Part 1 & 2 — 3-9 is in Comments
Prophecy expands from microcosm (Israel) to macro (world).
SUMMARY - away from God brings calamity, with God, blessing and everything good.
1:2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
7 But I will show love to the people... I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.” 10 .. the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’ 11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be—the day of Jezreel—when God will again plant his people in his land.
Part 2
2:1 “In that day you will call your brothers Ammi—‘My people.’ And you will call your sisters Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’ 2 “But now bring charges against Israel—your mother—for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. 5 ..a shameless prostitute 8 She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal. 9 “But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away.. 13 .. she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me” says the Lord.
14 “But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. 15 I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope..
Part 3
ReplyDelete18 On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you.�I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. 19 I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. 20 I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.
3:4 Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king (Jesus). In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness. (Mt.23:39)
4:1 .. There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere — one murder after another. 3 That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests.�Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
Part 5
ReplyDelete6:1 “Come, let us return to the Lord.. He will heal us.. He will bandage our wounds. 2 In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. 3 Oh, that we might know the Lord! ..7 like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust. 9 King-priests form bands of robbers, waiting in ambush for their victims. They murder.. and practice every kind of sin. 11 ..a harvest ..is also waiting for you, though I wanted to restore the fortunes of my people.
7:2 Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I see them all. 4 They are all adulterers, always aflame.. 6 Their hearts are like an oven blazing with intrigue.�Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it breaks out like a raging fire. 10 Their arrogance testifies against them, they don’t return to the Lord their God or even try to find him. 11
“The people.. have become like silly, witless doves.. 12 But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky..for all the evil they do. 13 .. they have told lies about me.
Part 6
ReplyDelete8:1 Sound the alarm! .. 4 ..they have brought about their own destruction. 5 I reject this calf, the idol you have made.. 6 This calf you worship, was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits. 7 “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. 12 Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. 14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their - cities - and will burn up their - fortresses.”
9:6 .. Nettles will take over your treasures of silver; thistles will invade your ruined homes. 8 The prophet is a watchman ..yet traps are laid for him wherever he goes. He faces hostility even in the house of God. 9 The things the people do are as depraved as what was done.. long ago. 17 ..the people of Israel because they will not listen or obey. They will be wanderers, homeless among the nations.
Part 7
ReplyDelete10:1 .. the richer the people get,� the more pagan altars they build. 4 They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep. So injustice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field. 6 This idol will be carted away.. 8 .. Thorns and thistles will grow up around their altars. They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!” and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!” 9.. there has been only sin and more sin! 12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’ 13
“But you have cultivated wickedness and harvested a thriving crop of sins. You have eaten the fruit of lies— 14 ..All your fortifications will fall.. 15 because of your great wickedness, when the day of judgment dawns..
Part 8
ReplyDelete11:4 .. I lifted the yoke.. and I myself stooped to feed.. 5 But since my people refuse to return to me.. 6 War will swirl through their cities, their enemies will crash through their gates. 8 .. “My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. 9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy.. for I am God and not a mere mortal.� I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. 10 For someday the people will follow me. I, the Lord, will roar like a lion. And when I roar, my people will return.. 11 Like a flock of birds.. Trembling like doves, they will return ..And I will bring them home again,” says the Lord.
12:6 So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him. 7 But no, the people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales — they love to cheat. 10 I sent my prophets to warn you..
Part 9
ReplyDelete13:2 Now they continue to sin by making silver idols, images shaped skillfully with human hands. “Sacrifice to these,” they cry, “and kiss the calf idols!” 3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist, like dew in the morning sun, like chaff blown by the wind, like smoke from a chimney. 14 Should I ransom them from the grave? Should I redeem them from death? ..15 ..An east wind—a blast from the Lord—will arise in the desert..
14:2 ..return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.” 4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness, my love will know no bounds, for my anger (bad effects from cause) will be gone forever. 5 I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily.. roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. 6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. 7 My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grape vines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.. 8 .. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me. 9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully.�The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall.
(Imo, cause and effect.)