Minor Prophets I E-Book

Dr. Brian J. Bailey

• Herausgeber: Zion Christian Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Dr. Bailey’s first volume on the Minor Prophets, focuses on the book of Hosea with the theme of the Restoration of the Backslider. In this book you will see the heart of God in his compassion and steadfast heart of love to restore those who have fallen away. This study is an excellent guide to gaining a greater understanding of the compassionate heart of our Heavenly Father and to see the need to develop such a heart in order to gently, lovingly, and wisely lead the backslider towards complete restoration with their Father God.

Leseprobe

Minor Prophets I

The Book of Hosea

THE RESTORATION OF THE BACKSLIDER

Dr. Brian J. Bailey

“Minor Prophets I: The Book of Hosea”

© 1997 Brian J. Bailey

Revised 2009 (Version 1.1)

Front Cover Design

© 2005 Zion Fellowship, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

All Scripture quotations in this book are

 taken from the King James Version Bible

unless otherwise stated.

Published as an e-book on July 2014

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-162-8

For more information, please contact:

Zion Christian Publishers

A Zion Fellowship ® Ministry

P.O. Box 70

Waverly, New York 14892

Phone: [phone]

Toll free: 1-877-768-7466

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Editorial Team: Carla Borges, Suzette Erb, Jason Gohl, Sarah Brogan, Mary Humphreys, David Kropf, Justin Kropf, Caroline Tham, and Marilyn Wallis.

We wish to extend our thanks to these dear ones for without their many hours of invaluable assistance, this book would not have been possible. We are truly grateful for their diligence, creativity, and excellence in the compilation of this book for the glory of God.

INTRODUCTION

Political and Economic Background

The kings of Judah that reigned during the life of Hosea were Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Although there were more kings of Israel who also reigned during this time, the only one mentioned is Jeroboam II, because he is the principal king. He began his reign in 793 B.C. Uzziah reigned from 792-740 B.C., and Hezekiah finished his reign in 686 B.C.

We can see that Hosea prophesied for a very long time, approximately 60 years. The principal prophets during this time were Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah. Isaiah and Micah ministered primarily to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, while Hosea and Amos prophesied mostly to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

During the early part of Hosea’s ministry, there was great economic prosperity, especially during the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam, but the economic state of the nation later deteriorated. By the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, the Assyrian army had subjugated all of Judah with the exception of Jerusalem, which they surrounded.

At the time Hosea prophesied, his prophecies seemed impossible, but God knows the future. He declared that He was going to bring judgment upon the Israelites because of their lifestyle. The principal judgment at this time came in the form of Sargon, king of Assyria, who took Samaria. Isaiah prophesied exactly the same thing (Isa. 1:7-9). Isaiah and Hosea, living basically at the same time, prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Isa. 1:1, Hos. 1:1).

Although God warned of coming judgment, He also promised that there would be restoration for Israel and that they would return to their land. This restoration only comes to pass about 2,700 years after this prophecy, when Christ returns. In 722 B.C., Samaria fell to the Assyrians and in the following years they were dispersed throughout the nations of the earth. At the time of Hosea, the southern kingdom of Judah had remained faithful to the Lord, and therefore God promised to protect Judah, fulfilling that promise when Sennacherib besieged it. (See 2 Ki. 19:35.)

Theme

The theme of Hosea is the restoration of the backslider. We see the extreme compassion of Christ in dealing with the very backslidden nation of Israel. God loves the backslider, even though He does not love his sin. God used the wife of Hosea, the unfaithful Gomer, to demonstrate His unfailing and steadfast love for backslidden Israel. Chapters 1-3 describe the domestic life of the prophet Hosea, and chapters 4-14 speak of the sins of Israel, God’s coming judgment, and her ultimate restoration.

OUTLINE

MAP OF ISRAEL

PART 1

The Prophet’s Family

1:1 - 3:5

The first section of Hosea, chapter 1:1 to chapter 3:5, concentrates on the domestic life of the prophet Hosea, his children, and his unfaithful wife. It records Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, the children they had together, her adultery, and her restoration. Hosea’s unfailing love for Gomer, and his acceptance of her return, revealed to Israel God’s steadfast love for them even though they had been unfaithful to Him.

CHAPTER ONE

1:1 - “The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” The book of Hosea takes place during the reigns of Uzziah, Hezekiah, and Jeroboam II. This was during a time of great economical prosperity in Israel. Uzziah was a great military general, and so was Jeroboam II. They both took back lands that had been lost by previous rulers. In 2 Kings 14:25, it records how Jeroboam restored the coastal plains and recovered Damascus for Israel. We see in 2 Chronicles 26:5-15 the accounts of Uzziah’s victories against the Philistines and the Arabians, and how he greatly increased the strength of Judah’s army.

Uzziah was very wealthy. In 2 Chronicles 26:8-10 we find that Uzziah received gifts from the Ammonites and had much cattle. If the king were wealthy, then for the most part, it meant that the subjects were wealthy too. Many people had two houses, a winter house and a summer house, as seen in Amos 3:15, “And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.”

It appeared that all was well. However, Jeroboam II was not a good ruler. Uzziah was a good man, but he became proud at the end of his life. He tried to usurp the ministry of a priest, and was consequently smitten with leprosy (2 Chr. 26:16 21). Ahaz was not a good king. Hezekiah, on the other hand, was one of the best kings Judah ever had.

1:2 - “The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms [“a wife of harlotry” or “an adulteress wife”] and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.”  The lives of the prophets illustrated their prophecies (see Ezekiel chapters 4 5). This is important to understand when we study the life of Hosea.

Hosea prophesied primarily to the apostate ten northern tribes. These tribes were called “Israel,” while the southern tribes became known as “Judah.” As soon as the northern kingdom was inaugurated, her first king, Jeroboam I, instituted a new order of worship. He erected golden calves in Dan in the north, and in Bethel in the south. He led Israel astray into idolatry. Israel also became engrossed in adultery. Therefore, since Hosea was called to prophesy to the northern kingdom, his life represented God’s message to backslidden Israel. Israel saw the reflection of themselves in the life of Hosea and in the things that happened to him.

Hosea had a very high standard of consecration and dedication to the Lord. He was called upon by God to marry a woman who was in a terrible condition. Gomer was a sign to unfaithful Israel. As Israel had committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord, so Gomer left her husband Hosea and was unfaithful to him.

Isaiah was Hosea’s companion prophet. Hosea and Isaiah both typified the Lord, and their wives represented the kingdoms to which they prophesied. Isaiah’s wife was a prophetess. She was pure and faithful. Isaiah typified the Lord, and his wife represented faithful Judah, the southern kingdom. Isaiah’s son was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his birth was a type of the virgin birth of Christ. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, typified Israel—unfaithful and adulterous—and the names of Hosea’s children revealed God’s judgments that were going to come upon Israel.

Hosea manifested the love and forgiveness of the Lord in restoring Gomer—a type of the Lord’s restoration of Israel in the last days after a time of judgment and purification.

God has a particular theme that He wants to develop in each of our lives as Christians. Because of this, we will pass through circumstances that others do not pass through. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:16 that God had called him to manifest His longsuffering through him, as this was the particular truth God wanted to develop in Paul’s life.

1:3-4 - “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.” Hosea married Gomer, and then she bore him a son, whom the Lord told Hosea to name “Jezreel,” which means “God sows,” and speaks of fertility in reference to the valley of Jezreel that separated Galilee from Samaria in northern Israel. This is the place where Jehu had murdered the sons of Ahab in order to become king of Israel (2 Ki. 10:1-11).

It is very important that we understand the truth that is illustrated in verse 4. God says that He is going to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu. Jehu was the great grandfather of Jeroboam II, the reigning king at the time of Hosea.

Jehu was not a descendant of the royal family. He was a captain in Ahab’s army, who was raised up, commissioned by God, and even anointed by the prophet Elisha to slay all of Ahab’s sons (2 Ki. 9:1-10). Because Jehu fulfilled what God told him to do, the Lord promised Jehu that his sons would sit on the throne of Israel until the fourth generation (2 Ki. 10:30). His dynasty ended with Zechariah.

Jehu was raised up by God to execute the judgment of God upon the house of Ahab. However, even though he fulfilled the prophetic word of God spoken by Elijah concerning the slaying of the house of Ahab (1 Ki. 21:21 24), Jehu shed much blood and delighted in it. That blood, even though it was the blood of the wicked, had to be atoned for. Therefore, God said that he was going to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu. Jehu did not keep the law; therefore, the Lord judged him (2 Ki. 10:29-31).