Hosea 2:9-11
by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
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Hosea 2:9
I. Translation.
"Therefore I shall turn and I shall take my grain in its
time, and my new wine in its season, and I shall snatch away
my wool and my flax to cover her nakedness."
II. The Meaning of the Verse and Hebrew Notes.
A. The adverb LAKHEN shows us that God is switching to a new
phase of discipline. It is translated "therefore".
B. The qal imperfect verb 'ASHUBH shows a possible future action
of God. This possibility is governed by the volition of the woman/older
generation of Israel. If they respond to the first phase of the
discipline, then this phase will not be implemented. This is
why this verb is imperfect: the action is not complete. The meaning
of this verb is to change course or turn in one's way. When it
applies to a person, it means to change one's mind, or repent.
We will translate it "I shall turn".
C. The result of God's change of mind is portrayed in the verb
LAQAH>ETI. The stem of this verb is the qal, and the tense
is the perfect. The perfect tense is used to show that once God's
mind is changed, this action will certainly occur. Perhaps it
is best to call this the provisional prophetic future perfect.
The irony of the passage continues with the meaning of this verb,
because it is often used in the context of marriage and sex.
1. God takes away what was a part of His marriage with the woman/older generation.
2. This is a revelation of the covenant relationship between God and Israel.
3. As long as Israel remains married to God, they enjoy all the blessings of the grace covenants.
4. When the marriage breaks up (i.e., the spiritual covenant is broken), then the grace covenants are taken back.
D. The next verb is the Hiphil causative perfect of HIS.ALTI.
The perfect is again the provisional prophetic future perfect.
The causative shows that God is the cause behind the effect of
the covenant blessings being snatched away. HIS.ALTI usually
means to deliver someone from something bad. Here the covenant
blessing are taken from those who use them for illegitimate things,
such as idol worship. The thing is seen as rescued from being
used for evil.
E. The Piel infinitive construct shows the purpose of the blessings
which were taken away. The things were provided as a part of
the logistical portfolio for the woman/Israel. Their purpose
was partially logistical and partially to fulfill the promise
of covenant blessings.
1. The purpose is revealed because the woman was not using them for this purpose, but instead was wasting them on idolatry.
2. In the prediction for their removal is a reminder that a covenant blessing from the most high God should not be used for idolatry.
F. Finally, there is the direct object 'EREWATAH, which means
"nakedness". There is a double entendre here that has
to do with what the woman was doing. It shows God's marvelous
sense of humor, even in a very grave situation.
1. She was committing adultery in order to get the things that God would have provided anyway.
2. The things that God would have provided anyway should have been used to cover her nakedness.
3. She was getting naked in order to get the things that God would have provided anyway, which should have been used to cover her nakedness.
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. This verse turns to a new phase of Divine discipline. The
first phase had to do with the prevention of her adulterous affairs.
B. The woman was prevented from engaging in adultery.
1. From her point of view, this meant that she could not get the things that she used in her idolatry.
2. From God's point of view, He would have provided those things anyway.
C. The first part of the prevention was the thorny hedge. In
this prevention, she was allowed go on with the activity, even
though the continuation would be painful.
D. The second part of the prevention was the wall. In this prevention,
there was no adulterous activity allowed whatsoever.
E. Throughout these two categories of prevention, God still provided
the things that she thought she could only get by committing
adultery.
F. The woman suffered because of her frustration in her inability
to get the things for adultery.
G. The second phase of Divine discipline is the removal phase.
In this phase, the things are actually removed. This is the phase
in view in this verse.
H. The next phase will be revealed in the next verse.
Hosea 2:10
I. Translation.
"And now I shall completely expose her degeneracy to the
eyes of her lovers. And no man will deliver her from my hand."
II. Hebrew Notes and the Meaning of the Verse.
A. The Piel imperfect of the verb 'AGALLEH starts the further
explanation of the second phase of discipline. The Piel stem
shows intensity of action in the verb. The verb itself means
to reveal a secret, or to uncover something that until now has
remained unknown. The imperfect tense indicates that the action
remains in the future, and that it depends on the volition of
the woman as to whether it will come to pass.
1. Again we are reminded that God is willing to withdraw the discipline at any time that the woman is willing to repent of her adulterous and idolatrous ways.
2. God continues to be gracious right up to the very end, which comes in the sin unto death.
3. It is only from the human viewpoint that the relationship seems irreconcialable.
4. Guilt and unconfessed sin cause scar tissue on the soul, which appears as a barrier from the human side. It is never so from the Divine side until the very end.
B. What is revealed is interesting. NEBHELUTHAH is a fairly broad
word group.
1. Its base meaning is found in the containers of the ancient world. Often these containers were made of animal skins, or of clay. It also came to denote the musical instruments, which were hollowed out gourds and pieces of wood. What these things had in common were their emptiness or hollow nature. Naturally, they came to mean "airhead" - that breed of senseless human being with a vacuum between his ears.
2. The animal skin would also wither, or deflate, and so the word came to mean degeneracy, and it was compared with the withering of a tree or plant which is dying.
3. This word was also used to describe a corpse in its decomposing state.
4. Probably the best word to use in this context is degeneracy.
5. Therefore this picture paints a vivid picture. The woman is senseless, a degenerate airhead. The result will be degeneracy and then death.
6. This state will be revealed to her lovers, and so they will no longer sleep with her, because now she is grossly unattractive to them.
C. The final verb is a play on words with the same verb in the
previous verse. YAS.ILENNAH is in the Hiphil causative, which
shows man as the cause behind the effect of her "delivery".
The negative adverb LO negates the action, and so this verb is
translated, "no man will deliver her".
1. In this context, the delivery is a release from the Divine discipline.
2. What God wants to come to pass, comes to pass. If He wants to discipline someone, no one can stop it.
3. In this case, the woman wants a man to "deliver" her, that is, to commit adultery with her, and give her the things for her Idolatry as payment.
4. The reason that the men will not deliver her, is that she has become unattractive because of her degeneracy.
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. Degeneracy makes a person unattractive. This is probably why
prostitutes always start young and are finished just a few years
later. They are all used up, and very unattractive.
B. The woman's idolatry made her unattractive. So unattractive
that no man would touch her.
C. Now that the source of all of her things (the true source,
God) is dried up, the woman is desperate. However, she is so
unattractive in her desperation that no man will sleep with her,
and so she does not get what she wants.
D. Again, the intent is to focus on God and His message of repentance.
E. He still waits for His bride, even though she has become grossly
unattractive to all other men.
F. He is the one who knew her before her days of adultery and
idolatry when she was beautiful.
G. Principle: virtue makes a person attractive.
H. The beauty of a woman, or the attractiveness of a man is in
the soul.
I. God is perfect. He is the source of all beauty and order in
the world.
J. If your soul is a reflection of the character of God, then
you will reflect His beauty.
K. If you fail to do this, then no amount of cosmetics, surgery,
fanny tucks, nose jobs, face lifts, or other anatomical enhancements
of any nature can make you beautiful. You won't be fooling anyone.
L. Principle: Degeneracy brings built in failure.
M. The more degenerate you are, the more you will fail. The more
you fail, the more degeneracy you think you need.
N. The built in failure is a part of the divine discipline.
O. With God, you can recover your virtue, and thus your beauty.
P. With degeneracy, the unattractiveness gathers momentum.
Hosea 2:11
I. Translation.
"And I shall personally put to rest all of her exultation:
her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all of her sacred
seasons."
II. Hebrew Notes and the Meaning of the Verse.
A. The verse begins with the hiphil causative verb WEHISHBATI.
The causative shows God's personal intervention in the affairs
of the woman/Israel. It is also in the perfect tense, and so
again we have the prophetic future perfect, which shows the absolute
surety of a future event. Again, there is a sense of humor or
sanctified sarcasm here, because the root of the verb is SHABAT,
from which we get sabbath. This is translated, "I shall
personally put to rest".
B. The object of the verb is MESOSAH, which means exultation,
or rejoicing. There exists in the meaning of this word a hint
of sexuality, of the bridegroom who rejoices in his bride. The
word serves as a heading under which several similar types of
activities are listed. Each of them perverts the Law of Moses
in some way.
C. The first on the list is the feast. The word HAG can be used
of both pagan and sacred events. Here it is the former. The word
includes eating and dancing and general celebration.
D. The second is the new moon celebration. In idol worship, there
were monthly celebrations dedicated to the new moon. The worship
of the moon predates the monthly celebration set down in the
Mosaic Law. The idolatrous celebration was probably a fertility
rite, calibrated to the monthly cycles of the cult prostitutes.
Children conceived in this manner would then be dedicated to
the idol, and at times be sacrificed.
E. The third on the list of celebrations is the sabbath. The
original design of the sabbath was as a day of rest set apart
for concentration on God. It is human nature to work, given the
degenerative nature of the devil's world. Left alone, work will
be done. This is why the command is given - so that there will
be concentration on God - a concentration which restores the
spiritual well being of the individual. This great tradition
was perverted into a festival which concentrated on the idol
of choice.
F. The list is summed up with the phrase, "and all of her
sacred seasons". MO'ADAH is generally used to denote a preset
time, or scheduled appointment. Since the idolaters had a highly
detailed calender of events, God uses this phrase to sum them
all up.
III. The Impact of the Verse.
A. God tells the woman that all of her celebrations will cease.
In fact, God is imposing an arbitrary sabbath on the idolatries
of Israel.
B. Everything that she looks forward to with the rabidity that
only an addict can have will be stopped.
C. The source of her stimulation is stopped - and this is in
addition to the blockade on her idolatrous materials - with which
she worshipped.
D. The purpose of this is to concentrate the woman's attention
on God. Even to this last phase of Divine discipline, God's motive
remains pure.
E. It is appropriate that God uses the verb form of Sabbath rest
to describe the stopping of the idolatry, because the purpose
of the sabbath was to concentrate on God.
1. The original sabbath occured on the seventh day of creation.
a. Genesis 1:31, And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completely finished, and all their armies.
2:2 And on the seventh day God completely finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
2:3 And so God utterly blessed the seventh day and hallowed it completely, because on it God stopped from all his work which he had done in creation.
b. To begin with, God, being omnipotent, did not need to rest.
c. He stopped for another reason, most likely to enjoy what He had made. This is alluded to in Gen 1:31.
d. The day is blessed and holy because of the cessation of activity, and the observation of the Divine work of creation.2. Israel was commanded to observe the sabbath in much the same way - they were to stop everything else and reflect on God and His work.
a. The man who keeps the sabbath is called blessed by Isaiah 56:1-2. "Thus says the Lord, 'Preserve justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. How blessed is the man who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning the sabbath'"
This blessing comes from knowing God. In the first verse, the justice and righteousness of God is in view. In the second verse, that justice and righteousness is concentrated upon during the sabbath - and that is the blessing!
b. Ezekiel 20:12 makes it clear that the intent of the sabbath command was for knowledge - and relationship, "And also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them."3. Our Lord made it clear that the sabbath was made for man, and not vice-versa, Mark 2:27, "And He was saying to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.'"
a. This means that man is never to become the slave to the sabbath, much as the Pharisees had become through their legalism.
b. Furthermore, the sabbath was a part of the ritual plan for Israel, and is not a part of the plan of God for the church age.4. Hebrews chapter four makes it clear that studying the word of God and staying in God's plan for the church age is the equivalent of observing the sabbath in the age of Israel.
F. Therefore, when the woman/Israel set up a rigorous schedule
of sabbaths for their idolatry, they profane the very heart of
the spiritual covenant; the relationship with God covenant.
G. Therefore, when God tells them that he will personally cause
these things to come to a stop, it is for the express purpose
of re-establishing the original intent of the sabbath, which
is relationship with Go.
End of Hosea Lesson 7
Warren Doud [ Grace Notes ]
1705 Aggie Lane, Austin, Texas 78757
Phone: 512-458-8923
wdoud@bga.com