The book of Hosea is the first of 12 books of prophecy that are commonly called the minor prophets. They are also sometimes referred to collectively as The Twelve.
They are called the Minor Prophets because the books are shorter than the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Evidently Augustine gave them this name. They are the books from Hosea through and including Malachi.
The office of prophet goes back to the time of Moses and the Exodus. When God appeared on the mountain to give the covenant laws to Israel, there was thunder, lightening, smoke, and the sound of the trumpet. The people asked Moses to talk to God and then talk to them, because they were afraid hearing God would make them die. Exodus 20:18-19.
Moses referred to that event in his speech recorded in Deuteronomy 18:15-22. Moses said God agreed to the request and that he would raise up prophets like Moses and put his words in their mouths. The prophet would speak and the people were to listen to him.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1).
In the New Testament, it appears that the Israelites came to expect a prophet that would come around the time of the Messiah. They asked John if he was the prophet. (John 1:21) They thought Jesus was the prophet when he fed the five thousand. (John 6:14) They also called him the prophet when he spoke of living water on the temple grounds during the Feast of Booths. (John 7:37)
When Jesus was transfigured, and appeared with Moses and Elijah, the Father spoke and said we are to listen to Jesus, showing that he was the fulfillment of the words of Moses. (Matthew 17:2) Although God spoke through the prophets in the past, he spoke to us in the last days by his son, whom he appointed as heir of all things. (Hebrews 1:2) Jesus fulfilled God’s promise and also ended the office of prophet for the expression of God’s word (revelation).
Hosea spoke to Israel, the northern kingdom. At the death of Solomon, God took the ten northern tribes out from under the rule of the house of David. God did this because of Solomon’s breach of the covenant law, specifically the command that Israel would not worship other gods and would not create idols. Solomon let his many wives lead him astray. (1 Kings 11:3) He built altars for them to worship their gods and then began to worship with them.
Because of God’s promise to David to put his son on the throne, God did not diminish the kingdom during Solomon’s reign, but did when Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became king. (1 Kings 11:11-13) God also allowed David’s house to continue to rule the tribe of Judah and have charge of Jerusalem.
Jeroboam, who had been an official in Solomon’s government, became king of the northern tribes. The northern tribes took the name o”Israel”. Jeroboam immediately led them into idolatry by building two golden calves from them to worship so they would not go down to Jerusalem and worship at the temple. (1 Kings 12:25-33) It is chilling to read that he used the same words as Aaron when he presented the golden calves to his people. Both presented golden calves and said "behold your gods, who led you out of the land of Egypt".
The Old Covenant (or Sinai Covenant) is important to the role of prophet. The prophets warned Israel of its violation of the covenant law and threatened punishments that were set out in the covenant as curses. Leviticus 26 sets out the blessings for obeying the covenant and the curses for disobedience. The ultimate curse or punishment is to be thrust out of the land. God considered the northern kingdom bound by the covenant and sent prophets to condemn their idolatry.
Hosea was no exception. His job was to warn Israel that God intended to enforce the terms of the covenant by imposing the curses for disobedience. Hosea spoke to the northern nation of Israel, which had a history of breaking the covenant. Hosea prophesied that God had decided to impose the punishments.
Hosea’s Ministry
1:1
We see in verse 1 that Hosea is a prophet, as the first words are “the word of the Lord came to Hosea”. That is common for the first verses of the prophetic books. It tells us that the prophet received and spoke the words of God, not his own.
Verse 1 also gives us a general timeline for Hosea’s ministry. He ministered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. Only Jeroboam is listed as a king in Israel, but the prophecies clearly mention subsequent kings.
Hosea’s ministry in the northern kingdom would have overlapped with Isaiah’s ministry in the south. Isaiah 1:1 says that Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, as did Hosea. Amos also ministered during the reign of Uzziah in Judea ad Jeroboam in Israel. (Amos 1:1)
Enacted Prophecy
1:2-9
Sometimes God gave the prophets things to do to act out a prophecy rather than words. It was not easy being a prophet.
God told Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife. The emphasis here is not on sex for money, but on unfaithfulness in marriage to demonstrate Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. We see this in the words “for the land has committed great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” (2) The New International Version says “the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord”.
We see behind this enactment to comparison of the covenant of marriage to the covenant between Israel and God. In the Old Testament, God is sometimes portrayed as a faithful husband and Israel as an unfaithful wife.
In response to God’s instruction, Hosea married a woman named Gomer. (3) They had a son. God instructed Hosea to name his son Jezreel to symbolize God’s intention to end the northern kingdom. God intended to punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel. God appointed Jehu to take over as king after Ahab and instructed him to strike down Ahab’s house. Jehu did that, but also killed the king of Judah, who was with Ahab. (1 Kings 9)
Hosea and Gomer had a second child, a daughter. The Lord told Hosea to name her No Mercy (Lo-Ruhamah) because he would no longer have mercy on Israel or forgive them. (6) He had determined to judge them. This happens later when the Assyrians conquer the northern kingdom and take the people into exile.
In contrast, the Lord said he would show mercy to Judah and would save them. And he would not do so with weapons or horses. (7) God would save Judah miraculously when the Assyrians came to assault Jerusalem while Hezekiah was king.
The third child born to Hosea and Gomer was a son. God said to name him “Not My People” because Israel would no longer be his people and he would no longer be their God. (9) This was God declaring the covenant to be void as to the nation of Israel, the northern tribes. They had continually broken the covenant by worshipping other gods and God had determined no longer to deal with them in mercy or forgiveness.
So God let Assyria capture the Northern Kingdom. (2 Kings 16:9)
2 Kings 16 records the defeat of Israel, the exile of its people, and the resettlement of their country by the Assyrians.
Takeaways
God keeps his word - both to bless and to punish.
God demands undivided love and loyalty - he does not share his glory with other “gods”. (Isaiah 42:8)
Men and women do not have the ability to keep the law in their own strength - their hearts must be changed.
Be thankful the Lord has given you salvation through Christ.
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