MUG SHOT ONE:

HOSEA

• “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of

harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By

departing from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2).

• Hosea’s mug shot tells us two stories. • The first story is one of God.

• God is always faithful, even though His people are not.

• In the Old Testament, unfaithfulness was like adultery (Is 1:21; Jer

3:6).

• God is willing to forgive 9Rom 3;25-26; 1 Jn 1:9).

• The second story is one of Hosea.

• He was willing to obey God even in this (1 Sam 15:22; Acts

5:29).

• How willing are we to obey God?

MUG SHOT TWO:

GOMER

• “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of

harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By

departing from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2).

• Gomer went right back to her adultery. • “The LORD said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved

by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the

LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and

love the raisin cakes of the pagans” (Hosea 3:1).

• What a perfect picture of us!

• How are we, like Gomer, giving in to the world around

us?

MUG SHOT THREE:

JEZREEL

• “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim,

and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD

said to him: ‘Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I

will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of

Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of

Israel. It shall come to pass in that day That I will break

the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel” (Hosea 1:3-5).

• “Jezreel” literally means “God scatters.” • This reminds us of the blood massacre that took place when

Jehu became king (2 Ki 9-10).

• God commended Jehu for the slaughter of Ahab’s household (2

Ki 10:30).

• However, the slaughter went far beyond what God intended.

• The point of this text is twofold:

• One: God does not forget sin (Amos 5:12).

• Two: God punishes sin (Heb 10:31).

MUG SHOT FOUR:

LO-RUHAMAH

• “And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then

God said to him: ‘Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, For I will

no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, But I will

utterly take them away. Yet I will have mercy on the

house of Judah, Will save them by the LORD their God,

And will not save them by bow, Nor by sword or battle,

By horses or horsemen” (Hosea 1:6-7).

• Lo-Ruhamah means “No Mercy.”

• This isn’t a picture of God we like to see. • God, however, is a God who calls people to account for their

sin.

• “For those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth,

but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Rom

2:8, ESV).

MUG SHUT FIVE:

LO-AMMI

• “Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she

conceived and bore a son. Then God said: ‘Call his

name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will

not be your God” (Hosea 1:8-9).

• Lo-Ammi means “Not My People.”

• God abandoned His people. • Deut 7:6-8.

• God’s promises are conditional (Deut 11:13-17; 1 Jn 1:7).

• God is more than willing to give up on His people when

they rebel. • Israel.

• God will do the same with us.

• Rom 1:24-25.

• Rev 2:20-23.

• Heb 3:12-13.

• Thomas Fuller: “You cannot repent too soon, because you do

not know how soon it may become too late.”

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