Hosea 1:1-2:1 How God Reveals His Purpose Through Prayer

God is a working God. God reveals His work through prayer. If you want to know what God is going to do, then you have to learn to listen.

God first reveals His purpose for our personal lives.

When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the LORD.

(Hosea 1:2 HCSB)

God’s first word to Hosea was about something in Hosea’s own life. Before God would speak about His grand purpose in the world, He was first going to speak about what He wanted to do in the life of the person to whom He was speaking. This means that generally when God wants to use you, He is going to test it in your personal life first. God doesn’t speak to you about how the government will change, how the world is going to end, or how great another person will be – first. Instead, God shares with you His own personal purpose in your life at that time. God will never share with you the bigger things that impact the world, until He shares with you first about what He wants to do with YOU.

God continues to test our obedience as He reveals His purpose.

So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

(Hosea 1:3 HCSB)

Before God will reveal more in your life about Himself and His purposes, God wants to test your obedience to Him. God gave Hosea a very tough test: God and marry your unfaithful wife. Hosea passed this test. He did what God asked Him to do. Now I do not think that Hosea chased his wife down to get a word of prophecy from God. Hosea truly loved his wife. But before Hosea could be trusted to help other people in turning from their spiritual unfaithfulness, Hosea had to experience it for himself.

As will be made clear, when Hosea married Gomer, she did not give up her career as a prostitute. It wasn’t that Hosea found a fallen woman and through love and kindness restored her to virtue. He married a prostitute – no doubt hoping she would give up her sin and be devoted only to him – and she stayed a prostitute.

No doubt, this happened after the pattern of human nature. When Hosea and Gomer first married, she probably promised eternal love and devotion. She probably showed every sign of being committed to Hosea. But after a while, and in difficult circumstances, she fell back into prostitution. Perhaps it was out of boredom. Perhaps it was out of a feeling of neglect. Perhaps it was out of a sense of need. Sadly, we share the same inexcusable reasons for our idolatry, when we prefer another god to the Lord God.

Some commentators believe this never really happened, and that Hosea is only telling a vivid story. They think it could never have happened because God would never have a prophet marry a prostitute. But James Boice rightly observes, “If Hosea’s story cannot be real (because ‘God could not ask a man to marry an unfaithful woman’), then neither is the story of salvation real, because that is precisely what Christ has done for us.”

But notice that God tested Hosea in not only retrieving his wife. God tested Hosea in the naming of his own children. Most fathers take the privilege of naming their children seriously. However, God spoke directly to Hosea and told him the names that he should use. In the naming of the children, God reveals to Hosea what God is going to do for the fate of His own country.

Look at the names:

Jezreel (Hosea 1:4)

What does God reveal about the people of Hosea’s country in the name of his first-born son? God says that He will end the independence streak of the nation. You need to realize that at the time of this prophecy, Israel (the northern kingdom) was very rich and prosperous. They have had some stability and the people are very well-off. In their freedom, they have decided to forget God. A very prosperous, rich, and free nation is now told that God will break their military power. Why is this important? Because the strength of a nation is revealed in the strength of their military. Look at all the great nations of history. They all had very powerful military forces. God is saying that He is going to break that. Why? Because relying on military power has diminished the need in the eyes of the people to rely on God’s power.

Freedom and independence and military strength can cause a nation, and the people in the nation, to stop relying on God’s power. Let me say it another way:

An independent, free people with a strong defense system, have little need to pray.

This problem was not just a national problem. It was a family problem. The families stopped listening to God. So in order for Hosea to have enough passion to speak to the nation about what God was going to do, Hosea would need to experience personally the independent streak in his own family. This is the reason that God told Hosea to name his first child Jezreel AFTER Hosea chased down and retrieved his wife. Gomer was being promiscuous with other men. So Hosea had to learn personally that God meant business.

Lo-ruhamah (Hosea 1:6)

God reveals to Hosea in the naming of his second child – a girl, that He will not love His people. What a name for a girl – “Unloved”.

Lo-ammi (Hosea 1:9)

God reveals to Hosea in the naming of his third child – a boy, that the people of Israel will not be His people. So the name means – “Not my people”, or more precisely – “Not my family.”

How horrible is that to name your children. Unloved and not my family. While that may sound strange, God does have a reason for these names.

Reminds me of a man I knew. He was from South Africa. He was half-German, half-South African. The first time I met him, he introduced himself as “Frieden.” A very strange name to have, even in Germany. Frieden means “peace.” And I thought to myself, why would someone name a man “Peace?” Is the father some kind of hippie? I later discovered after talking with Frieden, that his name really is this:

“Frieden mit Gott in Jesus Christus” Rousseau. Originally, the name in English is this: “Peace with God in Jesus Christ” Rousseau. Yes folks, that is his name. The father wanted other people to know about Jesus through the naming of his son. Frieden is now married with two children and had been involved in a church plant in England. He will probably end up somewhere else doing God’s work. But my point is this:

God has a point in revealing Himself through a name. In the case of Frieden, people will hear about Jesus. In the came of Unloved and Not my people, God will warn His people about their independent ways.

But notice how God reveals Himself to His people. Even though He tells His people how much God is hurt with the way they are acting, He will come and work in their lives.

God reveals three ways in which He will work in the life of the nation of Israel:

1. He will free His people without the need of weapons or armies.

2. He will later increase the prosperity of the people (very similar prophecy that God gave Abraham in his name.)

3. God will return His people from an exile.

God reveals that although there will be tough times ahead, He will still be with us.

Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite under one leader, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be–the day of Jezreel –when God will again plant his people in his land.

(Hosea 1:11 NLT)

So God shares with Hosea parts of a prophecy. However, Hosea does not get this information in one burst. The prophecy comes in various stages. In various stages of his family life – the birth of a new child – God reveals the birth of a new part of His plan. Why is this important? Because God wants us to come to Him so that He can reveal the next stage of our lives that He wants to lead.

God doesn’t just want to give you a prophetic word about something in the far future. God wants to reveal to you how He is going to work in your own lives. At important stages of your life: birth, graduation, marriage, job change, new home, family reunion, holidays, or some other times, God wants to reveal to you something. It will be different for each of us. However, it will be personal, prophetic, and pleasing. But the purposes will only come when you get down on your knees and pray to listen to Him.