Hosea 3
The Prophet is told to take a woman and love her as his soul-mate.
The woman however will betray him just as the Israelites betrayed God Almighty by committing idolatry.
In their time of Exile a long stage will transpire when the Israelites will no longer be actual practicioners of
idolatry yet neither will they be able to worship the Almighty God of Israel as requred.
This is more or less the situation in our day. After that, in the End Times they will return
and seek the God of Israel, and Messiah Son of David, and the Temple Service in Jerusalem.
The Book of Hosea
Chapter Three
A Brit-Am
Biblical Commentary
Chapter Three with Brit-Am Commentary:
[Hosea 3:1] THEN SAID THE LORD UNTO ME, GO YET, LOVE A WOMAN
BELOVED OF HER FRIEND, YET AN ADULTERESS, ACCORDING TO THE LOVE OF THE LORD
TOWARD THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, WHO LOOK TO OTHER GODS, AND LOVE FLAGONS OF
WINE.
BELOVED OF HER FRIEND: This expression may be understand along the same lines as most of the Rabbinical Commentators to say "beloved of her partner"
i.e. Go and love a woman with a love due to a soul mate but she will betray you in the same way as God loved the People of Israel and they betrayed HIM by committing idolatry.
These notes on Scripture may prove
eventually to be the most powerful argument we have concerning Lost Israelite
Identity. We are giving our own understanding while acknowledging the
possibility of other valid opinions.
The first union was with
Gomer
and represented the exiled Israelites becoming identified as, or uniting with,
the peoples of Gomer
meaning the Cimmerians and their offshoots. Talmudic and related traditions
traced Gomer
son of Japhet
to the Celtic, Germanic, and Turkish peoples.
The second union is with the adulterous
woman and represents the Israelites synthesizing (i.e. adulterating,
adulterating) the faith of Moses with pagan beliefs and practices.
[Hosea 3:2] SO I BOUGHT HER TO ME FOR FIFTEEN PIECES OF SILVER, AND FOR AN HOMER
OF BARLEY, AND AN HALF HOMER OF BARLEY:
[Hosea 3:3] AND I SAID UNTO HER, THOU SHALT ABIDE FOR ME MANY DAYS; THOU SHALT
NOT PLAY THE HARLOT, AND THOU SHALT NOT BE FOR ANOTHER MAN: SO WILL I ALSO BE
FOR THEE.
[Hosea 3:4] FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL ABIDE MANY DAYS WITHOUT A KING, AND
WITHOUT A PRINCE, AND WITHOUT A SACRIFICE, AND WITHOUT AN IMAGE [Mazevah =
monument], AND WITHOUT AN EPHOD, AND WITHOUT TERAPHIM:
The Rabbinicial Commentators [Rashi, Radak, Metsudat David] explained this verse to mean [in paraphrased form]: Many days the Israelites will abide without
acknowledging the Almighty as King and without worshipping an idol [Hebrew: "sar" literally "prince" or "person of authority" but understand here to represent an idol];
without legitimate sacrifice and without idolatrous worship; without the Holy Ephod [Priestly garment bearing the Breastplate with the Urim] and without pagan divinations [teraphim].
In other words the situation would be similar to what it is today. The Israelite Nations in the West cannot be described as practising idolatry but neither are they doing the right thing as described by Scripture. Even if they wanted to do the "right thing" (and many actually do) they cannot
at present. This is part of a Divine Decree.
[Hosea 3:5] AFTERWARD SHALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL RETURN, AND SEEK THE LORD
THEIR GOD, AND DAVID THEIR KING; AND SHALL FEAR THE LORD AND HIS GOODNESS IN THE
LATTER DAYS.
The
Midrash
relates these verses to the Lost Ten Tribes who turned their backs on God, the
Temple in Jerusalem, and the ruling House of David. When Israel returns to
search out and want these things that they formerly rejected then will
Redemption come.
There is a
Midrash
that says that When Israel returns to seek God, the Temple, and the kingdom of
David then the redemption will come.
Extract below adapted from "Joseph. The Israelite Destiny of America":
In 1-Kings chapter 12 it is related how the Northern Ten Tribes sent to King
Rehoboam
the son of Solomon the son of David the son of Jesse a delegation. They
requested an alleviation of taxes.
Rehoboam
refused and the people reacted:
"SO WHEN ALL ISRAEL SAW THAT THE KING HEARKENED NOT UNTO THEM, THE PEOPLE
ANSWERED THE KING, SAYING, WHAT PORTION HAVE WE IN DAVID? NEITHER HAVE WE
INHERITANCE IN THE SON OF JESSE: TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL: NOW SEE TO
THINE
OWN HOUSE, DAVID. SO ISRAEL DEPARTED UNTO THEIR TENTS" (1-Kings 12:16).
They were rejecting the House of David son of Jesse represented by
Rehoboam.
They broke away from Jerusalem and the Temple Service and instituted their own
religion. The Ten Tribes set up their own kingdom and made Jeroboam the son of
Nebat
from the Tribe of Ephraim their king. Later these Tribes were exiled and became
known as the Lost Ten Tribes.
Concerning this event the Midrash
(Midrash
Shmuel
13, Yalkut
Shomeoni-2, remez
106, Rashi
on Hosea 3;5) tells us:
<<Against three things were the Children of Israel destined to show contempt:
Against the Rule of Heaven, against the Kingdom of David, and against the Holy
Temple. This occurred in the Reign of King Jeroboam. They said, WHAT PORTION
HAVE WE IN DAVID? In effect this meant rebellion against the Kingdom of Heaven
[by whom David had been appointed]. They also said, "NEITHER HAVE WE INHERITANCE
IN THE SON OF JESSE": This meant a rejection of the House of David [son of
Jesse] in general. They said too, "TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL: NOW SEE TO
THINE
OWN HOUSE, DAVID": This meant turning their back on the Holy Temple.
[The expression TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL in some opinions was a play on words.
The real intention of the expression or the original expression had been "TO
YOUR GODS O ISRAEL" (Rashi,
Radak,
Minchat
Shi). The Hebrew for YOUR TENTS and YOUR GODS uses the same letters with only a
slight change of order, Elohecha
("Your gods") versus Ohelecha
("Your tents"). The motivation for breaking away from the Kingdom of David had
been at least in part a desire to commit idolatry. Jeroboam almost immediately
set up two gold calves and all the Northern Kingdom began worshipping them].
The Midrash
continues: <<Rabbi Shimeon
the son of Menasiah
said: Israel will not see a blessing until they return and seek out the three
things they rejected. As it says in Hosea:"AFTERWARD SHALL THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL RETURN, AND SEEK THE LORD THEIR GOD, AND DAVID THEIR KING; AND SHALL FEAR
THE LORD AND HIS GOODNESS IN THE LATTER DAYS" (HOSEA 3:5). This means:
[Hosea 3:5] AFTERWARD SHALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL RETURN, AND
SEEK THE LORD THEIR GOD, - this is the Kingdom of Heaven.
AND DAVID THEIR KING; - This is the
Kingdom of the House of David.
AND SHALL FEAR THE LORD AND HIS GOODNESS IN THE LATTER DAYS: This is the
building of the Third Temple.
Another
Midrash
says:
<<About the Ten Tribes it is written: "WOE TO THEM THAT DEVISE INIQUITY, AND
WORK EVIL UPON THEIR BEDS! (Micah 2;1) which is at night. Also even during the
day [they do the same] "WHEN THE MORNING IS LIGHT, THEY
PRACTISE
IT" (Micah 2;1). In the Generation of the deluge none survived. Why should these
[from the Ten Tribes] have survived" They survived by virtue of the righteous
men and women who were destined to emerge from them.>>
See also:
Biblical Proofs
http://www.britam.org/Proof/ProofsIntro.html
Main Page
Chapter Two
