HOSEA 2:2 2:23

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• HOSEA 22 223

ITS A SIN THING
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1. THEIR SITUATION

• They were sinful and yet unrepentant, therefore
  out of relationship with God and with judgment
  imminent
• Their problem is a common one of being ready to
  say that they were sorry for their sin, but not
  ready to really deal with it.

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• The reason for this is that the self centredness
  which is so much a part of our sinful human
  nature has been allowed to become dominant again
• So we are sorry because of the impact our sin has
  on us. But we are not primarily sorry for the
  right reason, because of the offence our sin
  causes to a holy God

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• This will only change when we face to the real
  nature of what sin is and move from that
  meaningless, self centred sorrow to a real
  repentance towards God
• If we dont do this, then the Lord makes it
  clear, that the living reality, rather than the
  fact of our relationship with Him will cease

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• Then God warns His people that if they dont
  change their ways, then judgment is on its way
• Remember there is a difference between punishment
  which is negative and destructive, and
  chastisement which is positive and creative
• And as we will see further developed later, God
  very much makes the punishment fit the crime.

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2. THEIR SIN

• The key word here is Baal. With Baal being the
  pagan fertility god worshipped by many of the
  tribes surrounding Israel
• Israel it seems began to worship Baal side by
  side with the Lord because they thought Baal
  could perhaps do better for them in the material
  realm

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• Sexual immorality lay at the core of the worship
  of this pagan fertility god
• So Israel were guilty of two sins. Spiritual
  unfaithfulness that led to sexual immorality.
  But the bottom line of their sin is
  unfaithfulness
• How relevant this is to our society today!

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• And the Lord certainly did make the punishment
  fit the crime. For the land they so wanted to be
  fertile became a desert, as the Lord deserted
  them and left them to be carried off by the
  Assyrians.

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3. THEIR SALVATION

• What is being said here is that trouble, can lead
  to, can give way to hope.
• How can this be said to happen for Israel?
• This is still to come to final fulfilment on THE
  DAY of the Lord, i.e. at the Second Coming of
  Christ
• For then all who have truly trusted in the Lord,
  will finally be restored to Him, finally be at
  one with Him.