BOOK HOSEA - OVERVIEW
About the Book of Hosea
There are four major prophetic books in the Bible: Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They were not more important than the 12 minor prophets. It only means their books are longer. Hosea's book has 14 chapters, longer than other minor prophets.
About Hosea the Man
Hosea was one of the 12 minor prophets. He was the greatest prophet of his generation, and his prophetic ministry lasted about sixty years in Israel, the northern kingdom where he lived. Hosea is often seen as a "prophet of doom" because he prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of Israel's history about the northern kingdom's decline and fall. However, underneath the message in his book of destruction is a promise of restoration.
Author of the Book of Hosea
Hosea gives a personal account of his marriage and ministry. Therefore, it is evident that he is the author. His name means “salvation,” likely a reference to Hosea’s position in Israel as a beacon of hope to those who would repent and turn to God because of his message.
Following the command of God, Hosea married Gomer, a bride God described as “a wife of harlotry” (Hosea 1:2) and a woman who had three children, two sons and a daughter (1:4, 6, 9). God used the names of Hosea’s children as object lessons, along with his wife’s unfaithfulness, to send specific messages to the people of Israel.
Kings During Hosea's Ministry
In Hosea 1:1, the prophet identified the kings that ruled during his prophetic ministry. The first four—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah—reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah while Jeroboam ruled the northern kingdom of Israel. This indicates that Hosea was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah and Micah.
Location of Hosea's Ministry
Hosea conducted his prophetic ministries in the northern Kingdom of Israel, of which he was a native.
Uniqueness About the Book of Hosea
More than any other prophet, Hosea linked his message closely with his personal life. By marrying a woman he knew would eventually betray his trust and by giving his children names that sent messages of judgment on Israel, Hosea’s prophetic word flowed out of the life of his family.
Keywords
return (15 times), repentance, redemption, judgment, idolatry, and restoration
The cycle of repentance, redemption, and restoration is evident in Hosea’s prophecy—and even his marriage (Hosea 1:2; 3:1–3).
Major Themes
Structured around five cycles of judgment and restoration, the book of Hosea makes clear its repetitious theme: though God will bring judgment on sin, He will always bring His people back to Himself. God’s love for Israel, a nation of people more interested in themselves than in God’s direction for their lives, shines through clearly against the darkness of their idolatry and injustice (Hosea 14:4).
Throughout the book, Hosea pictured the people turning away from the Lord and turning toward other gods (4:12–3; 8:5–6). This propensity for idolatry meant that the Israelites lived as if they were not God’s people. And though God told them as much through the birth of Hosea’s third child, Lo-ammi, He also reminded them that He would ultimately restore their relationship with Him, using the intimate and personal language of “sons” to describe His wayward people (1:9–10; 11:1).
Symbols
---1. Adulterous Gomer is symbolic of the sin of Israel.
---2. The degradation of Gomer represents God's judgment of Israel.
---3. The redemption of Gomer is symbolic of the restoration of Israel.
Chapters in the Book of Hosea
Hosea is the longest of the minor prophetic books with 14 chapters.
Chapters 1–3 are about the adulterous wife and the faithful husband.
Chapters 4–14 are about adulterous Israel and faithful God.
Chapters 4–10 include prophetic sermons explaining why God is rejecting the Northern Kingdom.
Chapter 11 is God's lament over giving up the Northern Kingdom.
Chapter 12 is the prophet's plea for Israel's repentance.
Chapter 13 foretells the destruction of the kingdom by Assyria.
Chapter 14 is the prophet's call for Israel to seek forgiveness and return to God.
Key Verse
A familiar verse is found in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
Notice that even though Israel sinned against God, He still referred to them as "My people." Then He gives the reason He initially rejected them.
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