Intro to Hosea

We live in a difficult time and with the murders, rapes, armed robberies, muggings, beatings, car jackings, wars, rumor of wars and on and on, I believe we are on the very edge of the End Times. Now, knowing the destination, in Eternity, of almost all my relatives, friends and associates, it is often tough to decide what to say... how to approach the topic of sin vs. grace, forgivness and undeserved forgiveness.

Hos 1:1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Hos 1:2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD."
Hos 1:3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. (NASB)

This morning my Pastor began a series of sermons on Hosea and this is a book I wish more folks would take and interest in. You see, so many people that call themselves a Christian have not only misunderstood the idea, they do not want to spend the time to understand and yet that is one thing we are commanded to do. (2Tim. 2:15) If we are ever to understand the New Testament and it's relevance to our every day lives we must study the ideology it is based on. And it is not that simple, my friends an ideologies can be dismissed but truth, absolute truth cannot be.

God is the Creator and all that is has been created by Him! (John 1:1-3) I cannot begin to tell anyone more about God than God has revealed to every one of us in His recorded record, the Holy Bible, and what we have to learn from observing the creation around us. However, (I love that word) if we are faithful to be obedient, submit and follow directions, everything we need to know is available for us to know.

Some will tell you that the Old Testament, the Bible Jesus commissioned and instructed the prophets to write, has passed away, but that is not true. These will explain that the Jewish Believer had to obey the Mosaic Law to be saved and that the Gospel of Grace was not the prevailing method of salvation before the death of Jesus on the cross. But when we read passages like Isaiah 53, the Gospel of Isaiah and the book of Hosea we cannot accept that. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and the others of the First Century Church did not have the New Testament to teach from, they were busy writing it.

When we read Hosea we see a great illustration of Jesus and yes, I know it hurts but, that makes us Gomer, the prostitute wife. I will be discussing this book for several weeks now so let's exchange some thoughts and in doing so, sharpen those swords.