The Meat – Page 3 – Auriesville Tubthumper

It’s a miracle, a free gift!

It is Justification. In my opinion justification is a miracle. It is a miraculous gift given to all of us who believe upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is provided by Christ’s death on the cross and given to us at no cost through His grace.

The doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone is extremely important and central to the Christian faith.

In spite of the importance attributed to it in the Bible and the critical role it played in the Protestant Reformation, most professing believers today do not understand it. We live in a time when most people are woefully ignorant of basic Bible doctrines. An obsession with entertainment and emotionalism has replaced a concern for theology. How many sermons or classes have you seen dealing with the doctrine of God, or the atonement, or justification? Little to none I’ll bet. Why isn’t doctrine taught today? Did you know that Paul made it completely clear that a mistake regarding justification can send you to the lake of fire? We need preachers and teachers committed to expound on the doctrine of justification.

The doctrine of Justification by faith and the death of Christ at Calvary go together and Justification is based on the blood of the Lamb.

A study of Scripture proves that justification is not subjective or a process, but is a legal declaration by God the Father in the heavenly court.

Some points of clarity between justification and sanctification: Justification is objective. It takes place outside of the sinner in the heavenly court. Justification does not directly change the believer’s inner life. On the other hand, sanctification is subjective. It takes place in the sinner and renders the sinner more holy over time.

Justification is an act of God the Father. God renders a verdict regarding the one who believes in Christ. “It is God who justifies” (Rom. 8:33). Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). Justification is instantaneous. God declares the believing sinner righteous in a moment of time. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (Jn. 5:24; Lk. 18:14; Rom. 5:1). Justification is not a process, nor is it piecemeal. It takes place only once, and then it is complete. “There is no such thing as being more and more justified. There are no degrees of acceptance with God. To be justified is to be wholly justified.” A “man is either fully justified, or he is not justified at all.” Sanctification is a continuous process. The Christian grows in holiness and more and more conforms to the character of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies God’s word to his heart. “The old sin nature is progressively subdued, but never entirely abolished in this life.” Sanctification is progressive, imperfect, and not completed until death.

Justification removes the guilt of sin and clothes the believer with Christ’s perfect righteousness, thus entitling him to eternal life in God’s own family. Sanctification progressively removes the pollution of sin; subdues the power of sin, and increasingly enables the believer to live in conformity with the word of God.

Justification is an act of God obtained by or through faith. “There is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith” (Rom. 3:30). Faith is not the ground or cause of justification but the instrument by which the believer receives justification. Faith is the gift of God which lays hold of and receives what Christ has accomplished. The believer’s salvation and justification are totally a work of God.

Justification is the manner in which God considers righteous those sinners who, by faith in Jesus Christ, receive Devine forgiveness and reconciliation. Justification is a legal or forensic term and is used in Scripture to denote the acceptance of any one as righteous in the sight of God.

“Salvation includes that which is given, freely and finally, by God (JUSTIFICATION); that which is continually imparted (sanctification); and that still to be attained (glorification).”

Justification is by faith alone and not works. We were given a free gift of grace and justification did not occur by anything we did or anything within us, but occurred because of what Christ did for us. Hence it is called a gift, a free gift, a gift by grace, and believers are described as those who receive this gift of righteousness (Rom. 5.17). We are never said to be justified by anything done by us or wrought in us, but by what Christ has done for us. We are justified through the redemption that is in him (Rom. 3.24). We are justified by his blood (Rom. 5.9) We are justified by his obedience (Rom. 5.19). We are justified by him from all things (Acts 13.39). He is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1.30). We are made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5.21). We are justified in his name (1 Cor. 6.11). There is no condemnation to those who are in him (Rom. 8.1). Justification is, therefore, by faith in Christ, because faith is receiving and trusting to him as our Savior, as having done all that is required to secure our acceptance before God.

Justification is God’s response to the problem of estrangement from the only true God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul conveyed the message that God did not consider sin lightly. Sin created a massive gulf between God and people. This gulf required a bridge to bring all of humanity into a right relationship with God. Theologians call God’s bridge building “reconciliation.” Reconciliation functions to bring humans “justification.” The main character who effected this divine plan was Jesus Christ. Uniquely, His death on the cross made it possible for God and people to be reconciled (Romans 5:10) and thus for humans to be justified.

Through the Gospel, God unleashes a power to change people, and at the crucial point: in their relationship with him. When people respond in faith to the message of the good news, God “justifies” them; that is, he declares them innocent before him, removing the barrier that exists between all human beings in their natural state and God. Everything else in the Christian life flows from this marvelous experience.

Yet many people do not hear this good news, and many Christians do not understand what has happened to them.

I see a good example of justification from the Old Testament. We can take a look at David. In Psalms 51 we find the prayer of repentance from David, “restore unto me the joy of thy salvation”. David had no chance under the Law. There could be no sacrifice offered because an adulterer was to be stoned to death under the Law. He had a broken and contrite heart and was asking for forgiveness. He threw himself to the mercy of the Lord and the Lord provided by grace to have David justified apart from the Law. He bypassed the Law of Moses and by grace he was forgiven. The judge died for the defendant!

When God justifies a man, he declares him to be righteous. Just as Adam’s transgressions resulted in condemnation and death, Christ’s ‘free gift’ brought justification and life (Rom. 5:16). In this affirmation, Paul presupposes the resurrection of Christ and its distribution: those who receive the ‘gift of righteousness’ will rule in life through the one, Jesus Christ (verse 17). His single act of righteousness has brought ‘the justification which issues in life (dikaiosis zoes) for all humanity (verse 18). The ‘gift of righteousness’ (verse 17) is nothing other than Christ’s ‘act of righteousness’ (verse 18) in its saving significance for all who believe. Our justification has been accomplished outside of us, in Christ incarnate, crucified and risen.”

There are three major imputations in the Bible. They are Adam’s sin imputed to the human race, Man’s sin (mine and yours) imputed upon Christ, and last but most certainly not least is God’s righteousness imputed to all believers. And justification is an act of God. It is a legal declaration whereby God declares a vile sinner to be righteous.”

The cross of Calvary makes it possible for God to be both just and the Justifier. (II Cor. 5:21)

Justification, however, is only for “him which believeth in Jesus.” This cannot be overemphasized. God justifies only those who believe in Jesus. The only belief that counts with God is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a comfort to know that through Christ’s redeeming work our Justification is connected indissolubly with the glory of God.

We now can look at the word “Grace”. Grace is unmerited favor. It is getting something we do not deserve. All we deserve from God is His eternal punishment for our continued rebellion; but instead He offers us salvation through His Son at the infinite cost of Calvary. So we are “justified freely by His grace”.

It is based on a redemptive price, for Paul goes on to speak of “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood”. (Romans 3: 24, 25) Remember those words, “redemption, propitiation, faith and blood”. The four steps leading to Justification: 1) You are lost, 2) You cannot save yourself, 3) You realize only Christ can save you, and 4) You must ask Christ to save you.

Justification by faith is the doctrine we need expounded on more today. Justification is free. God does not charge us anything. He does not charge for saving us either.

I will end with these words, “In the brief, but clear and comprehensive words of the Westminster Divines: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, –Wherein He pardoneth all our sins,– and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, — only for the righteousness of Christ, –imputed to us,– and received by faith alone.”

The peace of God can be enjoyed by all and because of justification we have hope.

By His grace I am saved,

“The Tubthumper”

For more details you can read the full document by clicking here.

Protect your Birthright

Doing things to protect our birthright should be a no-brainer. Most individuals have a “birthright”. I have a birthright due to the fact that I am the firstborn to my mother and father. My “birthright” allows me to be included in my parent’s will and share in any estate they have built over their lifetime. Along with the “birthright” I have comes some responsibility. Because of my birthright I am the one looked to when leadership is needed and decisions need to be made. Along the way those of us with a “birthright” wouldn’t want to do anything stupid. Lest we not be included any longer in the will and removed from all “birthright” privileges because of an action not acceptable to the one providing the birthright. (In this case, Mom and Dad)

Being a financial professional I have seen many stupid things done regarding birthright over the years.

Because I have been “born again” and I am child of Christ’s I have another “birthright”. This “birthright” is more precious than the one my biological parents provided for me. A great example is given to us in the book of Genesis. Genesis is the place where all beginnings are. It is important to see and note the beginning lineage and who has the “birthright” privileges and who does not. One of the greatest examples of this “birthright” is when Esau very stupidly gave up his right. I will come back to Esau but want to provide a good definition for you here in blue text:

“BIRTHRIGHT-burth’-rit (bekhorah, from bekhor, “firstborn”; prototokia): Birthright is the right which naturally belonged to the firstborn son. Where there were more wives than one, the firstborn was the son who in point of time was born before the others, apparently whether his mother was a wife or a concubine. Sarah protests against Ishmael being heir along with Isaac, but it is possible that the bestowal of the rights of the firstborn on Isaac was not due to any law, but rather to the influence of a favorite wife (Gen 21:10). The birthright of the firstborn consisted in the first place of a double portion of what his father had to leave. This probably means that he had a double share of such property as could be divided. We have no certain knowledge of the manner in which property was inherited in the patriarchal age, but it seems probable that the lands and flocks which were the possession of the family as a whole, remained so after the death of the father. The firstborn became head of the family and thus succeeded to the charge of the family property, becoming responsible for the maintenance of the younger sons, the widow or widows, and the unmarried daughters. He also, as head, succeeded to a considerable amount of authority over the other members. Further, he generally received the blessing, which placed him in close and favored covenant-relationship with Yahweh. According to the accounts which have come down to us, all these gifts and privileges could be diverted from the firstborn son. This could happen with his own consent, as in the case of Esau, who sold his birthright to Jacob (Gen 25:29-34), or by the decision of the father, as in the case of Reuben (Gen 48:22; 49:3,4; 1 Ch 5:1,2) and of Shimri (1 Ch 26:10). In the Deuteronomic version of the law, a provision is made, prohibiting the father from making the younger son the possessor of the birthright, just because his mother was specially beloved (Dt 21:15-17). The blessing also could be diverted from the eldest son. This was done when Jacob blessed the children of Joseph, and deliberately put the younger before the elder (Gen 48:13,14,17-19); even when the blessing was obtained by the younger son in a fraudulent manner, it could not be recalled (Gen 27). Jacob does not appear to have inherited any of the property of his father, although he had obtained both the birthright and the blessing. In the New Testament “birthright,” prototokia, is mentioned only once (Heb 12:16), where the reference is to Esau. In various passages where our Lord is spoken of as the firstborn, as in Col 1:15-19; Heb 1:2, the association of ideas with the Old Testament conception of birthright is easy to trace.”

Let us now take a look at what Esau did with his birthright. Please go and read this story for yourself as I only have room for a summary. Actually Esau had a double sided “birthright”. He had the birthright of being the eldest son or favored son. He was to inherit the family name, title and big share of his father’s estate. He also stood to become the head of the entire clan. The second side of his birthright was spiritual in nature. He would be next to receive the covenant blessings.

“Esau’s brother Jacob always wanted the birthright even from the womb.” It say’s in Gen 25: 26, “After that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel”. The name Jacob actually means “heal-catcher”. God actually chose Jacob for the “birthright” while the two were still in the womb. We see in Gen 25:23 “And the Lord said, the elder shall serve the younger”.

And so the story goes from Genesis 25: Esau and Jacob were brothers. Sad but true there was some favoritism going on between the two parents and the two sons. Esau was the favorite of dad and Jacob was the favorite of mom. Esau was known as a great hunter as well as worldlier and his father loved it when Esau brought him venison. Jacob on the other hand was quiet and stayed around the home. Jacob was known to be a good cook and made a great red soup. Actually I found that many of the commentaries I read looked at Jacob as being as perfect as Job. Well, one day Esau was out hunting all day and he was exhausted and extremely hungry. Jacob became an opportunist and looked to jump at his chance to grab the “birthright”. (I believe this was all predestined by God) So Jacob made a deal with Esau. He talked his brother into giving up his birthright for a nice hot meal. Esau was hungry, tired, irresponsible and impulsive. He told Jacob he could have his birthright if he just would give him some of that food to satisfy his hunger. He made an oath to Jacob. So Jacob gave Esau the food and Esau wolfed it down like he had never eaten before and left.

The next morning when Esau woke up and realized what he had done he was ashamed of himself and realized what a mistake he made. But it was too late… for in those days an oath was a forever commitment. If we look at this we can see that Esau failed to appreciate his birthright a long time before he lost it. He despised his birthright and he was immoral and sought things of the flesh. If he was truly a man of God he would never have gotten close to leaving his birthright. He would have died first. He gave up the covenant for a one time meal to satisfy the lust of the flesh. He had a natural heart.

“The natural heart places no value on the things of God. To the natural heart, God’s promise is a vague, valueless, powerless thing, simply because God is not known. Hence it is that present things carry such weight and influence in man’s estimation. Anything that man can see he values, because he is governed by sight, and not by faith. To him the present is everything: the future is a mere uninfluential thing,- a matter of the merest uncertainty. Thus it was with Esau.

Hear his fallacious reasoning: “Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” Gen 25: 32. What strange reasoning!

The present is slipping from beneath my feet: I will therefore despise and entirely let go the future. Time is fading from my view, I will therefore abandon all interest in eternity!

“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Esau has given us all a wonderful lesson in “birthright”, keeping our faith and not going down the wide road toward the world. He has taught us that we should never compromise our values and stay on the narrow road of our Christian and moral principles. What we have from Christ is the most valuable possession we could have obtained.

I know Jesus; therefore, I have a magnificent birthright! Just like Esau had a birthright, I also have one and likely you have too. I have the love and grace of Jesus Christ inside of me. I will take care of my birthright! We are heirs of the covenant and like Esau and Jacob. Our birthright is covenant blessings, covenant fellowship with Christ and we are the future owners of the Promised Land. “The Mansion on the Hilltop”! We became “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:17.

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Gal 4: 6-7.

Satan will do all he can to wrestle it away from you and turn you from God. Gird your loins for the battle. It has only just begun. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” 2 Tim 1: 12-14. (Guard what was entrusted to you with the help of the Holy Spirit.)

We have an awesome privilege along with a frightening responsibility! As I said in the beginning, we need to be very careful not to do something foolish with our “birthright”.

The church, the people of God through the one-another’s and worship together will help us to keep our sacred possession.

God Bless and Keep you all. Amen.

“The Tubthumper”

Can you define the “Kingdom of God”?

Part 1 of 2 parts.

Recently I was asked to explain the “Kingdom of God” in a page or so of writing. Let me start by saying this subject is certain to illicit much more than a page of comment. This is a subject we all are concentrating on and is the very basis for why we are here and why we believe. I hope all of us are part of the “Kingdom of God”. I will purposefully try to keep this on the simple reasoning and avoid getting into eschatological reasoning.

Because I have been saved by grace for more than 40 years I have been referring to the Kingdom of God for almost as many. In the Old Testament God is the King of the Universe and He is referenced as the King of Israel in Exodus 19: 4-6 and Deuteronomy 33:4, 5. During that period his kingdom took on a present tense relationship with His people. After the birth of Jesus and the crowning of our human king the relationship became a future tense and no longer was a matter of the present. The future tense kingdom was described as “the supernatural, universal, everlasting reign of the God of heaven which will overthrow and replace the great world monarchies”.

The phrase, “the kingdom of God,” is found in all four of the Gospels. The phrase is also in found in Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. The kingdom of heaven is used in Matthew and from what I know most biblical scholars agree that these phrases can be used synonymously. Heaven is looked at as God’s abode in the way we look at earth as our abode. We are all to aspire to join our king in his kingdom which is in heaven through discipleship.

“The primary imagery which biblical writers used for God was that of a divine King (e.g. 1 Sam 8:7). Alongside the basic conviction that God is the supreme King is the belief that he reigns over creation as his kingdom (Pss 47:1-9; 83:18; Dan 4:25-26; 5:21). In this general sense then, God has always been the sovereign reigning King who rules in heaven over all things (Pss 103:19; 113:5; Matt 5:34; Eph 1:20; Col 1:16; Heb 12:2; Rev 7:15).”

I found this to be descriptive as we work to unravel the mystery of the kingdom, “Our Lord repeatedly speaks of the kingdom as a state of things lying altogether above the sphere of earthly and natural life, being so different from the natural conditions that it could not be evolved from the latter by any gradual process (cf. Matt. 8:11, 13:43; Mark 14:25; Luke 13:20, 29, 22:16, 29, 30). According to Luke 17:20, He declared that the kingdom does not come with observation, but is among or within men. And Luke 16:16 makes the kingdom begin from the days of John the Baptist and immediately succeed the law and the prophets as the comprehensive name for the Old Testament dispensation. Both the present reality and the organic-spiritual character of the kingdom are most clearly taught in the great kingdom parables (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8).

If we are saved by the grace of God and while we are still alive and here on earth we can enjoy the kingdom of grace, (spiritually) however, it is after our physical death and the world death that we will enjoy the kingdom of glory. Here it is spelled out by another bible scholar, “The entire language which Jesus employs in regard to it presupposes that it will bring blessings transcending those of the present stage of the kingdom. All imperfections will be done away with, all enemies vanquished, the wheat and the tares will no longer be permitted to intermingle, the full satisfaction with righteousness and the beatific vision of God will be enjoyed. It is true, our Lord always emphasizes that the heart and essence of the kingdom may be possessed in the present life. But it is plain that He could not have spoken so absolutely of the eschatological crisis as the coming of the kingdom, had not the thought been in his mind that, after all, only the end of the world can bring the full and adequate possession of even those spiritual blessings in which the kernel of the kingdom consists.”

This concept of the “Kingdom of God” is clearly an important one. The Lord clearly made this a central theme of His teaching, therefore, we should conclude that he meant it to be observed as a profound significance.

Continued, Click here to go to Part 2

“The Tubthumper”

Can you define the “Kingdom of God”? Part 2

Defining the “Kingdom of God”…

Although I believe in the importance and relevancy of the kingdom, I can tell you there is no definition of the kingdom found in the Gospels. There are descriptions but no definitions. I found the reasoning for this in this passage, “Our Lord’s teaching is not clothed in the forms of an abstract presentation of truth. His method is not the philosophical one of framing conceptions, but the parabolic one of illustrating the realities of the spiritual world in their various manifestations and embodiments. Hence we never find Him defining, but always describing the kingdom. He handles it throughout as a complex reality of which now one side, then another, is turned toward His disciples that the light of revelation may be concentrated upon it. On the other hand, it is easy to perceive that in the midst of the multiformity of concrete statements resulting from this method, a certain order and system are not entirely lacking. Our Lord’s descriptions never lose themselves in the single details, nor do they indiscriminately throw together what is fundamental and what is secondary. Notwithstanding the great variety of illustration, there are certain aspects which constantly recur, which by the prominence they receive force us to recognize in them fundamental aspects of the kingdom, and which for this very reason may be expected to give us the answer to our question, why the complex organism to which they belong is called the kingdom of God.”

Take a look at the closing words of the Lord’s prayer:

“Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” The kingdom is totally centered in and around God Himself and His glory and the Lord indicates that it should be the objective for us to obtain. As a disciple we are to seek first the kingdom of the heavenly Father and His righteousness. We are to turn from the pagan frame of mind and not seek after the things of this world.

“One other thought brought out is that our Lord’s teaching shows us that the new order of things is called a kingdom because it is the sphere in which God manifests His supreme, royal power.”[1] The kingdom of God is a kingdom of conquest. The kingdom of Satan must be conquered and the kingdom of God must reign supreme. Involved in this battle between the kingdoms is the fact that humans as created by God have been given the ability to choose and often rebel and refuse to acknowledge God as King, and evil kingdoms rise up to oppose God’s Kingdom. The king is also the judge and so we as disciples must constantly strive after righteousness. This is confirmed by Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” What we see here is that the standard for which we strive is the righteousness of God himself. (Which of course we can never fully attain.) God alone reigns supreme in His own Holiness. Another reason for the naming of the kingdom of God is that all blessings come from the kingdom. The king bestows his blessing and gifts to all his subjects. All this thought and information around the designation of “The Kingdom of God” rests completely on the concept of the Devine rule exercised and carried out through the work of salvation.

“The hope that Scripture presents from cover to cover is that this disparity between the heavenly throne room and earth will be eliminated one day (1 Chr 16:31). God will judge the wicked and bring redeemed humanity into a new creation (Isa 65; Zech 14). When this transformation takes place, only God’s kingdom will stand and voluntary obedience to him will extend to the ends of the earth as it does in heaven (1 Chr 16:31; Ps 97:1-2). The New Testament teaches that this final worldwide stage of the kingdom of God began with the incarnation of Christ. He and John the Baptist announced the good news that the Kingdom was at hand (Matt 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). But contrary to common Jewish expectations, Jesus and his apostles explained that the worldwide reign of God on earth would not come immediately in all of its fullness. Instead, Christ inaugurated this final stage of the kingdom in his earthly ministry (Matt 2:2; 4:23; 9:35; 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 16:16; 23:3; John 18:37). It continues today in the church (Matt 24:14; Rom 14:16-17; 1 Cor 4:19-20; Col 4:11), but it will reach its ultimate end when Christ returns in glory (1 Cor 15:50-58; Rev 11:5). When that day finally comes, the will of God will be done throughout the earth just as it is done in heaven.”[2]

In conclusion it brings me to the thoughts of when I came into the kingdom. I was very young and didn’t know much as I sat during a fire and brimstone sermon one hot August night. I was made aware of this battle between the evil kingdom and the kingdom of God. I got the description that was necessary. I decided then and there I wanted to be in the kingdom of God. By my faith in Jesus Christ I am saved from the wrath of God and the gates of hell. I look forward to someday being able to clearly define the “Kingdom of God” and/or the “Kingdom of Heaven”.

God Bless you all and I hope to see you in the kingdom. The Kingdom of God,

“The Tubthumper”

[1] “The Kingdom of God”, The Bible Student 1:282-289, 328-335. [1900] taken from The American Journal of Biblical theology at www.biblicaltheology .com and page http://www.biblicaltheology.org/kg.pdf.

[2] WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? by Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. at http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/ric_pratt/TH.Pratt.kingdom.of.god.html

Marry a prostitute? It was commanded!

God commanded a prophet to marry a prostitute. Can you believe that?

Some say that Hosea married a prostitute. Some say he didn’t marry at all and this is just an old fishing story. I think we need to examine the facts to get to the bottom of things. I also think God used Hosea to get a message across through prophesy like he has done so many times. If we turn to the scriptures we see early on in Hosea beginning in verse 2 what God told him. “And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. (Hsa. 1;2) This book of Hosea is certainly different isn’t it? It is pretty strange that God would tell a prophet to “take unto thee a wife of whoredoms.” It certainly caught my attention. We know the land God is speaking of. It is Israel.

So God is going to make a comparison and use something called a similitude.

The word similitude isn’t a word I have kicked around much and I needed to seek the meaning so I include the dictionary meaning here for you.

Noah Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language gives the definition of Similititude as follows:

1. (n.) The quality of being similar or like; resemblance; likeness; similarity; as, similitude of substance. 2. (n.) The act of likening, or that which likens, one thing to another; fanciful or imaginative comparison; a simile. 3. (n.) That which is like or similar; a representation, semblance, or copy; a facsimile.

In chuck Smith’s commentary on Hosea he describes it this way, “A similitude is something that is similar to, by which you then draw a picture, something that you can see and then you draw from that a spiritual analogy”.[1]

So Hosea took Gomer as we see in verses 2-5 and Gomer conceived and bare a son named Jezreel. I want to point out there is no evidence to suggest that Gomer was a prostitute prior to being with Hosea. We do have the proof that she became a prostitute later. So this is a situation where God knew the heart of Gomer and used her to get a message across. Israel has been unfaithful and it is now that God is drawing a comparison between the unfaithfulness of his beloved people to the unfaithfulness of a marriage. This is not the first time God has indicated His relationship with Israel is comparable to that of a marriage.

In his commentary, Chuck Smith said it this way, “I think it’s just that God told him to take this woman that God knew would be unfaithful in order that God might draw the similitude between this unfaithful wife of Hosea and the nation of Israel who had been unfaithful unto God. For God had taken the nation of Israel as His bride, blessed her, heaped His love upon her, and yet she turned from God.”[2]

We know from reading the rest of the book that Hosea and Gomer had three children and they all carried names that hold prophetic meanings. We also know that this marriage had all the issues that a very troubled marriage would have today. We had Hosea the injured spouse and Gomer the immoral spouse. Hosea’s marriage was a very visible example and message to Israel.

Hosea attempted many times in vain to save the marriage. He tried to bar Gomer from the markets of the world as we see in Chapter 2, verse 6. He tried to keep her home but she eventually ended up a prostitute in the markets and became a sex slave. Hosea even pleaded with his son to try to talks some sense into his mother (2:2). It didn’t work and she continued to seek her pleasures at every opportunity she had. Gomer was used, abused and well, you get the picture. And she had become a sex slave for which Hosea bought her back for 15 pieces of silver and homer and half of barley (3:2). He had to buy her as a slave. We never get to see the ending of this and whether the marriage was saved or ended in ruins. I think there is a point to this as well because we haven’t seen the ending to this adulterous relationship the Israel carries on. But we will.

We know the end is drawing near.

In Hosea 8:7 we see, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.” And in verse 8, “Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” So Israel would be for a while swallowed up among the nations.

Through the message of Hosea’s marriage God wanted to teach Israel and us about the anguish in His heart when His people commit spiritual adultery and become prostitutes to another god.

The story will have a happy ending because God’s bride will return to him as we see in 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.” And we also see in Chapter 14, verses 4 through 7, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” Therefor God’s wife will be restored. The Bible says in Zechariah, “They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced.” Chuck Smith said, “And in that day when they look upon Him whom they have pierced and they recognize that Jesus indeed is God’s promised Messiah and they open their hearts to receive Him, there’s gonna be such a glorious reunion as they in love and repentance reach out to God and he in love reaches out to them and restores them.”[3]

And together they live happily ever after… Amen.

“The Tubthumper”

[1] Chuck Smith-Transcriptions for the C2000 Series, Hosea 1-4, Blue Letter Bible Commentaries.

[2] IBID.

[3] Chuck Smith-Transcriptions for the C2000 Series, Hosea 10-14, Blue Letter Bible Commentaries.