"Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One."
Today I was reading Hosea 11:12. The sin of Israel here is described by God.
Ephraim represents the Northern Kingdom as it is the largest tribe belonging to the Northern Kingdom.
Israel literally means He who struggles with God. The name given to Jacob after he struggled with God.
Judah is the largest tribe in the southern kingdom and represents the Southern Kingdom of Israel.
The charge is thus that the Northern Kingdom has surrounded God with lies. Not only this, the entire nation of Israel (both northern and southern kingdoms) have treated God deceitfully. While Hosea was writing primarily against the Northern Kingdom, the Southern kingdom is also put in the charge as always where they are said to be rebelling against God.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Hosea 12
Today I was reading the verses in Chapter 12: 2-4
"The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there - "
One of the verses that caught my attention was the verse on "He struggled with the angel".
Since noone can see God face to face, how is that Jacob saw God face to face?
Since the bible does not contradict itself, what Jacob saw was a manifestation or representation of God. This is exactly the same way that Moses saw God in a burning bush and Job saw God in a whirlwind.
"The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there - "
One of the verses that caught my attention was the verse on "He struggled with the angel".
Since noone can see God face to face, how is that Jacob saw God face to face?
Since the bible does not contradict itself, what Jacob saw was a manifestation or representation of God. This is exactly the same way that Moses saw God in a burning bush and Job saw God in a whirlwind.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Who was Hosea
Hosea son of Beeri prophesied during the middle of the 8th century B.C.
His ministry began during or shortly after that of the prophet Amos. While Amos warned of God's judgement on Israel at the hands of an unnamed enemy, Hosea identifies that enemy as Assyria.
Based on the kings mentioned in the book of Hosea, it seems that Hosea must have prophesied for at least 38 years, though almost nothing is known about this prophet from sources outside his book.
He was the only one of the writing prophets to come from the northern kingdom and his prophecy is primarily directed to the Northern Kingdom which he calls Ephraim or Israel. The Southern Kingdom is referred to as Judah since it comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
It is not certain whether Hosea personally authored his book or it was compiled later on. Anyway, the book of Hosea stands first in the division of the Book of Twelve (the 12 minor prophets).
His ministry began during or shortly after that of the prophet Amos. While Amos warned of God's judgement on Israel at the hands of an unnamed enemy, Hosea identifies that enemy as Assyria.
Based on the kings mentioned in the book of Hosea, it seems that Hosea must have prophesied for at least 38 years, though almost nothing is known about this prophet from sources outside his book.
He was the only one of the writing prophets to come from the northern kingdom and his prophecy is primarily directed to the Northern Kingdom which he calls Ephraim or Israel. The Southern Kingdom is referred to as Judah since it comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
It is not certain whether Hosea personally authored his book or it was compiled later on. Anyway, the book of Hosea stands first in the division of the Book of Twelve (the 12 minor prophets).
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hosea 10
Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
The above is from Hosea Chapter 10 verse 11.
When I first saw this verse, there was really nothing much that I thought about it. It was only when I digged deeper did I see the message that God was trying to put across to Israel through the prophet Hosea.
Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh
Ephraim refers to the Northern Kingdom. A heifer is basically a young cow that has not given birth. Threshing is basically a process that is used by farmers to lossen the grain from the kernel before winnowing (separation of the grain from the kernel) takes place.
In ancient Israel, this involved using a cow who would walk on the grain in circles. Sometimes, a threshing sledge was used where the cow would drag a sledge that would help lossen the grain from the kernel even more efficiently.
This was basically easy work as the cow just had to walk around in circles. In addition, the cow was not muzzled so it could eat the grain. What the trained heifer basically does was to actually just walk around in circles eating!
This was the picture that Hosea was trying to paint. Israel was happy and contented being this heifer that just did easy labour and got its rewards. They never progressed further than that.
so I will put a yoke on her fair neck
God himself was now going to put a yoke on Israel. Her neck which has seen no hardship will now have to bear the heavy yoke. God was going to drive her like the farmer drives the oxen when it ploughs the ground.
There was going to be hard work ahead. This was a warning to Israel of the coming exile and the hardships its people would face. This warning went out to both the Northern and the Southern Kingdom.
Lesson for us today
Do not abuse the privileged position we have as God's chosen people. Just like the heifer has an easy job, this position could easily be taken away by God.
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
The above is from Hosea Chapter 10 verse 11.
When I first saw this verse, there was really nothing much that I thought about it. It was only when I digged deeper did I see the message that God was trying to put across to Israel through the prophet Hosea.
Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh
Ephraim refers to the Northern Kingdom. A heifer is basically a young cow that has not given birth. Threshing is basically a process that is used by farmers to lossen the grain from the kernel before winnowing (separation of the grain from the kernel) takes place.
In ancient Israel, this involved using a cow who would walk on the grain in circles. Sometimes, a threshing sledge was used where the cow would drag a sledge that would help lossen the grain from the kernel even more efficiently.
This was basically easy work as the cow just had to walk around in circles. In addition, the cow was not muzzled so it could eat the grain. What the trained heifer basically does was to actually just walk around in circles eating!
This was the picture that Hosea was trying to paint. Israel was happy and contented being this heifer that just did easy labour and got its rewards. They never progressed further than that.
so I will put a yoke on her fair neck
God himself was now going to put a yoke on Israel. Her neck which has seen no hardship will now have to bear the heavy yoke. God was going to drive her like the farmer drives the oxen when it ploughs the ground.
There was going to be hard work ahead. This was a warning to Israel of the coming exile and the hardships its people would face. This warning went out to both the Northern and the Southern Kingdom.
Lesson for us today
Do not abuse the privileged position we have as God's chosen people. Just like the heifer has an easy job, this position could easily be taken away by God.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Intro to Hosea
The book of Hosea appears as the first book in the section of the minor prophets in the Old Testament of the bible. It was most probably written by the prophet Hosea who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel.
In my view, reading the book of Hosea is probably very challenging due to a few reasons:
Firstly, is the language that is used in the book of Hosea. As a prophecy book, its language is often poetic with visual imageries used to highlight certain points. Some of the words and places referred to in the book of Hosea requires one to have an indepth knowledge of the rest of the Old Testament. This can make it a challenging book for the first timer. Nevertheless, if one ploughs through all the details, you will get a much better understanding of the book of Hosea and what the writer was trying to say.
Secondly, the flow of the book is neither a narrative or a poem. As a collection of prophetic utterances put together with a narrative on the life of Hosea. As much as God was speaking through Hosea, God was also speaking THROUGH Hosea's life in his marriage to Gomer. This makes it complicated to understand when it seems that Hosea is speaking about his wife when in turn it is also God speaking to Israel.
Thirdly, the reader of the book of Hosea will have to contend whether God did really ask Hosea to marry a prostitute or whether Hosea married a woman who later on in life became a prostitute. While we should keep our minds open to both possibilities, a literal reading would seem that Hosea was indeed asked to marry a prostitute. Other suggestions however do seem to make a case that Hosea married Gomer who only later on in life became a prostitute.
All these challenges however should not deter us from reading the book of Hosea. In it, we see the failure of Israel to acknowledge God and the unfailing love of God in trying to woo Israel back to Him. The message in Hosea is relevant and applicable even for us today. A detailed study of it should enable the reader to see the God of Hosea, the God of Israel and the God of today is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is a God that loves the sinner but cannot condone the sin. He balances justice and mercy, showing his grace to all who would just turn from their wicked ways and idols to seek Him and acknowledge Him for who He is. He does not want our rituals to take the place of a close and intimate relationship with Him.
The message of Hosea is about us returning to God - to a God who is continually wooing us back to Him. God was asking the people of Israel to repent and return to Him. If they did so, he would finally restore them. The same message goes out today.
In my view, reading the book of Hosea is probably very challenging due to a few reasons:
Firstly, is the language that is used in the book of Hosea. As a prophecy book, its language is often poetic with visual imageries used to highlight certain points. Some of the words and places referred to in the book of Hosea requires one to have an indepth knowledge of the rest of the Old Testament. This can make it a challenging book for the first timer. Nevertheless, if one ploughs through all the details, you will get a much better understanding of the book of Hosea and what the writer was trying to say.
Secondly, the flow of the book is neither a narrative or a poem. As a collection of prophetic utterances put together with a narrative on the life of Hosea. As much as God was speaking through Hosea, God was also speaking THROUGH Hosea's life in his marriage to Gomer. This makes it complicated to understand when it seems that Hosea is speaking about his wife when in turn it is also God speaking to Israel.
Thirdly, the reader of the book of Hosea will have to contend whether God did really ask Hosea to marry a prostitute or whether Hosea married a woman who later on in life became a prostitute. While we should keep our minds open to both possibilities, a literal reading would seem that Hosea was indeed asked to marry a prostitute. Other suggestions however do seem to make a case that Hosea married Gomer who only later on in life became a prostitute.
All these challenges however should not deter us from reading the book of Hosea. In it, we see the failure of Israel to acknowledge God and the unfailing love of God in trying to woo Israel back to Him. The message in Hosea is relevant and applicable even for us today. A detailed study of it should enable the reader to see the God of Hosea, the God of Israel and the God of today is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is a God that loves the sinner but cannot condone the sin. He balances justice and mercy, showing his grace to all who would just turn from their wicked ways and idols to seek Him and acknowledge Him for who He is. He does not want our rituals to take the place of a close and intimate relationship with Him.
The message of Hosea is about us returning to God - to a God who is continually wooing us back to Him. God was asking the people of Israel to repent and return to Him. If they did so, he would finally restore them. The same message goes out today.
Friday, September 11, 2009
About Me
Why I started this site was simple.
I am a Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour in 1996 when I was 15. Today, I am 27 and have recently started a family with my son just turning 1 not too long ago.
Understanding the power of the internet, I would like to leave behind some footprints in the sands of time.
At the same time, this site will help to organise my thoughts as I am currently leading a bible study on the book of Hosea.
My thoughts may be disorganised from time to time so do bear with me.
I am a Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour in 1996 when I was 15. Today, I am 27 and have recently started a family with my son just turning 1 not too long ago.
Understanding the power of the internet, I would like to leave behind some footprints in the sands of time.
At the same time, this site will help to organise my thoughts as I am currently leading a bible study on the book of Hosea.
My thoughts may be disorganised from time to time so do bear with me.
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