Scripture Reading : Hosea 1:1-2:1
Theme : Israel’s Spiritual Adultery Illustrated
Hosea is the first book of the twelves minor prophets. His ministry extended about 755-710 B.C. He ministered to the northern kingdom, referred as Israel or Ephraim, in contrast to the southern kingdom, referred as Judah. During his ministry, Israel was prosperous but full of grave spiritual adultery. Hosea’s message was to exhort the people to return to their God, to warn of future judgment for their sins, and the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises to the nation despite the sins of the current generation. Hosea’s contemporaries were Amos, Isaiah and Micah.
- Israel’s Unfaithfulness Portrayed (1-9). God illustrates Israel’s relationship to Him through the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. When Hosea married Gomer, she was chaste just as Israel was chaste when God called Israel out of Egypt (2:15, 9:10). But Gomer later became an adulterous woman, just as Israel later became a spiritually adulterous nation by worshipping Baal (2:8, 16, 13:1) and the calves in Dan and Bethel (8:5; 1 Kgs 12:29). Spiritual adultery was followed by moral and civil evil (4:2; 14). Adulterous Gomer produces “children of whoredom” who will be like their mother just as Israel’s spiritual adultery will produce generations of spiritually unfaithful people to God (2:4). The symbolic names of Gomer’s three children illustrates Israel’s broken relationship to God and God’s impending judgment on Israel, which was fulfilled when Assyria sacked Israel in 722 B.C., about 30 years after Hosea’s first message.
- God’s Faithfulness Promised (1:10-2:1). Despite the sins of this generation of Jews and the coming exile by the Assyrians, God will still be faithful to fulfill all His promises to the nation and to Abraham (Gen. 22:17). He will unite the divided kingdom and bring back His Jewish people to the promised land and restore their relationship with Him. The nation will experience a second exodus (They shall go up from the land, see 2:15) and return to the land spiritually and physically blessed (great shall be the day of Jezreel, meaning sowing, see 2:22). All of these promises will ultimately be fulfilled during Jesus’ second coming when He will restore Israel spiritually, physically and nationally (Zech. 12:10).
Praying the Scripture
- Today’s greatest spiritual adultery committed by self-proclaim Christians is the prosperity gospel. This false gospel is sweeping the globe. Just as Israel served both God and Baal, so today’s Christians’ are serving both God and money (Matt. 6:24). More precisely, they are using God to get money and status. Let us pray that we are abhorred by this spiritual adultery and are heartbroken for those who are in it and seek to give them the true gospel.
- Let us be amazed by the sovereignty and faithfulness of God and give Him praise. No sins of people, no plans of man can ever thwart His promises to Israel and His church. He will always be faithful to His people no matter what satan does and no matter what the people of the world will do to us (Matt. 28:20).
经文：何西阿书1:1-2:1
主题：以色列灵性的淫乱
何西阿书是十二本小先知书卷中之一。何西阿的事工（公元前755-710年）主要在北国，即以色列或以法莲，展开；南国则称犹大。在事工期间，以色列虽然国家昌盛，却重犯灵性奸淫。何西阿的信息是要劝勉人归回他们的神，告诫他们日后为罪将受到的审判，并神的信实——纵然当代人有罪，但神必履行祂的承诺。与何西阿同代的先知有阿摩司、以赛亚与弥迦。
- 以色列展现的不忠（1:1-9）。神藉着何西阿与歌篾的婚姻展示以色列与祂的关系。当何西阿娶歌篾时，歌篾是贞洁的，犹如被神招出埃及的以色列一样（2:15, 9:10）。可是，歌篾后来行奸淫，如以色列后来因为拜巴力（2:8, 16；13:1），并但与伯特利的牛犊（8:5；王上12:29）而成为灵性淫乱之国。接着，道德与民间的罪恶也出现（4:2, 14）。歌篾这位淫妇“从淫乱所生的儿女”会像他们的母亲一样，如淫荡的以色列也会生出世世代代灵里对神不纯贞的人（2:4）。歌篾所生的三个儿女之名都具象征意义，表示以色列与神的关系破裂，并神即将对以色列施行审判。在公元前722年，即何西阿初次讲道后约三十年，审判临到——以色列被亚述占领了。
- 神应许自己必信实（1:10-2:1）。即便当代的犹太人有罪，并以色列将被亚述放逐，神仍是信实的，必应验祂对这国及亚伯拉罕的应许（创22:17）。祂会使分裂的南北国合一，且将祂的犹太子民带回那片应许之地，使他们的关系恢复。以色列将经历第二次的大迁移（他们将“从这地上去”；见2:15），并在回到土地后饱受灵里及物质上福气（耶斯列的日子必为大日，即播种，见2:22）。这些应许最终将在耶稣再来时应验，因为祂将在灵性、物质及国界上恢复以色列（撒12:10）。
用经文祷告
- 如今，自称为信徒所犯的最大属灵奸淫是信致富福音。这个假福音正遍及全球。如以色列拜神与巴力一样，今日的基督徒也侍奉神和玛门（太6:24）；更准确的是，他们想利用神牟取财富和名利。祈求我们是憎恨这类属灵淫荡的，并为凡沉迷于此的人哀伤，寻求机会向他们传真实的福音。
- 让我们赞叹神的信实和主权，并献上赞美。无人的罪、无人的计划能阻扰神应验祂予以色列及教会的应许。不论撒旦能做什么，或世人会对我们采取什么行动，神总会对祂的子民信实（太28:20）。
