CliffsNotes

A series on the book of Hosea
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hosea 2 

[The story about Hosea is a story about the relentless love of God. Hosea was a prophet who spoke out against the idolatry of the Israelites as they pursued the pagan gods of Baal and Asherah. His life became an allegory about the unfaithfulness of Israel and the relentless love of God.]

College students are notorious for waiting until the last minute to prepare for a midterm or a final exam.

 

They make all kinds of excuses to put off reading the text and studying until the eleventh hour. When that happens, they go into hyper drive with an all-nighter drinking lots of coffee or energy drinks and… reading CliffsNotes.

 

If you’re not familiar with CliffsNotes, it’s a series of student study guides providing brief summaries on various topics. So, if you haven’t studied until the last minute, they’re a great way to “maximize” your time.

 

Chapter two of Hosea is the CliffsNotes of the book. In this version of CliffsNotes, there are three verses that best summarize the story. The first verse describes the unfaithfulness of Hosea’s wife Gomer, who represents Israel.

 

⁵ 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.’     NLT

 

The second, is one of a series of verses where the Lord declares His judgement on Gomer, again meaning Israel.  The Lord declares that He will punish her by doing everything from public shame to taking away her livelihood.

 

¹³ I will punish her for all those times
    when she burned incense to her images of Baal,
when she put on her earrings and jewels
    and went out to look for her lovers
but forgot all about me,”
    says the Lord.      NLT

 

Finally, the Lord speaks tenderly to Gomer, like a husband to his wife, trying to win her affections back. Similar to the series of verses describing the Lord’s judgement, He now declares His unrelenting love for Gomer, and in doing so, for Israel.

 

¹⁴ “But then I will win her back once again.
    I will lead her into the desert
    and speak tenderly to her there.         NLT

 

The result is beautifully told in these two verses.

 

¹⁹ I will make you my wife forever,
    showing you righteousness and justice,
    unfailing love and compassion.
²⁰ I will be faithful to you and make you mine,
    and you will finally know me as the Lord.    NLT

 

We all have our own personal CliffsNotes story that isn’t much different from Gomer or Israel. We often turn our back on the Lord with unfaithful behavior. Despite this, He is faithful and welcomes us home saying, “You are mine. The one I love”.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

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