Intro: We are reading of a prophet of God who God commanded to take a wife of the whoredoms to illustrate how God had taken Israel in her sinful state, forgiven her, and made her his bride. They had three children in this chapter- Jezreel, Loruhamah, and Loammi. Each of these children’s names represented in some fashion the judgement of God upon Israel for having departed from him to serve idols. It was truly a dysfunctional family.

I want to preach today on "A Needy Family." We always speak of a needy family as ones we might help buy Christmas gifts or groceries, but I see in Hosea a needy family. They were not a family in poverty, but they were a family in need. They are not ignorant of God- this is the preacher’s family- but they are still a needy family. As a matter of fact, I see a building full of needy families today. We are a needy people. Even the preacher’s family is in need. My kids will have to get in the same as any other man’s children. We are a people in need. So, we will preach today on A Needy Family. I want to look at 3 needy families in the Scriptures. Notice:
I. David’s Family: Man after God’s own heart. Chosen of God to be king over Israel, and promised his kingdom would never end. Christ was born in his lineage. He had power to fight a man who was three times his size, had the most advanced weaponry, and was a seasoned warrior, and David defeated him with a sling and a stone! He rejoiced in the presence of the Law of God in the Ark of Covenant. He wrote over half of the Psalms in the Bible. He was the most successful, most respected, and most prosperous leader in the history of the nation of Israel, but his family was a needy family. It is not just at your house that there are challenges. It is at everybody’s house. Nobody is above needing help for their home. David’s family was needy:

*Because of Deception: David served God in his early years, but somewhere along the way he faltered. You don’t go strait to adultery; there is a period of backsliding before then. Yet we have no record of it. No one else could see. David made people believe that he was still right with God, but he had gotten cold in his heart.

*In need of Devotion to the Marriage Vows: David took lightly the promises that he had made. Today we are in a day when the marriage vows mean little, but what God has put together, let no man put asunder!

*In need of Discipline for Children: We see little recorded in the scriptures about David’s relationship with his children, but their behavior shows you that there was little discipline:
**Absalom had such long hair that when he tied it upon top of his head, it weighed over eight pounds.
**Amnon was such a pervert that he lusted after his own sister and raped her.
**Absalom killed Amnon while he was drunk.
**Absalom tried to overthrow the kingdom of his father and was killed with a dart through his heart while hanging in an oak tree from his hair! All the while David could only think, Had I spent more time with my children instead of chasing after lewd women, how they could have turned out different! He prayed "O Absalom!!"

*In need of Direction in morality: David committed adultery. Solomon chased after idols. Amnon committed incest. Absalom committed murder. There was a great need for a moral direction. Daddy set a poor example, and the children followed. What kind of moral example are you setting?

II. Elimelech’s Family: Ruth 1. They left Bethlehem thinking that they were empty, but Naomi came back knowing that they had been full all along. She found out what real emptiness was. We see how in Moab they became a very needy family. They were in need of:
*Order in the Home: In Moab the women ran the temples, the homes, and businesses. God says that there is an order: God, husband, wife, children.

*Obligation of the Home: To bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Elimelech and Naomi raised boys in Moab that chased after strange women. If you raise your children in Moab and like Moabites, they will marry Moabitish people, and your grandchildren will be raised according to the ways of the heathen!

*Opportunity of the Home: Elimelech and Naomi were in Bethlehem during a famine. There was trouble in the land. It was a real trial, but they could have put forth the effort for the home to be a sanctuary from the troubles of life. They could have made their home a place of rest. Instead Elimelech came home and griped about everything that happened at work. Naomi fussed and nagged on Elimelech all the time that he did not take her out enough, or help her out around the house. He hardly wanted to come home at all because of it. Every time he went to discipline the kids, Naomi would step in and nag. They decided that they could have a better home life if they would just move to Moab. More money would help them get along better! Their problem was not money, it was attitude!

III. Hosea’s Family: Notice:
*The Command: v. 2 take a wife...

*The Connection to Worldliness: She was of the people of whoredoms. She had it in her system, and would not let it go. She acted better for a while, but she never really gave it up. She played the part of a preacher’s wife, a Christian woman, but her heart never changed!

*The Children: they were named according to the sins of Israel and the judgment of God on them. For Israel had been to God the same as Gomer had been to Hosea.
**His Commitment to Her: He was angered with her sin (ch. 2). Even still while she was in sin, he had been sending provisions to her secretly (2:8). He wanted put her away forever, but instead he opened for her a door of hope (2:15). He spoke comfortably to her (2:14). He took away her false gods (2:17). He married her forever (2:19). He loved her anyway (3:1). He bought her back with a great price (3:2). He brought her home to be a wife, not a servant (3:3, 2:16).

Conclusion: The family of Hosea is a picture of Israel, of the church that has been redeemed, of each of us who have been forgiven. It is a picture of the family of God. If God’s family has troubles that create a need, then it is no great secret that my family and your family needs help from God as well. Our Bridegroom has been faithful to us. Have we been faithful to him? Are we truly devoted to one another? Eph. 5:21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." We have needy families.