Name: The author's name means “salvation”. The name of the prophet comes from the same Hebrew root word that the name Joshua or Jesus come from (the later two have an addition to them that means “Yaweh is Salvation”).

 

The Prophet: Hosea is a native of those whom he would be a mouth piece of God for, the northern tribes of Israel . The prophet was instructed to marry a woman named Gomer. She was the product of the times! Although she was not unchaste at the time of the marriage, she was one who practiced whoredom, brought up under the influence of idolatry and the seeds of immorality brought about by that influence.

This relationship in the prophet's life would help him realize the relationship that God was experiencing with His own people. Hosea prophesied with a loving and tender approach, sympathetic, yet a conflict dwelt within him as he understood God's righteous nature towards the disobedient (unlike Amos, the contemporary of Hosea, who saw only God's righteous justice and who's stern character demanded judgment).

 

Date: Hosea prophesied to Israel soon after Amos and during the reign of Jeroboam II ( II Kings 14:23 -29 ).

 

Situation: Israel is decadent and flat out practicing whoredom with idolatry. The people were without knowledge and Hosea placed much of the blame for this on the derelict practices of the priests, who were contributing to the decay in national morals. Ostensibly they paid homage to Jehovah, but in reality they honored the baalim.

The conduct of the people was exactly opposite of that which God desired (He planted Israel in the midst of the nations to be a light to the rest of the world of the nature of the one true God ( Deuteronomy 33:29 ; II Samuel 7:23 ). Hosea is a prophet in the midst of a nation in moral and faithful decay before God.

Politically the situation was just as dire. The king was as much of the problem as the people. At the death of Jeroboam, political upheaval and distress plagued the nation (there would be 4 different kings in less than 13 years, all as evil as the previous).

 

Message: There are three specific things that we should be tuned into as we read this book:

 I. God abhors the sins of His people.

 II. Judgment is certain.

 III. God's loyal love stands true.

 

Key Verses:

Hosea 4:1 “Hear the word of the Lord , You children of Israel , For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land " There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land .”

Hosea 4:6 “ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Hosea 6:1 “ Come, and let us return to the Lord ; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.”

Hosea 6:3 “Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord . His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.”

 

A study of the prophets of Israel is a study of the situation this nation finds itself in today. To think that God will turn a blind eye to the decay of this day is to ignore the very nature He has revealed concerning Himself.

Wake up! Return to God and seek the knowledge of God!

Good Reading !