Hosea - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Hosea lived in the northern kingdom (Israel) during the last years of its existence, and his PROPHECIES were directed to that kingdom. Hosea’s ministry followed that of the PROPHET Amos, who had prophesied that God’s JUDGMENT would soon fall on the northern kingdom. Hosea announced that the instrument of that judgment would be Assyria. And indeed Assyria did conquer the northern kingdom in 722 B.C., just as Hosea had said (2 Kings 17:16).

The reason for God’s judgment was that the ISRAELITES of the northern kingdom had persistently broken God’s COVENANT. They had disobeyed many of God’s commands, chief among them His command not to worship other gods (Exodus 20:3–6). The Israelites had been unfaithful to God and had turned to the gods of the Canaanites, who were the original inhabitants of the “promised land” (2 Kings 17:7–17). God had sent them warnings through earlier prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, and most recently, Amos; but the people would not listen. So God sent Hosea with a final call to the people, urging them to repent and turn from their idolatry. This would be their last warning; tragically, they did not heed it (see 2 Kings 17:18–23).

God asked Hosea to “act out” his prophetic message (just as Jeremiah and Ezekiel acted out some of their prophecies a century later). In Hosea’s case, God commanded him to marry an adulterous wife (Hosea 1:2). Just as God had “married” ISRAEL, a spiritual adulteress, so must Hosea marry a woman who would become unfaithful to him. But then, God commanded Hosea to continue loving his unfaithful wife, just as God loved unfaithful Israel (Chapters 2–3). If the Israelites could see God’s love for them acted out in the life of Hosea, perhaps they would return to God. Sadly, it was not to be.

In many passages, Hosea’s tone is harsh and his warnings are severe. But the major message of the book is one of love—God’s continuing love for His unfaithful people.