Hosea: Love to the Loveless

Who is the God of Israel?

Author: Hosea

The prophet carried a relatively common name among Jews of his day. His name, Hosea, means “deliverance” or “salvation.” This was Joshua’s (Moses’ successor) original name (Num. 13:16) before it was changed by Moses to Joshua (Yehoshua).

Date: 755 - 735 BC.

Audience: Hosea spoke primarily to the Northern Kingdom of Israel before its destruction at the hands of the Assyrians. His ministry started during the prosperous and peaceful reign of Jereboam II.

Summary

In the book of Hosea God brings the charge of idolatry against His people Israel. He uses the prophet Hosea’s own life as an extended metaphor for His relationship with His people. God is the loving, patient, faithful husband while they are adulterous, prostituting themselves to other false gods for the foolish promise of earthly gain while God had given them everything they could ever need.

This book gives insight into the very heart of God. God is not distant or remote. He is the jilted husband, the betrayed lover. God is jealous and rightfully angry. He promises judgment and destruction, but He cannot deny his loyal, faithful love. Despite their sin and betrayal, God is not like them to abandon His promise. Rather God, promises to bring restoration after judgment, and in fact, to transform his promiscuous wife into a pure and faithful people one day.

Structure

Panel 1: 1:2-2:1

Panel 2: 2:2-34

Panel 3: 3:1-5

Panel 4: 4:1-6:3

Panel 5: 6:4-11:11

Panel 6: 11:12-14:8

Each section demonstrates the depth’s of God’s righteous anger and judgment but also the overwhelming merciful love for Israel.

Spiritual Unfaithfulness to God (1:2)

God commands Hosea to go “marry a woman of promiscuity (lit fornication).”

Gomer may have already been a prostitute at the time of the marriage.

Gomer may have been a woman lacking the character to be a faithful wife, and God knew she would be unfaithful eventually.

Just as Hosea married a woman who he knew would not be loyal, so God has married a people (Israel) who He knew would be unfaithful to Him. God is a God of undeserving mercy and grace.

Rejection and Restoration

God’s Unfaithful Children (1:2-2:1)

Jezreel (God will scatter, God will Sow)

The valley of Jezreel is where Barak defeated Sisera in Judges. The city of Jezreel is where Naboth’s vineyard was stolen from him by Ahab and where Jezebel was killed by being thrown out of a tower. It was also where Jehu’s coup ended with his final destruction of the dynasty of Omri (Ahab’s lineage). Jehu acted as God’s judgment against Ahab’s house, but Jehu and his descendants also disobeyed God and deserved judgment. Finally (after Hosea’s prophecies), when the Assyrians finally invaded the north, they marched through the Jezreel valley cutting off the north from the south and destroyed the northern kingdom.

God will break the bow, not of their enemies, but of Israel itself. God will make them powerless to stop their own destruction.

Lo-Ruhamah (No Compassion, Not Loved)

The text does not indicate specifically whether Gomer’s next two children are from Hosea or from another.

God claims to offer no compassion on Israel for their betrayal and unfaithfulness. His anger is great. . . but he still has compassion for a remnant, for Judah.

Lo-ammi (Not my people)

This harsh lesson culminates in the third child, Not My People. God seems to reject them as His people. The covenant from Sinai used this same language in the positive side to describe Israel’s relationship with God. This declaration strikes at the heart of Israel’s identity as God’s people. (Ex. 6:7)

But this is not a true rejection! 1:10-2:1 recall the promise of God to Abram - they will be like the sand of sea innumerable. They will be called Sons of the Living God! They will no longer be divided, but united under one ruler. Hosea is to call the Israelites “My People” and “Compassion.”

God’s anger and judgment does not overcome His faithful, loyal love. God will not rescind or reject HIs promise because God is not like Israel. Where they are unfaithful, idolatrous, and adulterous, God is faithful with restorative love toward His wayward people. God not only seeks restoration and purification, but He promises that He will bring about this purification that leads to restoration.

God Pursuing His Adulterous Wife (2:2-23)

Israel’s Unfaithfulness (2:2-13

The unfaithful children of Israel were produced by an unfaithful mother. Rhetorically, they are called to rebuke their fathers and mothers, the unfaithful parents who produced children out of spiritual adultery. This is Israel - the wife who abandoned her loving husband for the empty comforts of false gods. Israel sold herself to these other lovers for small gains while God provided everything she needed. (v5, 8) Now God will pursue her, chasten her, even shame her to draw her back to Himself.

God’s Restoring Faithfulness (2:14-23)

God pursues His wife who has abandoned him to woo her again. He does not return evil for evil to His people, but instead pursues them again. He is the tender lover, the patient husband.

2:15 - The Valley of Achor (trouble) was the valley where Achan and his family were stoned for their sin, following Jericho and Ai. Yet this valley of sin and trouble is turned into a gateway of hope.

Israel will call God “my husband” once again.

The name of Baal will be removed from her mouth and forgotten.

God will make a covenant with her and settle her in peace.

Israel will be his wife forever in faithfulness and righteousness, justice, love, and compassion.

They will KNOW the Lord. They will be His people and He will be their God.

Hosea is Commanded to Pursue Gomer (3:1-5)

Summary:

To rely on any other than God is to unfaithfully abandon Him. To be in relationship with God means an exclusive marriage covenant. God desires a loving, faithful relationship which produces blessing and joy. This sort of relationship demands a complete commitment of the whole person. God will not accept partial loyalty or obedience or love. To withhold part of oneself is to reject God. This grieves Him, but for those in covenant with Him, it does not destroy God’s promise. God is faithful even when His people are not.

The northern kingdom would be utterly destroyed, but God would protect a remnant of Judah and eventually restore them. One day His ultimate restoration would come through Jesus Christ. And although His people have wandered far and rejected Him, God has still not abandoned His people. There is still a day of final restoration coming. They will experience death and judgment, but ultimately resurrection. (13:4-14)

God today still demands faithful loyalty. To rely on the world and trust it to provide for us means abandoning our Savior Husband. James 4:1–10

Resources:

The Book of the Twelve; Fuhr & Yates

Love to the Loveless; Kidner

Theological Messages of the Old Testament Books; Bell

A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament; Zuck