3:1This short chapter pictures the nation’s exile and return. Israel would experience a time of purification in a foreign land, but God would still tove the people and would be willing to accept them back. God commanded Hosea to show the same forgiving spirit to Gomer. Although Hosea had good reason to divorce Gomer, he was told to buy her back and love her.
Life Application Study BibleHoseaChapter 3
Hosea 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1408, 1409
3Hosea 3
Hosea’s Wife Is Redeemed
1Then the LORD said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she* commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the LORD still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.*” 2SoI bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver* and five bushels of barley and ameasure of wine.* 3Then I said to her, “ You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.*” 4This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests,* or even idols! 5But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the LORD their God and to David’s descendant, their king.* In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the LORD and of his goodness.
B. GOD’S WAYWARD PEOPLE (4:1—14:9)
The rest of the book deals with Israel’s sin and her impending judgment. Hosea points out the
moral and spiritual decay of the nation. He describes the punishment awaiting the people and pleads with them to return to God. Although judgment and condemnation of sin are prevalent in the book, a strand of love and restoration runs throughout. Even in the midst of judgment, God is merciful and will restore those who repent and turn to him.
1. Israel’s sinfuiness
The LORD’s Case against Israel
41 Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel!The LORD has brought charges against you, saying:“There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
Textual footnotes
- or 182 liters] of barley and a fethech [2.5 bushels or 91 liters] of barley.
- ephod, the vest worn by the priest.
- 3:1a Or Go and love a woman who.
- 3:1b Hebrew /ove their raisin cakes.
- 3:2a Hebrew 15 shekels of silver, about 6 ounces or 171 grams in weight.
- 3:2b As in Greek version, which reads a homer of barley and a measure of wine; Hebrew reads a homer [5 bushels
- 3:3 Or and! will live with you.
- 3:4 Hebrew
- 3:5 Hebrew to David their king.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
3:1God asked Hosea to do something almost unthinkable— to buy back his adulterous, unrepentant wife and to continue to love her! When those who knew about Gomer’s adultery heard Hosea say that God loved idolatrous Israel as much as Hosea loved Gomer, they must have been amazed. The people had heard God’s words many times, but they felt the impact of those words when they saw them acted out in Hosea’s merciful love for his wife.
3:2Apparently Gomer was on her own for a while. Needing to support herself, she must have either sold herself into slavery or become the mistress of another man. In either case, Hosea had to pay to get her back-—although the required amount was pitifully small. Gomer was no longer worth much to anyone except Hosea, but he loved her just as God loved Israel. No matter how low we sink, God is willing to buy us back— to redeem us—and to lift us up again.
3:3After this, Gomer is no longer mentioned by Hosea. This is explained in 3:4. Gomer’s isolation showed how God would deal with the northern kingdom (5:6, 15). It is dangerous to rebel against God. If he were ever to withdraw his love and mercy, we would be without hope.
3:4God would separate the Israelites from their treasured idolatrous practices. The sacrifices, pillars, and priests mentioned were those used for ido! worship. The priests served the idols: the idols were household gods, which were strictly forbidden for God's people.
3:4,5The northern kingdom had rebelled against David’s dynasty and had taken Jeroboam as their king-(1 Kings 12-13). Their rebellion was both political and religious. At that time, they reverted back to the worship of gold idols. “David's descendant, their king” refers to the time of Messiah’s rule when all people will bow before him in humility and submission. Those who won't accept Christ's blessings now will face his power and judgment later. How much better it is to love and follow Christ now than face his angry judgment later.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1409
The Danger When we break God’s law in full awareness of what we’re doing, our hearts become hardened to the sin, and our relationship with God is broken.
SPIRITUAL UNFAITHFUL- NESS Spiritual adultery and physical adultery are alike in many ways, and both are dangerous. God was disappointed with his people, because they had committed spiritual adultery against him, as Gomer had committed physical adultery against Hosea.
Parallels Both spiritual and physical adultery are against God’s law. Both spiritual and physical adultery begin with disappointment and dissatisfaction— either real or imagined—with an already existing relationship. Both spiritual and physical adultery begin with diverting affection from one object of devotion to another. Both spiritual and physical adultery involve a process of deterioration; it is not usually an impulsive decision. Both spiritual and physical adultery involve the creation of a fantasy about what a new object of love can do for you.
The feeling that God disappoints can lead you away from him. Feelings of disappointment and dissatisfaction are normal and, when endured, will pass. The diverting of our affection is the first step in the blinding process that leads into sin. The process is dangerous because you don’t always realize it is happening until it is too late. Such fantasy creates unrealistic expectations of what a new relationship can do and only leads to disappointment in all existing and future relationships.