HOSEA

tonya said:

Have any of you ever read the book of HOSEA? If so..what are your thoughts on this book? I have read it but it has been awhile...Afriend of mine is going through a divorce and is being couceled by a pastor..he told her to read HOSEA..

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Hi Tonya.
Here are some quick thoughts.
Is short is a prophetic book dealing with the relationship between God (husband) and Israel (wife).

Chapters 1-3 pertain to the personal story of Hosea, which was symbolic of what was going to happen to the nation. Israel's history of response, lack of response, disobedience, going away from the Lord... it's all acted out in this man's life by his relationship with His wife..
This man loved his wife and NEVER abandoned her, no matter what she did, he always went after her... It's shows us how much Love God has for Israel (and symbolic i think of how love should be period).

Chapters 4-14: are prophetic in nature dealing with their rebellion and reconciliation.

There is also i book called "redeeming love" which is based on the book of Hosea. I've not read it but i hear it's really good.

tonya said:

Have any of you ever read the book of HOSEA? If so..what are your thoughts on this book? I have read it but it has been awhile...Afriend of mine is going through a divorce and is being couceled by a pastor..he told her to read HOSEA..

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*sigh*


I wouldn't recommend reading Hosea if one is going through a divorce unless there is a possiblity of reconciliation.



Bible passages on "self esteem" and being loved unconditionally would be of more benefit to one who has been rejected by someone and who is going through a divorce.

I did a search for divorce recovery, and this site looked encouraging...


http://www.teachingpages.co.uk/minilesson/divorced.html


~serapha~

Serapha said:

*sigh*


I wouldn't recommend reading Hosea if one is going through a divorce unless there is a possiblity of reconciliation.

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It depends on who is initiating the divorce and why.

I might well recommend reading to Hosea to someone who I think may be initiating a divorce unnecessarily.

Crazy Liz said:

It depends on who is initiating the divorce and why.

I might well recommend reading to Hosea to someone who I think may be initiating a divorce unnecessarily.

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unless there is a possiblity of reconciliation

If there is a possibility of reconciliation (and I would give this possibility every benefit of the doubt) or perhaps even if the person caused or initiated the divorce and is unrepentant.

Sorry folks I would not recommend suggesting that anyone going through a divorce to read Hosea ever. Not unless you are suggesting that the woman involved is a prostititute you could be giving the entirely wrong idea. God instructed Hosea deliberately to take a wife who was unfaithfull and to be faithful to her and to chase after her and to whoo her but also to warn her as God was warning Isreal that if she stepped out of line again in the way of sleeping with other men then she would be stripped of everything. I think you will find that the majority of christian marraiges would not have any commen ground with this book. Councelling might be a better bet to suggest.

Top cat

The book of Hosea has nothing to do with a literal "wife". It is referring to God as a "husband" to the people of Israel (Jacob). He ended up "divorcing" the 10 tribes of the House of Israel, and called the House of Judah a "harlot". Christ came to recover his lost "wife", the elect of Israel that were being burdened by the self righteous and muderous jews, the priests and rulers. After penecost, the Paul, then 70ad, God brought all of His children to worship Him together in spirit anywhere in the world, and the great commission of bringing others to Him continues on to this day thru the holy words of His Book, the Bible. This is what the whole bible is about, worshipping and loving God as a child loves his parent. We are in effect married to God thru our union with Him thru the Holy Spirit.

Jeremi 3:7 "And I said, after she had done all these [things,] 'Return to Me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 "Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 "So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 "And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense," says the LORD. 11 Then the LORD said to me, "Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

Jeremiah 31:31 " Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.