Introduction to Hosea

Prophets - Very important role in the story. Came with a message from God to the people. Remember -

  • History – No land / Own land / Far land / Home land.

1. When did they prophesy? (before exile, during exile, after exile)

2. Who did they prophesy to/about? – (Judah, Israel, foreign nations)

  • Covenant – Not just predicting the future. Speaking to the people in their situation. A special nation in a covenant relationship with God. Blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. Prophets came to remind the people of the covenant and call them to obey the Law.

Title–The book is called Hosea because it records the message that a man called Hosea brought to the people of Israel – see 1:1,2. It also tells the shocking story of something God told Hosea to do which illustrated his message (1:2-2:1, 3:1-5).

Date and Audience - From the dates of the kings mentioned in 1:1 we can say that Hosea was active as a prophet between something like 750BC and 715BC. This places him just after Amos. His words recorded in this book were spoken before the exile of the northern kingdom in 722BC by the Assyrians. He speaks mainly to the northern kingdom (Israel – often called ‘Ephraim’), though look out for a few words for the southern kingdom (Judah) too.

Structure – Two main parts:

Chapters 1-3

Introduction (1:1)

The story of Hosea’s marriage and children - part 1 (1:2-2:1)

How Hosea’s marriage reflects God’s marriage to Israel (2:2-23)

The story of Hosea’s marriage – part 2 (3:1-5)

Chapters 4-14

The same message as chapters 1-3 but in more detail – includes accusations, warnings, appeals, enticements, expressions of love and hope from God to His people.

If there are two sub-sections within this part of the book they end with 11:1-11 and 14:1-9 which are two big expressions of salvation and hope = that pattern fits with the overall message of the book: Israel has rebelled and God will bring severe consequences but God’s love and mercy are more powerful than Israel’s sin.

The story of Hosea’s marriage–After the introduction the book of Hosea starts in an astonishing and shocking way (1:2-3). God does not say why he commands this but Hosea will feel the message he is preaching about God’s relationship with Israel because he will be personally symbolising it.

‘A wife of whoredom’ (ESV) = a promiscuous/unfaithful/adulterous woman. ‘Prostitute’ could be used but don’t think of Gomer as a helpless and exploited victim.

Summary of 1:2-2:1 - ‘Hosea did not gather that he could simply go through a form of marriage, or alternatively that God would find him a prostitute with a heart of gold. He married a shallow, mercenary woman, the kind who might walk out on him the moment it suited her; and they started a family. She bore him a son. After that she had two more children, who were apparently not his. Then she left him.’ Derek Kidner.

Summary of 3:1-5 – ‘She makes no move to come home. It is Hosea, her husband who goes to find her; and when he does, he not only has to win her back but buy her back…..And more: it is not just an act of re-possession, for God has said to him, ‘Go again and love a woman loved by another man, an adulteress…..’ Derek Kidner.

Themes – the final verse of the book says we should learn from it = 14:9.

1.God cares deeply about his relationship with us. It is the people you love who can hurt you most – from the rebuff which you hardly notice from a stranger, to the rather upsetting clash you may have with a friend, right on to the stinging hurt of a parent-child estrangement, or most wounding of all, the betrayal of a marriage. Derek Kidner.

It is the last two of these that God uses to describe his relationship with us in Hosea – it is therefore one of true love. 11:8.

2. God calls us to care deeply about our relationship with Him.In Hosea’s day the pattern of relationships between God, His people and His rivals for their affection, is not so much a triangle as a veritable polygon….. but God will never be content to form one side of any triangle – still less any polygon – or to be the bridegroom of a day or two. He will settle for nothing less than love, nothing shorter than forever. Derek Kidner.See 3:3, 6:4, 13:4.

Exclusive love for and loyalty to the LORD is right and wise: 2:7-8, 11:1-4. When we (God’s people) sin, we sin against love. Hosea’s call is therefore for repentance = turning from sin and to the LORD e.g. 14:1-3.

3. God hates Idolatry. The big accusations God makes against Israel through Hosea are: They worship other gods (especially Baal the Canaanite weather god who had control over agriculture, rainfall, fertility and productivity – an important area when you are growing your own food. Some of Hosea’s language reflects the fact that Baal worship included sexual acts – which helps explain the attraction) – 2:13, 4:12, and they put their trust for security in other countries –7:11, 8:9-10. As in other prophets hypocritical worship of the LORD is also mentioned – 6:6.

4. God punishes sin. God is love but he is also just, so the loving husband is not the only picture used of him – 13:7-8. Praise God for Jesus who receives God’s just punishment for our sin so we receive only his love.

In Hosea, God is a destructive moth and undesired rot (5:12), a ferocious lion (5:14, 13:7-8) and a trapper (7:12). On the other hand, he is also a forgiving husband (3:1-5), a healing physician (6:1-2), lifegiving rain and dew (6:3, 14:5), a loving parent (11:3-4), and a protecting lion (11:10-11). Dillard & Longman.

How can God be all these things towards his people when some of them seem to contradict? The ultimate answer is Jesus’ death on the cross.

5. Israel has rebelled and God will bring severe consequences but God’s love and mercy are more powerful than Israel’s sin.Hosea makes clear that God’s people Israel will experience punishment for their adultery against God their husband – and they did in 722BC through the Assyrians.

But Hosea also makes clear that will not be the end of God’s people and his plan to save them. God’s final word through Hosea is one of love, hope and salvation for His people. It is not just that he will continue to have a people but that He will overcome their sin by changing them – 2:16-17, 14:4-7.

This message of hope and salvation is fulfilled in the return to the land of Israel of some from tribes of the northern kingdom with the southern kingdom (Judah) after their exile (see e.g. 1 Chr. 9:1-3). It also looks forward to the future salvation (through faith in Jesus) of ethnic Israelites that Paul speaks about in Romans 11. But mostly it speaks of the fact that:

6. We have received the love God expresses towards Israel. In Romans 9:25-26 Paul quotes Hosea 2:23 & 1:10 to say that Hosea’s promises of restoration are fulfilled by Gentiles (non-Jews) becoming part of God’s people (we were not God’s people but now have become so). See also 1 Peter 2:10. This should lead to humility (not looking down on the Israelites) and praise for God’s great grace to us.

Some questions to think about –

1.How is idolatry present in your life i.e. what do you worship/trust/love instead of God sometimes?

2. Think about the practicalities of your day tomorrow. What will it look like for you to have exclusive love and loyalty to the LORD?

3. What characteristics of God do we see in the book of Hosea?

A helpful book – The message of Hosea by Derek Kidner (BST series).