Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction - Series - Majoring in the Minors

In Jewish tradition there is a collection of writings from 12 prophets known as the book or scroll of the Twelve, and we know them as the minor prophets.

They are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

They are known as the minor prophets.

The main difference between the major prophets and minor prophets is not in their message, as far as its truth or importance, but in the quantity or length of their message.

It is not as if these books are to be studied when you have exhausted everything else or anything.

Their messages all fit together in the ancient world on a single scroll.

We are going to begin a new series that I am calling Majoring in the Minors.

These prophets will help us to understand that God speaks and when He speaks we need to listen and pay attention.

The main verse from these 12 comes from Amos.

Introduction - Hosea - Greatest Love Story

This book is named after the prophet Hosea.

His name is the same as Israel’s last king and Joshua’s original name.

The name Hosea - means Salvation or Yahweh has rescued.

Hosea’s ministry was around 8th century B.C. during the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam II, and this book is a collection of the prophets sermons balancing God’s wrath and love based on his own family - especially his marriage.

Hosea’s message as the Greatest Love Story focuses on:

Israel’s historical relationship with God

Israel’s love affair with idolatry

Israel’s economic, military and political practices and conditions

God’s expectations of Israel

God’s unfailing love for His people

Hosea’s context as outline by Warren Wiersbe in Be Amazed

After the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam pursued a course which divided the nation into two kingdoms.

Rehoboam reigned over Judah, the Southern Kingdom, composed of Judah and Benjamin; and Jeroboam II ruled over the remaining ten tribes that formed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim.

Fearful that the people would go back to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam I put golden calves at Bethel and Dan, thus leading the ten tribes into idolatry.

Along with idolatry came immorality, and soon the religion of Israel became an evil blend of Jewish ritual and pagan idolatry.

The people loved it.

The prophets were God’s spokesmen to call Israel and Judah back to the covenant God had made with them at Mt. Sinai.

But the people refused to listen, and both kingdoms suffered for their disobedience.

Israel became an Assyrian vassal in 733 b.c. and then was conquered by Assyria in 722 b.c.

The Babylonians invaded Judah in 606 b.c. and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 b.c.

Thousands of Jews died, and thousands more went into exile in Babylon.

Hosea ministered in the Northern Kingdom from about 760 to 720 b.c.

Israel was enjoying great prosperity, but Hosea could see that the nation was rotten to the core; for honest government, pure religion, godly homes, and personal integrity had vanished from the land.

Judgment was inevitable.

Hosea faithfully preached the Word, but the nation refused to repent and was finally swallowed up by Assyria.

The message throughout his book is that salvation is found in turning away from sin and and turning instead to the Lord.

The key verse in Hosea is found in chapter 2:20

Hosea’s Message His Family

Hosea is the only writing prophet raised and ministering in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Amos also ministered to the Northern Kingdom but as we will see later he was from a town south of Jerusalem.

Hosea’s setting joined his unique call to cause his ministry and his message to really stand out from the other prophets.

Hosea’s Wife and Marriage

Verse one we get our lineage and timeline for Hosea.

He is the son of Beeri and his ministry spanned over the reigns of a few kings.

King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah and the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash - king of Israel (Northern Kingdom).

Apart from this we dont know anything else of Hosea, his family.

In verse 2 we begin to see the uniqueness of the call and the message of Hosea.

Where as most prophets are given a message from the Lord to speak Hosea was given a message to live.

Hosea’s life and family was to be his message from the Lord.

When the Lord first spoke to Hosea he said this TO HIM.

The Lord’s message was first spoken to Hosea for Hosea and this is how the Lord usually works - almost always.

Hosea like many of us would prefer that the Lord speak a word for him to give to someone else.

Before a prophet can speak top a nation or people he himself must first hear from God for himself.

Now to be sure prophets we odd and very strange even for their day.

They did strange things - dressed differently, lived differently, spoke differently.

Sometimes they did things that seemed over the top or eccentric even.

For example Isaiah was called to walk the streets naked for three years.

Jeremiah spent several months walking around with a yoke upon himself.

Here we see that the word from the Lord to Hosea says go and marry a woman of promiscuity, and have children of promiscuity.

Why do these prophets do these things?

God usually uses a greater object lesson when people have grown deaf and blind to His voice and His covenant.

These things He is calling His servants to are “action sermons” with the desired result being to snap people awake and to have them hear the word of God once again.

Surely no prophet preached a more difficult and painful action sermon than Hosea.

God’s word was not easy and usually is not easy.

What a time to be serving God right?

The land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity and other detestable acts to include, murder, idolatry, immorality.

The sinfulness was rampant and no one was interested in hearing the word of the Lord - they have abandoned the Lord.

Yet in the midst of this Hosea was called by the Lord and told to get married and raise a family - a family of promiscuity.

This marriage and family was a sign to the land who also was out committing the same equivalent immorality and errors towards God.

As the land abandons Gods ways the idolatry and the hurt is felt by God.

Hosea’s marital experiences to include the pain felt by his wife’s unfaithfulness are to help Hosea experience what God does with unfaithful Israel.

What amazes me however is verse three.

So he went and married Gomer.

I am certain there was wrestling with God over what He was asking - in fact I am almost sure because of my own experiences in wrestling with God’s words and callings that there is much left out in this phrase, but its also refreshing to me and here’s why.

It doesnt matter if you wrestle with God what matters is if you ultimately obey God.

Jesus said this very thing in a parable in Matthew.

The Lord as Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son called Hosea to name his son Jezreel.

Which means God sows or God scatters, and this name is to communicate every time they call their child to them wherever they are at it will speak that the Lord promises to sow and scatter.

First in bloodshed on the house of Jehu which will end the kingdom of the North - Israel - the 10 northern tribes.

This prophecy is rooted in a command of the Lord that came to Jehu recorded in 2 Kings.

So zealous was Jehu to purge the land of Ahab’s evil descendents that he murdered far more people than commanded by the Lord, including king Ahaziah and 42 of his relatives.

2 Kings 9:27-10:14

On top of that Jehu also failed to carefully follow the instruction of the Lord the Lord promises 4 generations of Jehu to sit on the throne.

Jeroboam setup the false worship in Dan and Bethel to keep Israel from going to Jerusalem in Judah.

Through the birth of Hosea’s son the Lord announced the avenging of the innocent blood spilled by Jehu and end Jehu’s dynasty in Israel.

Jezreel was the site of the ruthless massacre of Ahabs house and would be the future site of Israel’s military demise.

On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Jezreel Valley.

The bow being the symbol of power and military might.

It was the principle instrument of warfare and a broken bow would represent the loss of power.

The house of Jehu would fall and the entire Northern kingdom of Israel would follow.

Being defeated, destroyed and taken captive by the Assyrian Empire

Hosea’s Only Daughter

Gomer again conceived and bore a child to Hosea, and this time it was a daughter.

The Lord again named the child for them - Lo-ruhamah.

This name means “Not Loved”, “No compassion” for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, and will certainly take them away.

God described Himself at Mt Sinai

The word the Lord used was el-rahum - the compassionate God willing to forgive.

Despite God’s gracious character times come when He will no longer leave the guilty unpunished.

Every time they would call out for their daughter the reminder that God will not have compassion upon Israel - also called Ephraim - the Northern Kingdom.