Commentaries:
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Hosea 2:2
Israel is so faithless to her duties, she openly invites adulteries and aggressively chases after her lovers. Her aggressiveness does not merely perpetuate a condition but creates a climate that increases its effects. Paul reveals this principle in Galatians 6:7: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." It is a law of nature that unless something intervenes to interrupt the growing cycle, more is reaped than is sowed.
The Bible uses a saying to describe this latter principle, "Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (see Hosea 8:7). It is like saying, "Fan a breeze and produce a hurricane!" Sowing faithlessness is no different: Unless real repentance interrupts it, it will produce more faithlessness until the spirit of harlotry, an attitude that causes many serious ramifications, permeates the entire nation.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Seventh Commandment (1997)Related Topics: Faithlessness | Harlot, Israel as | Harlot, Metaphor of | Harlot, Symbol of | Harlotry | Harlotry, Spirit of | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel's Faithlessness | Israel's Fickleness | Reap the Whirlwind | Reaping and Sowing | Reaping and Sowing Principle | Seventh Commandment | Sow the Wind Reap the Whirlwind | Sowing and Reaping | Sowing and Reaping Principle | Spirit of Harlotry | Spiritual Adultery | Spiritual Fornication | Spiritual Harlotry | The Seventh Commandment
Hosea 2:2-7
Israel is seen as faithless wife and irresponsible mother—so faithless that she chases after her lovers! A spirit of harlotry, an attitude of faithlessness, was created in the whole nation, causing many detrimental ramifications and results. In other words, the deceit and its resulting infidelity are not confined to the God/Israel covenant marriage but affects personal relationships within families and the community. It even has a negative effect on the keeping of contracts in business and upholding promises of quality workmanship.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Seventh CommandmentRelated Topics: Adultery, Spirit of | Breaking Word | Covenant Relationship | Deceit | Deceitfulness | Harlot, Israel as | Harlotry | Infidelity | Infidelity to God | Israel as Faithless Wife | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Irresponsible Mother | Israel's Adultery | Seventh Commandment | Spirit of Harlotry | The Seventh CommandmentOther Forerunner Commentary entries containing Hosea 2:2:
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Amos 5:1-3
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What Does Hosea 2:2 Mean?
Israel, as a faithless wife and irresponsible mother, aggressively chases after her lovers and openly invites adulteries. Her actions create a spirit of harlotry, an attitude of faithlessness that permeates the nation. Unless real repentance interrupts the cycle, this produces more faithlessness and detrimental ramifications. The deceit and resulting infidelity affect personal relationships within families and the community, along with the keeping of contracts and promises of quality workmanship in business.