Hosea 2 - Two Love Songs

v2-3
uses some pretty weird analogy here. Hosea asks God to plead with Israel (who he calls God's mother. weird, huh? Israel is God's mother?), to accuse Israel (who is no longer Hosea's wife and he's not the husband), to tell her to stop acting like a prostitute and behaving like an unfaithful wife. If Israel refuses to stop acting this way, then Hosea will strip her naked and make her dry like a desert. Basically i think here, we're all being very metaphorical. Bit like revelation. 


v5-6
Hosea won't take pity on the children of Israel either because they are children of a prostitute (harsh but okay) because the prostitute got pregnant with them acted disgracefully. Israel says it will chase after other nations (lovers) who give food, water, wool, flax [whatever flax is] wine and oil. 


v6-7
Hosea will block Israel with thorn bushes and build a wall so Israel can't go to other nations. She will run to nations (lovers) but she won't find / catch them. Other nations is symbolizing Israel's love for Baal as well? ahhh. anyway this happens becauuuuuuuse then Israel will go back to God! But tbh it's too late. God's going hello i gave you flax?!?! not the nations, not Baal, me. what did i get in return? No, i wno't provide for you anymore. Oh and worst of all, i gave you flax and shizz, and all you did was give it back to Baal. Stupid.


v9-13
Here God describes the punishment of Israel. God will take away the grain and wine, wool and linen, and she'll be naked. She'll basically be publicly exposed and no one can help Israel. All the festivals prescribed by Moses will be stopped as well. No one will help, not Baal. Obv, he's not real. When they thought Baal gave them agriculutal goodness from worship, God would take it away. God will punish them for the number of times they worship Baal and forgot God


v14-20
God says here his real motivation. H'es to draw Israel back to him, cause he's a God of lurrrrve. God will give them a new chance, a new start. God talks of the Valley of Achor, place of trouble for the Israeliets and instead it will be a place of hope. Israel will be the wife once again, and won't call Baal his master. God will make a convenant of peace. He will abolish war tooo. Reconciliation will happen forever, based on righteousness, justice, love and faithfulness. 


v21-23
God will then send rain and crops and stuff to Israel. He will call Israel "my lvoed one" and there'll be the convenant again. 


Application
I apologize that it's quite heavy, i have to read it several times to understand what it's talking about, and when it's not your QT, its a bit like whaa?! Okay so couple of things

1. Imagine this. Your husband (or wife) gave you the most amazing birthday present, but you went and thanked his (or her) sister instead. It's weird isn't it? The Israelites were doing this, God gave them stuff and they thanked Baal. They thought it was from Baal, but it wasn't. I know most of you won't have an idol of Baal in your room or anything, but similar concept. When God gives us stuff, we need to remember to say thank you. Thank him for the sunny weather today, thank him that the essay got finished, thank him for that good friend you have. It's not because of you, or coincidence, IT'S GOD.
2. God's in charge. This whole of the bit in the bible is what God will do, and sometimes we need to remember, whether in clarinet exams or PE exams or during a hard trial, or just general life, GOD's in charge, not us.
3. In the beginning there was a great parallel between the physical relationship between Gomer and Hosea, and Israel. Not an application, but one to remember for next time.
4. Lastly, Israel had turned against God. and in some ways, they didn't apologize and God still took them back. We have an amazing loving God, and it doesn't matter what we do, God will forgive us. All the time. But we have to forgive like he forgives us. And it's not just outright "i forgive you" it's inside the heart too. There's no point forgiving someone on the outside if you can't on the inside. There's just more hurt and pain. Yes, I know how flipping hard that is, but it's God, it's not you, do it in his strength and his love.