meaning of the Verse
A. The verb is a second person plural Qal imperative of the verb
'AMAR. This means that it is a command from God, addressed to
all the people of Israel. It is translated, "Say".
1. What is important about this information is that it is not just addressed to one person in Hosea, or in Jezreel.
2. Instead it is addressed to the entire nation of Israel, so that they might say these things to one another.
B. (The other materials related to these words have been discussed in previous lessons.)
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. This verse begins a discourse that lasts several verses -
all the way to the end of chapter two.
B. The purpose of this discourse is to exhort Israel to return
to their relationship with God - to change their mind about their
adulterous idolatry - and once again know God through the ritual
system.
C. The verse is addressed to the younger generation of Israelites,
and it is an exhortation to get to know God.
D. The older generation was so far gone in degeneracy that God
had decided to turn and appeal to their children in a brilliant
last-ditch effort to save the nation from itself.
1. God's first objective was to convert the younger generation, if they would respond..
2. His second objective was to use the witness of the converted generation to appeal to their parents and elders, and thus bring them back.
E. There is a lesson in this: the most effective witness often
comes from those who are close. Family and friends will be much
more effective witnesses than a total stranger.
F. There is a certain amount of trust that you have from a family
member that you is not present in other relationships.
G. Other types of witnessing are not prohibited. In fact they
are still encouraged. However, they are not as effective, at
least from the human viewpoint.
H. This is the evangelism strategy of God, and it makes perfect
sense.
I. It is interesting to note again the contrast between Israel
and her southern counterpart, Judah. The same evangelism strategy
was used on the both of them. The people of Israel, both children
and parents, would reject it, while with the people of Judah,
at least the younger generation would accept it.
I. Translation.
"Contend with your mother, contend (for she is not my wife
and I am not her husband), so that she might put away her harlotry
from before her, and her adultery from between her breasts."
II. Hebrew Notes and the Meaning of the Verse.
A. The first verb of the verse is RIVU, which means to contend,
or argue with someone. It is the Qal imperative, and it shows
the command from God to the children (literally) of Israel. This
verb is repeated for emphasis, and it shows the urgent nature
of the command.
B. Next is the Hiphil imperfect of the verb THAMER, which means
to put something away, or to stop a certain pattern of behavior.
The Hiphil is the causative tense in the Hebrew, and it shows
the witness of the child as causing the repentance of the mother.
The imperfect part means that this action has not yet taken place,
but it is intended to take place. It is God's purpose for it
to.
C. The preceding verb governs the two final phrases of the verse.
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. This verse reveals the urgent nature of God's message to the
older generation in Israel.
B. The parents have taken the nation to the brink of destruction,
because of their destructive behavior, and time is of the essence.
C. Therefore, the children are urged to contend with their parents,
so that they might repent before they are destroyed by God.
1. The word RIVU is used to show the intensity of the action which is to take place.
2. The actual arguing is to be rational - for the gospel is the apex of rationality.
3. The urgent nature of the message is to be conveyed through the intensity of the rational arguments.
4. This contention is to continue until the end.
D. This verse also reveals that when there is a split in the marriage, all credibility is lost for the purpose of evangelism.
1. In a marital split, there is so much emotional pain that it is very difficult for one to communicate credibly with the other.
2. There had been a marital split between God and His people, especially the older generation. Therefore He commanded the younger generation to intervene, so that the split might be healed before it was too late.
3. Credibility is a very important issue in the dissemination of the gospel, and God does not ignore it here.
E. This verse reveals that God always chooses the most effective mode of communication.
1. In this case, it is contention.
2. This contention, coupled with the divine discipline would be the most effective in communicating the gospel to the people of Israel.
3. In our witnessing life, we too are always to communicate in the most effective manner. However, this is not necessarily always contention.a. There is witnessing by casual conversation which leads to Christ.
b. There is witnessing by introducing a good gospel tract.
c. There is witnessing by use of Bible verses.4. This passage in fact shows that contention is pretty much a last-ditch measure, due to the desperate nature of the times.
F. Notice that part of the message is the restoration message.
It is the message to the prodigal son - the message of grace
and forgiveness.
1. The one who repents must be confident of his status if he should choose to return.
2. If he is not confident, then it is unlikely that he will accept the offer.
3. God's offer is always the most gracious, and the one in which we can have the most confidence. He always keeps His word and supplies what He offers.
4. Since this is so, if we reject it, then the penalty becomes quite harsh.
G. So, the situation has become quite desperate, and God goes
for broke
I. Translation.
"Lest I strip her naked and set her as the day of her being
born, and I make her as the wilderness and as a parched land,
and I kill her with thirst."
II. Hebrew Notes.
A. The first verb is the Hiphil causative of PASHAT, which means
to cause someone to be stripped of their clothing. It also has
the interesting connotation of flaying the skin from one's back
in the process of whipping, and the double entendre exists in
this verse. It is in the imperfect tense, and so is not a current
reality. The adjective 'ARUMM.AH completes the thought, and it
denotes the state of nakedness which results from the stripping.
It comes from the Hebrew word for skin, and so supports the double
entendre.
B. The second verb is the hiphil causative of the verb YAS.AN,
and it means to cause something to change its state of being.
It is a very forceful and vivid verb. It is in the perfect tense,
so as to show the certain nature of the event, should the nation
of Israel fail to repent. The state to which Israel will be changed
is also vividly portrayed by the niphal passive infinitive construct
of the verb YALADH. This construction shows an action at the
dramatic moment of its occurrence, it is a revelation of an act
in progress.
C. Next is the Qal perfect of the verb SUM, which is the softer
version of YAS.AN. It also shows a change in a state of being,
and the perfect tense makes this a prophetic future perfect.
The state is defined by the noun MIDHBAR, which denotes an uninhabited
wilderness.
1. The change of verbs also indicates a change from the personal (the older generation of Israelites) to the national.
2. The land of the nation of Israel will suddenly be uninhabited, due to death and deportation.
D. The second part of the national discipline is further explained
by the Qal perfect of SHITH, which also means "to make",
and is a synonym of SUM. This time the nation is said to be made
into an ERES.S.IYAH, a parched land. This shows that not only
is the land uninhabited, but it is also uninhabitable. There
is no water to found, and no one can live there, even if they
were crazy enough to want to do so.
E. The third part is the natural result of the first two, which
is death by thirst. This is portrayed by the hiphil perfect causative
of the verb MUTH, which means "to die". When you cause
someone to die, you kill them. Notice that this is not the Hebrew
verb for murder, which is RASAH. God is righteous, and He does
not ever kill unjustly. We have seen the justice of God in His
future compassion for all the victims of the heinous crimes of
this nation. The method of destruction is S.AM.A', which means
"thirst".
1. Future compassion is an important concept for those who study Divine discipline.
2. When it is necessary God brings final discipline on a person or nation.
3. God does this to protect the future victims of crime and violence.
4. It is more important for God to have compassion on future victims of criminals than on the criminal himself.
5. This is a very important principle to apply in the administration of justice, for we have delegated authority from God to bring justice against criminals. It is superior moral thinking to have more compassion for victims than for criminals!
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. The purpose of this verse is to reveal what would be prevented
by the evangelization of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. That
is the meaning of the word 'lest'.
B. Remember, God has put together an excellent evangelization
strategy for the nation of Israel.
1. Presently, only a few of the children, the younger generation, are believers who are with the plan of God.
2. God calls upon these younger ones to evangelize each other, so that they might band together and begin to have some legitimate impact through their weight in numbers.
3. After the first stage is accomplished, the younger generation is to turn and evangelize the older generation, thus accomplishing the repentance and salvation (literally) of the nation.
4. The younger generation is to actively contend with the older in the area of evangelization, because the situation has indeed become desperate, and the final discipline is near.
C. This verse is divided into two halves:
1. The first half is personal, while the second half is national.
2. The first half has to do with people, while second half has to do with the nation and even the land itself.
D. The design of this verse is to wake up the younger generation, so at least they might understand the serious nature of the plight of their nation.
1. It is always the burden of the believer to know the truth.
2. Although it is good to know the truth, sometimes it is also sad. That is the case here.
E. The double entendre of the stripping/flaying of the person is especially appropriate, since it portrays a state of being, and the reality of that state.
1. The state of being is nakedness - total, abject poverty and helplessness as a new born babe. Not only will the people be impoverished, but they will be completely helpless to do anything at all about it.
2. The reality behind the state of being is that it is divine discipline. God is doing this to wake them up - and to destroy them for what they have done - and to save the innocent victims of their heinous acts.
F. So the discipline on the people will be poverty. That is
the personal nature of the discipline. Next is the national discipline.
G. First, the land will be uninhabited. This will be due to the
conquest of the Assyrians.
1. Many thousands of the inhabitants of Israel will be killed by the Assyrian invasion.
2. Many thousands more will be deported back to Assyria, where they will become slaves.
3. The land will become as one big ghost town - deserted for all intents and purposes.
H. Furthermore, the land will become uninhabitable. A famine
will strike, leaving it a parched desert, unarable and unbearable.
I. Without water, the land will die of thirst. The ecosystems
of Israel will be destroyed, and no man can survive there.
J. This must have been a shocking thing to consider, when a person
of that time looked at their fertile land. Indeed the plain of
Sharon was one of the great garden spots of the ancient world,
and the caravans of the time used to go out of their way to travel
through this strip of land that extended through the nation from
North to South for some 90 or a hundred miles.
K. It would be like going through California in the Springtime,
and finding it to be one big desert. What a terrible shock that
would be.
L. In summary, this verse is a warning to the younger generation,
reminding them of what will befall their nation, should they
fail to give the gospel
I. Translation.
"And I will definitely not have compassion on her sons,
for they are sons of harlotry."
II. Hebrew Notes.
A. The verse begins with the verb 'ARAH.EM, which is negated
by the negative adverb LO. This verb is the piel intensive, which
shows the action as occurring in a very intense fashion. The
direct object of the verb is BANEYAH, which is "sons",
and it points to the younger generation in the nation of Israel.
B. The conjunction KI points to the explanation for the preceding
action.
C. The final phrase describes them as "sons of harlotry".
The word harlotry comes from the noun NUNIM, which means "to
commit fornication". A cruder term would be "bastards".
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. This verse takes a different turn, and reverses the course
of discipline back on to the younger generation.
B. Remember that even the younger generation had major problems.
They too followed in the footsteps of their parents, and went
the way of fornication and adultery.
C. It is a tendency for any younger generation, that when their
parents are spiritually and morally bankrupt, they will fall
into the same pattern. Usually there is a different trend, a
different twist in the pattern of their unhappiness, but they
remain just that - unhappy, and heavily involved in the cosmic
system.
D. The term 'sons of harlotry' connotes not only their genetic
trend, but also their actual activity. They are the children
of their parents both genetically and actively.
E. Each generation in the four generation curse must volitionally
grab hold of their parents' trends and commit idolatry in order
for God to extend His discipline. That is what is noted here.
F. Only a few of the younger ones were in the plan of God at
this time.
G. Principle: God preserves the righteous in a time of national
disaster, because he is always just.
1. Perhaps it will be their time to receive the ultimate blessing of dying grace.
2. Perhaps it will be their time on the witness stand, and the national disaster will be a great test and time of closeness to God.
3. Perhaps it will be their time of great blessing, and the national disaster will break around their lives like the waves on a seawall.
4. Perhaps it will be their time to escape, and live on in spiritual prosperity in another country.
5. Whatever the case, God is always just.
H. Remember again the principle of future compassion.
I. Translation.
"For their mother has committed adultery, and the one who
conceived them has acted shamefully, for she said, 'let me chase
after my lovers, the givers of my food and my waters, my wool
and my flax, my oil and my drinks.'"
II. Hebrew Notes.
A. The Hebrew verb for adultery, ZANTHAH, is used in its basic
dictionary form to describe the acts of the older generation
in Israel. These acts are seen as irrevocably written into the
record of the past.
B. The hiphil perfect causative of the verb BOSH shows the parallel
explanation of the act. The shameful activities are synonomous
with adultery (which they should have known, but were shameless).
C. The explanation of her shamelessness (and the shamelessness
of the older generation of Israel) comes from her words (which
are representative of the words of the older generation). The
Qal perfect of the verb AMAR, which means "to speak",
introduces her quotation. This is a representative quotation,
of what she (Gomer and the older generation) said on various
occasions and in various ways.
D. Next is what is really the key verb in the verse, which is
the Qal imperfect cohortative of HALAQ, which means "to
go", and more specifically in this context, "to chase".
The word is often used to describe the folly of the idolater
in chasing after his false Gods. Notice the imperfect tense,
which shows the incomplete nature of the action. She chases,
but she does not catch. The reason for her failure is found in
the following verses. It is God... and more.
E. The motivation for the chase in given in the final phrase,
which includes the Qal active participle NOTHNE, which means
"to give". She chases after her lovers, because they
provide her with the things that she desires - food and water,
clothing, oil (perhaps for sacrifice, anointing, or food preparation),
and drinks.
F. The final noun, SHIQQUYA is quite revealing, since it shows
another category of drink from water. Since this category is
placed into the context of logistical necessity, and water is
already mentioned, it is likely that alcohol is in view. That
the drink is considered a necessity of life, means that addiction
is in view here.
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. This verse shows the root causes of the problems.
B. The surface cause is adultery. The older generation habitually
commits adultery, and the younger generation is not far behind.
C. It is good to understand that there is more than one layer
to their problems.
D. The women commit adultery simply to get something from their
lovers. It is just a means to an end.
E. They commit adultery to get the essentials of life - ultimately
to feel secure.
F. They commit adultery to get more than the essentials - the
substance of their addiction.
G. This recalls to mind the prostitutes in our country, who trade
sex in order to get a constant supply of cocaine, or whatever
drug might be the source of their addiction.
H. Much of the pornography business is based on the supply of
drugs to the participants, who will engage in any shameless act,
and even on film, in order to supply themselves with drugs.
I. This shamelessness, this overt form of sin is a sign of total
degeneracy in the nation.
J. And yet, as we will see, God is still willing to give them
one more chance to repent. He still wants the very best for them,
and his grace offer remains.
End of Hosea Lesson 5
Warren Doud [ Grace Notes ]
1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757
Phone: 512-458-8923