Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-7 NLT

Associate Producer

James in Norway

Podcast Introduction

Today is Prophecy Friday, and we’ll read Hosea 1-7. I’m calling this episode “God’s Pursuit of a Rebellious People.”

Summary

Hosea is the first book in the group of Old Testament books known as the Minor Prophets. Although they are called “Minor” Prophets because they are shorter in length compared to the Major Prophets, they are not less important. The book of Hosea, the longest of the prophetic books before the captivity, was written during a time when Israel was engulfed in sin and facing God’s judgment.

Hosea was the first prophet to write down the messages given to him by God. He lived during the same period as other prophets such as Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. In chapter one, Hosea is instructed by God to marry a prostitute, symbolizing the unfaithfulness of the Jewish people towards God. This analogy portrays the pain and heartbreak God experienced when His people betrayed their covenant. However, despite this unfaithfulness, God’s love for His people is revealed, as He promises to restore them in the future.

In Hosea chapter seven, God expresses His willingness to heal Israel but highlights their continuous sinning, indicating their lack of genuine repentance.

God saw in the hearts of the Jews was an unwillingness to repent and a desire to persist in their wickedness. True forgiveness and healing require a contrite heart that turns toward God. The book of Hosea reveals God’s love and faithfulness, even in the face of His people’s unfaithfulness, and points toward future redemption and restoration. Ultimately, the book of Revelation provides further insight into God’s plan for the Jews and His ongoing work of redemption.

Listen to the episode for more!

Support

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising equals censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and donate here: SUPPORT.

The Team

Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise: Transcript Correction
Michael Haner: Podcasting: 2.0 Chapters
Scott Snider: Show Art
Jason Paschall: Show Art
Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Brittaney: Newsletter Publisher

Transcript

Download .txt file.

Transcript not yet corrected.

Steve Webb 0:00
Only a contrite heart will see forgiveness.

Steve Webb 0:11
Hi there, this is the Lifespring! One Year Bible coming to you from Riverside, California podcasting since 2004. I am your OG Godcaster. Steve Webb, how are you? Today is prophecy Friday And we’ll read Hosea one through seven. The website is Lifespringmedia.com. And I’ll have contact information at the end of the show. And by the way, I’m sorry if you got an error or the wrong episode yesterday, another case of operator error. It’s now been fixed. So if you want to go back And try it again, it’s there. What happened was since I’ve lost about 30 pounds so far, the lovely lady Leanne wanted to go shopping so we could buy some new clothes. Funny how that worked. We got a few things for me, And she got some clothes for herself too. So that’s the boy that happens. Then, Thanks to those of you who emailed to let me know about the error. I do appreciate it. well, before we get started, let’s have a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time together. And I pray that as we read you would teach us I pray this in Jesus name, amen. Okay, let’s begin.

Steve Webb 1:16
Hosea is the first book in the group of Old Testament books known as the Minor Prophets. They’re not called the Minor Prophets, because they’re less important than the major prophets, which we just completed with the reading of the book of Daniel. The reason they’re called the Minor Prophets is because these books are much shorter. These prophets probably preached just as much as the major prophets. They just didn’t write as much of the 12 books in the Minor Prophets. None of them were written before the captivity. The last three were written after the Jews returned to their own land. The book of Hosea was the longest of the prophetic books written before the captivity. As Hosea wrote, Israel was at its worst, the sinfulness of the nation had brought great judgment from God. And Hosea was the first prophet who wrote down the messages God gave him. Tradition says that he was from Beth Shemesh, And of the tribe of Elsecar. He had a very long ministry And he prophesied long enough to warn the Jews of God’s coming judgment And then to see it take place in lamented. And Hosea was alive at the same time as the prophets Isaiah, Amos And Micah.

Steve Webb 2:26
Hosea chapter one. The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of VRI. During the years when Uzziah Jotham, Ahaz And Hezekiah were kings of Judah And Jeroboam, son of Joash, was king of Israel. When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, Go And marry a prostitute so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how he Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord And worshipping other gods. So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Dibley, him And she became pregnant And gave Hosea a son. And the Lord said, named the child jazz real for I’m about to punish King J. Hughes dynasty to avenge of the murders, he committed a jazz real. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence, I will break its military power in the jazz real Valley. Soon, Gomer became pregnant again And gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, name your daughter, Lo, Ruhama, not loved, for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies, not with weapons And armies or horses And jury tears, but by My power is the Lord their God. After Gomer had weaned lo Ruhama, she again became pregnant And gave birth to a second son. And the Lord said, name him Lo, am I, not my people, for Israel is not my people, And I am not their God. Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore, too many to count. Then at the place where they were told you are not my people, it will be said, You are children of the living God. Then the people of Judah And Israel will unite together, they will choose one leader for themselves And they will return from exile together. What a day that will be the day of jazz real when God will again plant his people in his land.

Steve Webb 4:26
Hosea chapter two. In that day, you will call your brothers Am I my people, And you will call your sisters Ruhama the ones I love. But now bring charges against Israel your mother for she is no longer my wife And I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitutes makeup from her face And the clothing that exposes her breasts. Otherwise I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst as in a dry And barren wilderness. And I will not love her children for they were concerned Even prostitution. Their mother is a shameless prostitute And became pregnant in a shameful way. She said I’ll run after other lovers And sell myself to them for food And water for clothing of wool And linen And for olive oil And drinks. For this reason I will fence her in with thorn bushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way. When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think I might as well returned to my husband for I was better off with him than I am now. She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has the grain, the new wine, the olive oil. I even gave her silver And gold, but she gave all my gifts to bail. But now I will take back the ripened grain And new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool And linen clothing I gave to cover her nakedness. I will strip her naked in public while all her lovers look on, no one will be able to rescue her from my hands. I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations And her Sabbath days all her appointed festivals. I will destroy her grape vines And fig trees. things she claims her lovers gave her let them grow into tangled thickets where only wild animals will eat the fruit. I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of bail when she put on her earrings And jewels And went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me says the Lord. But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert And Speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her And transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there as she did long ago when she was young when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. When that day comes, says the Lord you will call me my husband instead of my master. oh Israel, I will wipe the many names of bale from your lips And you will never mention them again. On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals And the birds of the sky And the animals that scurry along the ground so that they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land all swords And bows so you can live unafraid in peace And safety. I will make you my wife forever showing you righteousness And justice, unfailing love And compassion. I will be faithful to you And make you mine And you will finally know me as the Lord. In that day I will answer says the Lord. I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds And the sky will answer the earth with rain. Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain the grape vines And the olive trees And they in turn will answer jazz real God plants. At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites And raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called not loved And to those I called not my people, I will say now you are my people, And they will reply you are our God.

Steve Webb 8:05
Hosea chapter three. Then the Lord said to me, go And love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods And love to worship them. So I bought her back for 15 pieces of silver And five bushels of barley And a measure of wine. Then I said to her, you must live in my house for many days And stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me. This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or Prince And without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests or even idols. But afterward the people will return And devote themselves to the Lord their God And to David’s descendant their king. In the last days they will tremble in awe of the Lord And of His goodness.

Steve Webb 8:57
Hosea chapter four. Hear the Word of the Lord, oh people of Israel. The Lord has brought charges against you saying there is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God And your land. You make vows And break them. You kill And steal And commit adultery. There is violence everywhere, one murder after another. That is why your land is in mourning And every one is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea are disappearing. Don’t point your finger at someone else And try to pass the blame. My complaint you priests is with you. So you will stumble in broad daylight And your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel your mother. My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me. I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God. I will forget to bless your children. The more priests there are, the more they sinned against me. They have exchanged the Glory of God for the shame of idols. When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin, And what the priests do the people also do. So now I will punish both priests And people for their wicked deeds. They will eat And still be hungry. They will play the prostitute And gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord to worship other gods. Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. They ask if piece of wood for advice. They think a stick can tell them the future, longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute serving other gods And deserting their God. They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops, they go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars And terabit trees. That is why your daughter’s turned to prostitution And your daughters in law committed adultery. But why should I punish them for their prostitution And adultery? For your man are doing the same thing sinning with horrors And shrine prostitutes? Oh foolish people you refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed. Though you Israel are a prostitute. May Judah not be guilty of such things. Do not join the false worship at Gill gal or Beth Haven, And do not take oaths. They’re in the Lord’s name. Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer. So should the Lord feed her like a lamb And a lush pasture? Leave Israel alone because she is married to idolatry. When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking Off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor so a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame.

Steve Webb 11:44
Hosea chapter five. Here this you priests pay attention you leaders of Israel, listen you members of the royal family judgment has been handed down against you for you have led the people into a snare by worshipping the idols at Misbah And Tabor you have dug a deep pit to trap them And Acacia Grove, but I will settle with you for what you have done. I know what you were like, oh Ephrem you cannot hide yourself from me. Oh Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband. You are utterly defiled. Your deeds won’t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through And through And you do not know the Lord. The arrogance of Israel testifies against her. Israel And Ephram will stumble into the load of guilt. Judah to will fall with them. When they come with their flocks And herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord. They will not find him because he has withdrawn from them. They have betrayed the honor of the Lord bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth. Sound the alarm And Guebuza blow the trumpet And Rhema raised the battle cry And Beth Haven lead on into battle warriors of Benjamin. One thing is certain Israel on your day of punishment, you will become a heap of rubble. The leaders of Judah have become like thieves so I will pour my anger on them like a waterfall. The people of Israel will be crushed And broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols. I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood. When Israel And Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Syria to the great king there, but he could neither help them nor cure them. I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces. I will carry them off And no one will be left to rescue them. Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt And turn to Me. For as soon as trouble comes. They will earnestly search for me.

Steve Webb 13:49
Hosea chapter six. Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces. Now he will heal us. He has injured us now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us so that we may live in His presence. Oh that we might know the Lord. Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring. oh Israel And Judah. What should I do with you asks the Lord for your love vanishes like the morning mist And disappears like do in the sunlight. I set my prophets to cut you to pieces to slaughter you with my words with judgments as inescapable as light. I want you to show love not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. But like Adam, you broke my covenant And betrayed my trust. Gilead is a city of sinners tracked with footprints of blood. Priests form bands of robberies waiting in ambush for their victims. They murder travelers along the road to check them And practice every kind of sin. Yes, I’ve seen something horrible in it. Ephram it Israel, My people are defiled by prostituting themselves with other gods. Oh Judah, a harvest of punishment is also waiting for you though I wanted to restore the fortunes of my people.

Steve Webb 15:13
Hosea chapter seven. I want to heal Israel but its sins are two great scenarios filled with liars. Thieves are on the inside And bandits on the outside. It’s people don’t realize that I’m watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them And I see them all. The people entertain the king with their wickedness And the princes laugh at their lies. They are all adulterers always aflame with lust. They are like an oven that is kept hot while the baker is kneading the dough. On royal holidays, the princes get drunk with wine, carousing with those who mock them. Their hearts are like an oven blazing with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, And in the morning, it breaks out like a raging fire, burning like an oven they consume their leaders. They kill their kings one after another And no one cries to me for help. The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners making themselves as worthless as a half baked cake. Worshipping foreign gods is sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old And weak. Their arrogance testifies against them, yet they don’t return to the Lord their God or even tried to find him. The people of Israel have become like silly witless doves first calling to Egypt, then flying to his Syria for help. But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them And bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do. What sorrow awaits those who have deserted me, let them die for they have rebelled against me. I wanted to redeem them that they have told lies about me. They do not cry out to Me with sincere hearts. Instead they sit on their couches And wail. They cut themselves begging foreign gods for grain And new wine, And they turn away from me. I trained them And made them strong yet now they plot evil against me. They look everywhere except to the Most High, they are as useless as a crooked bow. Their leaders will be killed by their enemies because of their insolence toward me, then the people of Egypt will laugh at them.

Steve Webb 17:21
In chapter one, we read that God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. He looked upon the Jews as an unfaithful wife And he wanted Hosea to experience the heartbreak he felt when his wife betrayed the marriage vows. There really are a few things in life that are as painful as learning that your spouse has been unfaithful, it can be more painful than the death of a loved one. Death from disease And accident or old age hurts. But the one who dies had no choice in the matter. But an unfaithful spouse made an active decision to break the trust. That’s very hard to live with, for one who’s been betrayed. We don’t often think of God as being the victim of an unfaithful spouse, Dewey. But that’s how he saw himself in this period of history. But as we know God is love. Instead of putting his people his wife away permanently. In chapter three, we see His promise that He will take her back. And of course, we know that the final chapter, the last great redemption is even now being played out. We know that Jesus came to make a bride for himself And that bride is the church. But God is not through with the Jews, they will have yet another chance to turn to God And many will. In the book of Revelation, we see how that will happen. Now in Hosea seven, I’m not entirely Happy with the way the first sentence was translated in the New Living Translation, which is the version we read today. It read, I want to heal Israel, but its sins are too great. Samaria is filled with liars. well, most other major translations are very similar to this one from the New American Standard. Listen, when I would heal Israel, the iniquity of FGM is uncovered in the evil deeds of Samaria. well, as you can see, the New Living Translation is rendering of this is subtly different, but it does change the meaning. The New Living Translation adds the phrase, but its sins are too great. well, I looked up the original Hebrew for this verse And that phrase is not there. There is only one sin that is too great, the one that is unforgivable, And that is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, as we’re told in Matthew 1231. God is always willing to forgive if we’re willing to ask him And we’ll turn from our sin. In the Old Testament over And over, God said to the people, if you turn from your wicked ways, I will heal you. What God was saying here in Hosea chapter seven was, I was prepared to heal you but you keep on sinning. See, God looks at the heart. What he saw in the hearts of the Jews was an unwillingness to repent, they did not want to obey the Lord. They wanted to continue practicing evil. And as long as that continued, God could not heal them. Only a contrite heart will see forgiveness, only a heart that is willing to turn toward God. I’d love to hear your comments or your questions, contact information will be at the end of today’s show. Tomorrow, we’ll be gospel Saturday, And we’ll read John seven through nine. And remember that Sunday is our time for praises And prayer requests. And I have a really exciting praise to share with you this Sunday. If you have a prayer request or a praise report, please send it in as soon as possible. When you send your praise report or your prayer request in remember, if you want to remain anonymous, just let me know.

Steve Webb 20:49
We do have an associate producer today it’s James in Norway who sent in his monthly $20 donation. Thank you, James, God bless you. Value for value. If you believe that God’s word is needed today, if a Lifespring! One Year Bible has helped you to stay in the word, if you’ve been encouraged in your faith, then I need you to support the show. That’s how value for value works. The shows only support is from the Lifespring family, there are no advertisers. That’s the main reason this show can’t be canceled or D platformed. They can’t pressure me to water down the message because there is no they, there’s only you, you know that I won’t compromise the message of the gospel. So if you believe that’s important, then go to Lifespringmedia.com slash support And see how easy it is to donate. pray about what God would have you said And be obedient to His leading. If you do that, I’ll be able to pay the bills And keep doing the show. donations have been a bit low lately. So if you believe in what the Lifespring! One Year Bible is all about, if you’re receiving value from the show, then you know what to do.

Jingle 21:49
Lifespringmedia.com/support

Steve Webb 21:53
And beloved, thank you for being a part of the Lifespring family. Thank you for your prayers And for being here every day.

Steve Webb 22:06
Scott Snider did today’s show art. Thank you, Scott. And Thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner, Jason Paschall And sister Brittaney. Now here’s how to send me your comments or your questions or your prayer requests or praises. To leave a voice message call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1951732 at 511. Or, if you prefer, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com for praise reports or prayer requests And for comments or questions go to comment.lifespringmedia.com. Of course boostagram ‘s are great. I love those. And you can always email me at Steve at Lifespringmedia.com And thank you so much for putting me in your ears today. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb by coming soon to a theater near you popcorn

Transcribed by https://otter.ai