Hosea 3 - short but good chapter

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  Enjoy your BLESSINGS today!

  This is a very short chapter and shows Israel's exile and return.  Israel is in a foreign land, but God would still love the people and is willing to take them back. As in verse 1, God tells Hosea to do the same with Gomer.

  Hosea had every right to divorce Gomer for her adulteress life.  But God is telling Hosea to go and get his wife back and continue to love her.  This verse shows Gods continual and continuous love of Israel.

  Gomer must have been on her own, lived with a man, or possibly sold herself into slavery, but whatever the case Hosea had to pay to get her back. verse ² So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

  Fifteen pieces of silver was worth about $300 dollars in those days, which was a large sum of money. A homer (omer) of barley is 43 oz. so an homer and a half would be around 63-64 oz of barley.  Hosea is still willing to pay the price to get Gomer, whom he loved, back.

  Just as the God of Israel is willing to buy Israel back.  Which he did as we know from the new testament.  God sacrificed HIS SON to purchase us back.  God is willing to buy us back - to redeem us - and to lift us up again as he did Israel.

   ³ And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

 Hosea was strong in his dealing with Gomer. Telling her she would reside with him for "many days", I assume the rest of her life.  She would not have sexual relations with any one else during this time, not even Hosea.  Very strong words, but fulfilled through the strength of the living GOD.

  But exactly what does this mean?  verse ⁴ For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

  Israel would not go many days with no king, no prince, no sacrifice, or image.  The question here is could these things have all been ways in worshiping the false gods?  A teraphim creates a controversy among scholars.  There seems to be no clear definition, and if any of you have a definition I would appreciate you sharing it.  A teraphim appears to be a household furniture or item (idol) that was accepted by Israel, whether it be just a piece of furniture or an idol, it matters not as it is forbidden by God.

  What is an ephod?  Exodus 28:6-12 describes this well.  This was a special cloth worn only by the high priest  at first then later by regular priests, Samuel  (1 samuel 22:18), and David (2 Samuel 6:14) .  There is more to this if you choose to research it.

   So God is separating Israelites from their treasured idolatrous practices; sacrifices, pillars, and priests were used for idol worship.  It appears the priests, wearing ephods, had served idols, and (teraphim) idols were household gods.  This is strictly forbidden by God.

  Look at verse 5: ⁵ Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

  Okay, read this carefully. after all this what will happen?  Israel returns seeking God, and will fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.   David their king - could this mean of his lineage which leads us to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, our saviour? Could the latter days mean our time now?  How much greater is it for us who have accepted Jesus as our saviour than those who have chosen not to!  Those who don't accept Jesus Christ will face judgment and their "death sentence" when HE, the LORD of LORDS returns.

    Our job, even though it does not seem comfortable is to share the good news with all the nations.  Start at home and share with your neighbors, then move outward to communities beyond, to countries beyond.

   The whole message here is to rid yourself of the idols in your life.  Whatever they be, get shed of the them.  Get an accountability partner and pray together, helping and encouraging one another.  Stay faithful to GOD.

Thanks for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny