Introduction
Hosea has been called the “death-bed prophet of Israel” because he was the last to prophesy before the northern kingdom fell to Assyria (about 722 B.C.). His ministry followed a golden age in the northern kingdom, with a peace and prosperity not seen since the days of Solomon. Unfortunately, with this prosperity came moral decay, and Israel forsook God to worship idols.
So God instructed Hosea to marry a “wife of whoredom,” whose unfaithfulness to her husband would serve as an example of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Hosea then explained God’s complaint against Israel and warned of the punishment that would come unless the people returned to the Lord and remained faithful to him. The book shows the depth of God’s love for his people, a love that tolerates no rivals.
A fictional take on the Book of Hosea was written in “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers. “It is a powerful retelling of the book of Hosea, and is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.” This is my favorite book of all time, and definitely worth the read!
Check out more information and a book review on Redeeming Love here:
https://liveandlearnjourney.com/redeeming-love-book-review/
Hosea’s Wife and Children
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said for him to take a wife of whoredom and have children with her. So he went and took Gomer, and she conceived and bore a son.
The Lord told him to name the son Jezreel, for in just a little while the Lord would punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and there would be an end to the house of Israel. On that day the Lord would break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.
Hosea’s wife conceived again and bore a daughter who was named “No Mercy,” for the Lord would have no more mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But, the Lord would have mercy on the house of Judah, and would save them by the Lord their God and not by bow, sword, war, horses, or horseman.
When Gomer had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son and he was named “Not My People,” for they were not the Lord’s people, and He was not their God.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness Punished
The marriage of Hosea and Gomer was broken by her unfaithfulness, but reconciliation, not divorce was sought. Hosea supplied his wife’s clothing, and her unfaithfulness was exposed leaving her bare, as Israel was when the Lord found her in Egypt in slavery and with nothing.
Gomer was chasing other men and lovers and this was used to reference Baal. The Canaanites attributed grain, wine, and oil to Baal and silver and gold for making idols. However, by withholding the fruits of the field and flock, the Lord made known the true source of those blessings.
“She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’
And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
-Hosea 2:7-8
The unfaithful wife was exposed to public shame, no one would take her or rescue her out of the Lord’s hand; and Baal had no power.
The Lord’s Mercy on Israel
Here it discussed a second betrothal and referred back to the days of Israel’s desert wandering, before she was tempted by the Baals in Canaan. God continually shows love in the midst of judgment and was there to reassure, comfort, and encourage.
“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” -Hosea 2:16-19
In that time the Lord would answer them and have mercy. He would have mercy on No Mercy, and would say to Not My People, that ‘You are my people;’ and he would say, ‘You are my God.’
Hosea Redeems His Wife
The Lord told Hosea to go again and love a woman who was loved by another man and was an adulteress. Even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turned to other gods. So Hosea bought her for fifteen shekels of silver, a homer, and a lethech of barley.
Hosea told her that she must dwell as his for many days and could not play the whore, or belong to another man. “For the children of Israel would dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel would return and seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.” -Hosea 3:4-5
The Lord Accuses Israel
This whole next section dealt with Israel’s involvement in Canaanite religion, her moral sins and her international intrigues.
“Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it languish,
and also the beasts of the field
and the birds of the heavens,
and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
-Hosea 4:1-3
Then it went on as an indictment of the priests, whose duty was to be guardians of God’s law and to furnish religious instruction. Hosea warned the priests not to lodge charges against the people for bringing God’s judgment down on the nation, for they themselves were guilty, and the people could also bring charges against them–as Hosea proceeded to do.
Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah
The Lord set out to discipline the people for they had received their judgment. Their deeds did not permit them to return to the Lord for the spirit of whoredom was within them. They had dealt faithlessly with the Lord and no one would be rescued.
“I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt
and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me.”
-Hosea 5:15
Great content! Keep up the good work!