Hosea 2:1-13
Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ru-hamah. 2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; 3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. 4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms. 5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. 6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. 7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. 8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. 9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. 10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. 11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. 12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. 13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever done something for someone, and they gave somebody else the credit? Imagine spending months building a beautiful house for your family. You worked late every night. You paid every bill. You sacrificed your time. The house is finally finished.
Then one of your children walks next door and says, “I just want to thank our neighbor for giving us this house.” You’d stop and think, “What? The neighbor didn’t build this. He didn’t pay for it. He didn’t sacrifice for it. I did.” That would hurt. Not because you wanted applause. But because someone else received the credit for your love for your family.
That’s exactly what’s happening in Hosea. God had given Israel everything. The food they ate. The clothes they wore. The land they lived in. The silver. The gold. The wine. The oil. Yet Israel thanked Baal instead. They forgot who loved them.
Let me ask you something. Could we ever do the same thing? Let’s find out.
I. GOD REMEMBERED WHEN THEY LOVED HIM
Hosea 2:1-5
Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ru-hamah. 2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; 3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. 4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms. 5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
Notice something. God remembers. There was a time Israel loved Him. Now she’s compared to an unfaithful wife. Think about that picture. A husband has faithfully loved his wife for years. He provides for her. Protects her. Sacrifices for her. Then she leaves him for another man.
Wouldn’t that break his heart? That’s God’s picture. This isn’t merely about breaking rules. It’s about breaking a relationship. Notice verse 5. She says, “I will go after my lovers.” Why? “that give me my bread and my water.” Wait a minute. Who gave Israel those things? God did. She had completely forgotten who loved her.
Imagine a little girl who grows up in a loving home. Her parents work overtime to buy her clothes. They stay awake all night when she’s sick. They drive her to school every day. They make sacrifices she never even knows about. Years later someone asks her, “Who took care of you growing up?”
And she answers, “Nobody. My parents didn’t care for me.” Can you imagine the heartbreak? That’s exactly what God is saying. “I gave you your bread. I gave you your water. I gave you your wool. I gave you your flax.” And you thanked Baal instead.
Imagine a little boy opening Christmas presents. He runs across the room. Not to Mom. Not to Dad. He hugs the delivery driver. “Thank you for all my presents!” The delivery driver would probably say, “I didn’t buy these. But your parents did.”
That’s Israel. They were thanking the wrong one. They forgot who loved them.
II. GOD SHOWS THEM THE TRUTH
Hosea 2:6-8
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. 7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. 8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
Now God says something amazing. “I will hedge up thy way with thorns.” Why? To punish her? Not first. To stop her. Imagine your five-year-old suddenly running toward a busy highway. Would you let him keep running? Of course not. You’d grab him. He might cry. He might get angry. But you just saved his life.
Sometimes God’s obstacles are acts of love. Have you ever prayed for something, and God said no? Maybe later you looked back and realized, “Thank God He didn’t answer that prayer.” God isn’t trying to keep Israel from happiness. He’s trying to keep Israel from destruction. Then comes one of the saddest verses. Verse 8.
“For she did not know that I gave her.” Think about those words. She didn’t know. God says, “I gave you the corn. I gave you the wine. I gave you the oil. I multiplied your silver. I multiplied your gold.” Then they used those very blessings to worship Baal.
Notice something. God doesn’t say, “Baal never gave you anything.” He says, “I gave it to you.” Every ear of corn… Every grape… Every olive… Every piece of silver… Every piece of gold… Came from Me. And then… You took My gifts… and laid them at Baal’s feet.
Imagine buying your wife a beautiful wedding ring that you worked hard for years to pay for because you love her, honor her, and cherish her. Years later she uses that same ring to impress another man. She forgets about you. And goes after this other man who is absolutely worthless. That’s the picture. They forgot who loved them.
III. GOD TAKES AWAY THE GIFTS
Hosea 2:9-11
Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. 10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. 11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
Read the verses. Now God says, “I’m taking it back.” Why? Because they loved the gifts more than the Giver.
Let me ask you something. If God removed every blessing from your life, would you still love Him? If the money disappeared, would you still serve Him? If your health failed, would you still trust Him? If the job was gone, would you still worship Him? Sometimes we don’t realize whether we love God or His blessings until the blessings are gone.
Imagine a young man calling his parents every single week. They’re thrilled. Then one day they discover he only calls when he needs money. Suddenly everything changes. Did he love his parents… or their gifts? God asks Israel the same question. Have you forgotten who loved you?
IV. LOVE CALLS US BACK
Hosea 2:12-13
And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. 13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.
Verse 12. “These are my rewards that my lovers have given me.” I’d stop. Then ask: Have you ever thanked the wrong person? Imagine a football player wins the championship. He stands before the cameras. Thanks the opposing coach. Thanks the opposing team. Thanks the referee. Never mentions his own teammates. How would they feel? That’s exactly what Israel did. God says, “You credited someone else for everything I gave you.”
God speaks about judgment here too. But even here, His love is still visible. Why? Because God’s purpose is restoration. He’s trying to bring Israel back.
Do you remember the father of the prodigal son? Did he stop loving his son when the boy left home? No. Every day he kept watching the road. Waiting. Hoping. Longing for his son to come home. That’s God. His people had forgotten Him. He had not forgotten them.
Notice verse 13. She forgot. “And forgat me, saith the LORD.” Those may be the saddest words in this chapter. She forgot the One who loved her most.
Many times, wives divorce their husbands because they found someone who they think is better. Many times, husbands divorce their wives because they found someone who they think is better. This is the same here. And it’s not better. You’ve transgressed against God’s commandments and that will NEVER end up better.
For example, maybe you were born a boy and someone teaches you that it’s better if you were a girl. Well, god made you to be a boy. Going against God will never end up better. Giving your loyalty to things other than God is not good. When God makes you a man, be a man. Act like a man. When God makes you a woman, be a woman. Act like a woman. Be who God made you to be. It will never end up better going against God.
God loved you first. God loved you more than anyone. Don’t forget God.
CONCLUSION
Have you forgotten who loved you? Who gave you your life? Who gave you your family? Who gave you your food? Who gave you your abilities? Who gave you salvation?
James tells us that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Everything good ultimately comes from God. Don’t make Israel’s mistake. Don’t fall so in love with the blessings that you forget the Blesser.
Remember that family we talked about at the beginning? Imagine that child finally realizing, “It wasn’t the neighbor who sacrificed for me. It was my parents.” How do you think that child would respond? With gratitude. With love. With appreciation.
That’s exactly how we should respond to God. Every blessing, every answered prayer, every meal, every breath, every day is another reminder of the One who loved us first. So don’t forget. Don’t forget who loved you.
Imagine standing at the funeral of your parents. You begin remembering everything they did for you. The meals. The rides. The sacrifices. The sleepless nights. The prayers. Suddenly you realize that you never thanked them. That’s a painful thought.
Now think about God. Every breath you’ve taken. Every meal you’ve eaten. Every sunrise you’ve seen. Every answered prayer. Every blessing you’ve ever received. Who gave it to you? Don’t wait until it’s gone… to remember who loved you.
Let’s pray.
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