Hosea 2:7-12

Hosea 2:7 (KJB)

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.

 

The words “she shall follow” in the Hebrew carry with it the meaning of “pursue.”  It expresses a diligent search and vehement pursuit.  Her lovers will be the false gods that she was following and living for.  As we saw in the previous verse that God is going to place a hindrance to their gods for them, no matter how vehemently they pursue the false gods, they will never be able to reach or surpass them.  They will not only pursue after their false gods, but they will also seek them.  The word in the Hebrew behind “seek” is in the Piel stem which means they will not be able to find or fulfill their desires with them.  Then when they have finally become exhausted in following the false gods, they will turn back to the LORD who was their first husband and then they will realize they had it much better when they served the Lord in truth and exclusivity.

 

Hosea 2:8 (KJB)

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.

 

Romans 1:28 (KJV) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  They were so steeped in the worship of the false gods that they had completely removed the LORD from all their thinking.  They had believed it was the false gods who gave them their prosperity and that is why they offered them up to Baal.  The corn represents all the different type of crops that the Lord blessed them with throughout the many years.  Wine and oil were used for drinking and the oil was used for anointing and for cooking the food they harvested.  Silver and gold increased as their crops and businesses were turning great profits but unfortunately instead of dedicating all their increase to the Lord, they instead dedicated it to Baal.  They made idols of gold and silver to Baal.  Deuteronomy 8:13 (KJV) And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;  Deuteronomy 8:19-20 (KJV) And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.  {20} As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.   Baal was the God of fertility, weather, rain, wind, lightning, seasons, war, patron of sailors and see-going merchants and leader of the Rephaim (ancestral spirits) and later became king of the gods.

 

Hosea 2:9 (KJB)

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.

 

Notice that the Lord is going to take away his corn, wine, wool, and flax.  This is because Israel had forgotten that everything in the world belongs to the LORD.  Psalm 24:1 (KJV) The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  He will come at the time of harvest and remove the crops or he may just allow them to be eaten by locusts or hit with a blight.  He will also take the wine which is used for cooking and drinking since they did not have water purification systems and wine was used at meals.  Then not only will God reclaim the corn and wine, but also the very substances needed to make clothing, the wool and the flax.  He will allow them to see if the false gods can supply them or if they realized how foolish they have been by serving the false gods who can supply nothing.

 

Hosea 2:10 (KJB)

And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

 

Now the Lord is going to uncover Israel as one who is totally naked.  He will do this in the sight of her lovers which in this case is not sexual but is spiritual fornication as Israel was leaving the LORD and taking up the worship of false gods.  This habit which Israel was falling into was going to cause them to be judged and none of the pagan countries which Israel was spiritually fornicating with would have the power to deliver them out of the judging hand of God.  Israel had become vile in the sight of the Lord and their judgment was coming when they would be taken into captivity.

 

Hosea 2:11 (KJB)

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

 

When Israel was being obedient to God, she had times of great mirth which was joyfulness and glee.  Now that will come to an end once they are taken into captivity in Assyria.  Under the law they were to observe certain days and feasts and especially they were to observe the Sabbath.  They were to send their able males to Jerusalem three times a year to appear before the Lord but that will no longer happen since they will now be under the rules of a pagan conqueror who could care less about their rituals and ceremonies.  Since they had abandoned the temple and the worship of God, even though they kept the feasts, they will now go without any of the feasts and this would put them in violation of the law of God.

 

Hosea 2:12 (KJB)

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.

 

Previously God had threatened to take away the fruits in their season but in this verse God promises to take away the trees that produce the fruit.  So no longer will they have any fruit-bearing trees as they will all be removed.  “These are my rewards” can be understood as “my hire” which was payment made to an adulterous woman.  This practice continues on as Israel has committed spiritual fornication with the surrounding pagan nations and their false gods, so their “hire” will be the devouring of Israel’s vineyards.  They had thought that they would make an abundance of crops and money dealing with the pagan nations and their false gods but all that they made was now going to be devoured by beasts.  Once a land is cleared of the people living there, the animals will come in and take over that land and will eat everything in sight.

Back