I think the expression, a minor prophet, is
a very unfortunate name.
When we think of something as being minor,
we think of less important, and that certainly
isn't true.
Of these books, all scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable.
The only reason they were ever called minor
prophets is because, generally, the books are shorter
than the other prophets.
Even that isn't a rule without an exception.
Hosea has more chapters in general.
Now, the name Hosea means salvation.
I think that, as we read the book,
the prominent spot for us would be judgment,
which is why the prominent spot is salvation.
At the time that Hosea lived, Israel was
divided into two kingdoms, North and South.
As we would say, Yankees and rebels, and
it's embarrassing to have to admit that the
North was far deeper into sin than the
South.
The capital of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, was
Samaria, and in this book that Northern Kingdom
is spoken of quite often under the name
of Ephraim, because Ephraim was one of the
tribes that lived in the matter of rebellion
and idolatry.
And so, you might find the Northern Kingdom
called Israel, you might even find it called
Samaria after its capital, and you might find
it called Ephraim.
Southern Kingdom is also mentioned here, although Hosea
prophesied primarily through the Northern Kingdom.
In the book of Hosea, as in few
other books of the Old Testament, you hear
the heart-beat of the tribes most clearly.
God loved to keep us, and they wouldn't
even care to enter into us.
She had a little boy in that room,
her own boy, and this boy had been
born defective, and as he grew up he
never increased in mentality.
And F.
W.
Boram was walking by in the corridor, in
the hallway one day, and the door just
happened to be ajar, and his aunt was
sitting there with a little fellow on her
lap, and she was weeping, and she was
saying, O Johnny, Johnny, I have loved you
all these years.
That's what you hear God saying in the
book of Hosea, O Israel, Israel, I have
loved you all these years, even known me.
The predominant sin that God is dealing with
in the book of Hosea is the sin
of idolatry.
The people had forsaken him to sue him
and say these.
And this is the worst form of sin,
the sin of refusing God and following after
other love.
Now we commonly think that we ourselves are
exempt from this sin.
We, this thing is an idolatry, loving
something or cheesy thing to take a temperature
test and find out what is
the abundance of God.
If I can get more in season, and
it could apply to my business today, if
I said a
section of this book extends from chapter one,
verse one, chapter one, verse one, find
God in heaven telling one of two.
The problem is, of course, people find difficulty
with the idea, but I really don't have
too much difficulty with it.
God didn't tell him, and when he took,
and so in obedience to the word of
God, and it says in verse
three, she conceived and bear him a son
and degradation, pity began and
borrow some.
Now in verse 10 to
two, you have the rest in
the verse previous nations
restored.
Now I think there's a lesson in this
for us too.
It seems to me that this presents to
us the inexhaustible.
God will not let who is a pardoning
God like this.
We've seen great God wonders.
I think this is one of the great
people.
Notice it says my
people and to your sister.
Then in beginning with verse two, you have
the unfaithfulness, the unfaithfulness woman
that hosts the people of Israel.
Plead with your mother, please, and
down to this point against idolatry.
It's always a company.
They read about these Eastern religions and things
that appeal, and
that's why all this is.
Then beginning with verse 14 of chapter two,
meaning, I think the last verse is especially
beautiful here.
Remember the names of the three, that
word, Jezreel, the sower went along with Ruhemah,
the grace of God, a great, much more
abounding verse.
Well, Gomer had gone away from Hosea, Jessican
in the book that he's a picture of
Israel being so great.
God says in chapter three, so
he went down into the market.
So I bought her to me for 15
pieces of silver and for an Homer of
violence.
And I said unto her, and then in
verse four, without a
print, how do we know
that was the way they started off?
The line of the king came down to
the Lord, who holds the right to them.
Now in Spain, they don't have, but in
Israel, they not only do not, and
this is an interesting thing to
images, exactly
their condition today as
being represented.
See, little the whole idea today, reading
my Bible, singing a verse of by no
answer was the Lord, their God is
our blessed and reign in righteousness.
Then beginning with chapter four, verse one through
chapter 10 verse with his people, God's controversy
with his people.
It's quite a long section.
I hope in studying these minor prophecies and
something you feel,
and it is, then
you have the sins of the priesthood to
you.
Send down verse six.
My people are destroyed.
There's an offering, a portion of the sin
offering, the Lord, the people sin.
Think of anything that goes on.
Does that make you think of a whole
record?
They were both corrupt, both the people and
the priests.
And that's,
then you have the idolatry of the feet.
And then you have a special 15 through
19.
Ephraim is joined for the faith.
It isn't fine.
Then in verses one through seven of chapter
five, you have the evil of the right
in them.
It says of the king, I
think verse three is especially touching up.
Then in verses eight through 14, you have
the end of the future.
And then in verse 15, a little into
his place to see, uh, what would happen.
First 15, I will go and return to
my place here.
They shall acknowledge their assent and speak my
faith in their affliction.
They will speak me early here.
You have a return.
You have blessing, uh, coming back again.
Oh, actually it will help the understanding of
this passage to notice to God wait in
it.
And then in the next three, they say,
come and let us reach and he will
bind us up after there's
a lovely first part.
And when 11, the
word of God reminds us that insight in
the inward.
Now in verses one through 16 of chapter
seven, you quickly over these books, because there
are so many to remind
men as gray
hairs and Ephraim also is like us.
And you live, you find that invasion is
near.
God is going to send the wind and
some of these persons and then others.
And then you have the captivity.
Notice beginning with
verse one of 13.
You have in rock when
Israel was a child, I called him out
of Egypt.
These were two years.
And then I think that there's a very
beautiful in passing, uh, chapter 13, verse one,
it says when Israel's faith trembling, when Israel's
faith, he
exalts what an epitaph when
this man, and
then finally, and
you know, this chap with
your words.
And, and
so it means, so we will
not rise.
Neither will we say any, I
will hear that.
That's why I can do
upon the nation of Israel spread
in his beauty.
And Ephraim shall say, I think God says
the next word.
I, that is Ephraim cries out.
I'm Ephraim says, you
have a little dialogue in that first, and
then you have the final and he shall
know them.
They're in.
He says, of course, the pathway of blessing
is the pathway of fellowship with, with him,
not living Hosea.
We're living today.