Hosea 2:2-3:5 “Spiritual Adultery & Shocking Grace”
(Preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship, Naperville IL. on 5.4.25)
INTRO: Story of man who discovered adultery of his wife: pain, shock, evil of infidelity.
-Israel is like an adulterous wife—by going after idols—and God is calling her back to Himself through Hosea
CONTEXT: Prophet Hosea called to proclaim God’s message to Northern Kingdom 8th century B.C.
-Northern Kingdom/Southern Kingdom Split: Northern Kingdom is financially prosperous, but greatly unfaithful to God
-God speaks through Hosea to expose the sin of Israel, warn of judgment, and speak of future redemption.
-Ch 1: Surprising SIGN ACT—Hosea marries a prostitute=God’s union w/spiritually adulterous Israel
-Has children and names them names that speak of God’s judgment on unfaithful Israel
-Also, promise of redemption.
TODAY: The great evil of spiritual adultery and the great grace of God.
1 The great evil of spiritual adultery; 2. The great grace of God toward sinners.
I. THE GREAT EVIL OF SPIRITUAL ADULTERY (2:2-23)
Spiritual adultery=idolatry: is giving our hearts and worship to other gods, instead of exclusively the one true God.
-Spiritual adultery is an exceedingly great evil!
-God calls his people to an exclusive relationship with Him—all idolatry is spiritual adultery and evil.
*2:2-23 Summary: Israel must repent of her spiritual adultery or face God’s judgment on her sin.
–A CALL TO REPENT (2:2):
-Hosea’s message: REPENT! Plead with her…Put away all her unfaithfulness….adultery
-Israel’s sin: SPIRITUAL ADULERTY = “whoring…adultery”
-There still was hope for Hosea’s hearers, if they would repent= (Jonah in Ninevah)
-Bible’s message to us: REPENT of your sins. Come back to God!
-If you are alive today, there still time to repent. (My aunt who took a nap & didn’t wake up)
-WARNING OF JUDGMENT (3-4)
-WARNING “Lest…”: Unless Israel repents, there will be a judgment because of their sin.
–Judgment: God will deprive her of her resources and financial prosperity
-The judgment will affect the next generation, who also is faithless.
-INDICTMENT (5): EXPOSURE OF SIN
–“Played the whore”=greatly unfaithful to her God
-Meant to shock and awaken Israel to their wicked state.
–“I will go after my lovers”=Israel went to the Baals to acquire her financial prosperity
-Temples of Baal to offer sacrifice for fertility and crop production.
-JUDGMENT (6-7a):
–God will bring (‘I will’) about a frustration of their plans to sins: “hedge up her ways…”
-Merciful judgment, preventing Israel from accomplishing the sin it lusts after.
-James 4:3: “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions”
-INDICTMENT (7b-8):
-Israel reasons, ‘I will go back and return to my first husband for it was better for me then than now.’
-Mercenary heart=only wanting to go back for sake of ease and better situation.
–Ignorance: God is the one who had provided all her needs, not the Baals. ‘It was I who gave her…”
-QUESTION: Don’t we fall into this too? We forget God is our provider of job/finance/health/all
-JUDGMENT (9-13)
-God is going to act in judgment: NOTICE the 7 “I will” statements)
–JUDGMENT is coming, and did in 722 B.C. with the Assyrian invasion.
-SUMMARIZING INDICTMENT: “went after her lovers and forget me.”
-The great tragedy of spiritual adultery—forgetting God, who loves us and cares for us.
**SUMMARIZING IDEA (2-13): Spiritual adultery is a great evil worthy of judgment and ought to be repented of.
APPLICATION: God is calling his people to see the presence and evil of spiritual adultery and to repent of it.
NCC 17: Q. What is idolatry? A. Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security.
QUESTIONS: What created thing are you trusting in rather than Creator for your Hope? Happiness? Significance? Security?
-Social Media; Career; Financial Stability; Children’s Success; Relationships
-How is God calling you to SEE your attitude and action as spiritual adultery and put it away?
- THE GREAT GRACE OF GOD TOWARD SINNERS (2:14-3:5)
SURPRISE AND SHOCK—God has grace for his people in their sin. A grace that leads to repentance and transformation.
-We don’t fix or change ourselves, but trust and depend on a God who can save us from our spiritual adultery.
-Our only hope for change is in God Himself: God of grace, mercy and love.
1 God’s Grace Proclaimed (2:14-3:5)
-14: Tender love of God toward His sinning people (14)
-ALLURING Israel: Sweet drawing in of God’s people through beautiful grace and love.
-Gospel is message of God’s alluring love to sinners (Rom 5:8)
-SPEAKING TENDERLY:
-Tender, inviting words of Jesus to sinners: Matt 11:28-30
-15a: Transforming Judgment
-Valley of Achor (Joshua 7). àJUDGMENT.
-TRANSFORMEDà Door of hope
-Only God can do this.
-15b-17: A Transformed People
-Faithfulness to God, as new bride is to her spouse (‘remove the names of the Baals from her mouth’)
-“in that day” (16, 21)—future day of blessing for Israel.
-18: Transformed Experience within Creation
-Future deliverance would be so great it would lead to peace within and in Creation.
-19-20: Transformed into Delightful Closeness and Faithfulness to God
-‘Betroth’=commit to another in marriage.
-God’s people will have full and absolute faithfulness to God one day.
-CLIMACTIC RESTORATION: “you shall know the LORD”
-21-23: More Reversals and Blessings
-Children’s names reversed.
-REALITY in the New Covenant: John 1:12-13
GRACE DISPLAYED through ANOTHER SIGN ACT 3:1-5
-Hosea is to go and LOVE Gomer again (1)
-“Again”=Gomer has left Hosea again, and went back to her prostitute, adulterous ways.
-Hosea is to go and LOVE her again.
-THIS WAS A SIGN ACT= “even as the LORD loves the children of Israel,”
-God’s faithfulness to us inspite our spiritual adultery.
-WRETCHED State of Israel: “though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins”
-Rasin cakes=They loved food more than God! (us with phones)
-Hosea buys Gomer back (2)
-Graciously pays the price to redeem heràpicture of the gospel
-Hosea’s word to Gomer (3-4)
-Gomer is to be faithful to Hosea and not sleep with anyone else
-A time where she and Hosea will refrain from intimacy
-This was a sign that pointed to reality of verse 4 (years in exile)
-FUTURE REDEMPTION 3:5:
-FUTURE= “Afterward…in the latter days” àEschatological future, which was began at arrival of Jesus.
-Children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD!
-Coming back to God, and being faithful to Him.
-Seek…David their king.
-David king would come and they would dwell under him
-Come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness
-Genuine, whole-hearted return to God.
APPLICATION: Behold again the MARVELOUS GRACE OF GOD IN THE GOSPEL
-John Newton new lost the wonder of God’s grace
–Titus 3:3-7
CLOSE: God, grant us eyes to see the evil of spiritual adultery and wonder of your grace.
