Page 1249 - The MacArthur Daily Bible
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TN_12_MacArthur_Bible_Dec.qxd  8/8/03  17:33  Page 1230







                   DECEMBER 5
                                                               For you are not My people,
                          December 5                           And I will not be your God.
                                                            10  “Yet the number of the children of Israel
                                                               Shall be as the sand of the sea,
                   Hosea 1:1–2:23
                                                               Which cannot be measured or
                    The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the  numbered.
                   1 son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham,  And it shall come to pass
                   Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the  In the place where it was said to them,
                   days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.  ‘You are not My people,’
                                                               There it shall be said to them,
                   2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the
                   LORD said to Hosea:                     11  ‘You are sons of the living God.’
                                                               Then the children of Judah and the
                       “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry     children of Israel
                        And children of harlotry,              Shall be gathered together,
                        For the land has committed             And appoint for themselves one head;
                           great harlotry                      And they shall come up out of the land,
                        By departing from the LORD.”           For great will be the day of Jezreel!
                                                          2    Say to your brethren,
                                                                 ‘My people,’
                     1:2 children of harlotry. This points to the  And to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’
                     future unfaithfulness of their mother.The chil-  2  “Bring charges against your mother,
                     dren were possibly not fathered by Hosea.   bring charges;
                     That Hosea’s marriage to Gomer was to depict  For she is not My wife, nor am I her
                     God’s marriage to Israel is clearly set forth and  Husband!
                     becomes the key to the theme of the book.
                                                               Let her put away her harlotries from
                                                                 her sight,
                                                               And her adulteries from between
                   3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of   her breasts;
                   Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a  3  Lest I strip her naked
                   son.  Then the LORD said to him:            And expose her, as in the day she was
                       4
                       “Call his name Jezreel,                   born,
                        For in a little while                  And make her like a wilderness,
                        I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel  And set her like a dry land,
                           on the house of Jehu,               And slay her with thirst.
                        And bring an end to the kingdom of  4  “I will not have mercy on her children,
                           the house of Israel.                For they are the children of harlotry.
                     5  It shall come to pass in that day   5  For their mother has played the harlot;
                        That I will break the bow of Israel in  She who conceived them has behaved
                           the Valley of Jezreel.”               shamefully.
                     6 And she conceived again and bore a daugh-  For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
                   ter. Then God said to him:                  Who give me my bread and my water,
                                                               My wool and my linen,
                       “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,              My oil and my drink.’
                        For I will no longer have mercy
                                                            6
                           on the house of Israel,            “Therefore, behold,
                        But I will utterly take them away.     I will hedge up your way with thorns,
                     7  Yet I will have mercy on the house     And wall her in,
                           of Judah,                           So that she cannot find her paths.
                        Will save them by the LORD their God,  7  She will chase her lovers,
                        And will not save them by bow,         But not overtake them;
                        Nor by sword or battle,                Yes, she will seek them, but not find
                        By horses or horsemen.”                  them.
                                                               Then she will say,
                     8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,
                                           9
                   she conceived and bore a son.  Then God said:  ‘I will go and return to my first husband,
                                                               For then it was better for me than now.’
                       “Call his name Lo-Ammi,              8  For she did not know
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