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The Children of Hosea

by Jerry Ousley
11/24/2023 / Christian Living

The Children of Hosea

By Jerry D. Ousley

What’s in a name? We give our children names because we like the sound of them. Or, perhaps because it was our father’s name, or that of our mother. Perhaps grandfather or grandmother. Maybe because it was a movie star that we liked, or some other famous person in history past.

Remember the old phone books? Those big thick, small lettered books that had everyone’s name, address and phone number recorded in them? We don’t see those much anymore since it is easier to just look it up on the internet. But that big thick phone book used to fascinate me. I was looking through it one day and ran across a name. Someone’s last name was Paint. They had called their child Bucket – Can you imagine? A name like Bucket Paint? When listed in the phone book, because the last name always came first it appeared as Paint, Bucket. I kid you not – True story!

In the Bible they often gave their children names that meant something. For instance, Jacob was the second born of twins, but because when he emerged from his mother’s womb, he had grabbed hold of his brother, Esau’s heel, he was named Jacob, which meant “Supplanter” or “Deceiver.” And his brother, Esau, was so named because he was red and hairy, which is exactly what “Esau” means.

In the Book of Hosea, we see the prophecy God gave him to the ten tribes who had broken off. They were referred to as Israel and the other tribes as Judah. Israel had rebelled against God and gone deep into idolatry. They forsook God. They rebelled even to the point of sacrificing their children to these false idols. Of course, God was angry and intended to punish them.

In the first chapter of Hosea, God told him to marry a prostitute and have children by her. He obeyed and had three children. He named them prophetical names because of the rebellion of Israel. The reason for his marriage to a prostitute was to illustrate that Israel’s idolatry was like a man married to a prostitute.

His first child was a boy, and they named him “Jezreel” which meant “God sows.” The message was that God was going to sow revenge on Israel for their rebellion. His second child was a girl. She was named “Lo-Ruhamah” which meant “Unpitied.” This meant that God would not have pity on Israel when He brought His judgement. Hosea had one more child by his wife, Gomer (no, not Gomer Pyle). His third child, another son, was named “Lo-Ammi” meaning “Not My People.” What a tragedy in this because God was telling those of that generation of Israel, that they were no longer His people. When you think about it, that was the scariest of all.

Of course, that’s interesting, but how does that relate to us now? It relates to the Church. First, I want to say that there are many fine, Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching congregations. They teach their people how to live for, call on, and worship the great God of the universe. They may fail at times, but by and large, they love God, His word, and His people. I’m not speaking of them.

There is a facet of the Church that is not so much concerned with true worship, the truth of the word, or even God’s people. They exist to attract large crowds so as to fill their coffers with money. They are more entertainers and concentrate on talent. They speak ear-tickling words in order to attract people like flies are drawn to honey. Their true emphasis is fame, fortune and popularity. Don’t get me wrong; there are large congregations that may take in large sums of money but who truly lead worship of God, and preach the reality of God’s word.

Don’t be fooled by the charlatans. They are the ones that God is displeased with. Just like the rebellious Israel that had fallen into idolatry, they will be one day judged. God will sow judgment upon them. He will not pity them and will plainly reveal that they are not His people. Why does He allow them to operate today?

To answer that I want to share the parable that Jesus told, about the wheat and the tares. Matthew 25 records this story. It went like this. A prosperous farmer sowed his fields. But during the night an enemy stealthily came and sowed tares – weeds that resembled the wheat, in the farmer’s fields. As they began to grow, the farmer’s servants told him, “Master, someone has planted tares in the fields along with the wheat. What shall we do?” Being a wise man, he instructed them to do nothing. They resembled the good wheat so much that he was concerned they would pull up the good wheat along with the tares. “Let them alone,” he instructed. Then, when the harvest came it would be very obvious which were the good and which were the bad. Then they could separate them, saving the wheat and burning the tares.

Just so, our wise, all-knowing God allows the true and the false to exist together. In the final days (and they are rapidly approaching) it will be obvious which is the true Church. God doesn’t make mistakes. God knows who are His. He is no fool to be deceived by devil or man. He knows. He’s always known. But He gives us the choice. We can take the truth, or we can take that which is pleasant and easy.

One more story from the Bible to illustrate this is found in Genesis. It is the story of Abraham and Lot. God had blessed both so much that it was nearly impossible to feed their flocks and continue traveling together. So, to maintain peace Abraham told his nephew, Lot that they should separate. He told Lot to pick the direction he would go and Abraham would go the opposite. Looking over the land, Lot viewed the fertile valley of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was flat, plentifully watered, and the easy way. Without thinking further that is what he chose. True to his word, Abraham went the opposite, harder, more difficult way.

But it became Lot’s downfall. Sodom and Gomorrah became so wicked that God was forced to destroy both cities. He had promised Abraham that if He could find just ten righteous people there, He would spare it. But they were not found. Lot barely escaped with his life and those of his two daughters, no one and nothing else.

The lesson we learn is that we can’t always take what seems pleasant, easy and prosperous. God has a plan for your life. It might make you question. But trust Him. Don’t follow the path Israel chose and their rejection by God illustrated by the children of Hosea. Listen to God. Follow His leading. You can’t go wrong with Him. He will bring you to the stream in the desert. He will take you to the still waters David talked about in the 23^rd Psalm. Follow the Shepherd, not the wayward goats. It might be the harder path, but it will be the best in the end. That I promise you.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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