Hosea

Major Points From The Minor Prophets

Pastor Brandon Ball
09/13/2023

Hosea, Prophet of the Broken Heart.

Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel.

When he prophesied, it wouldn’t have been evident an end was near.

Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.) was the ruler, and a strong one.

He successfully expanded the boundaries and was incredibly influential.

Hosea’s generation living at the close of Jeroboam’s reign and following it, knew of humiliating defeat or foreign oppression only through the memories of their fathers. By this time, there had been peace for many years, and with it had come economic prosperity. The land was again producing abundantly ^{(2 Chron 26:10)}, and many people were becoming wealthy. Luxuries had once more become common. Building activity was flourishing on every hand ^{(Hos 8:14)}, and this led to a widespread feeling of pride ^{(Amos 3:15; 5:11; Isa 9:10)}. Although the people were pleased with conditions of this king, seldom does prosperity lead to behavior that pleases God. Such is the case as social and moral conditions developed that were wrong and degrading.

Hosea lives in the northern kingdom of Israel which he calls

Reveal Answer

or

Reveal Answer

.

This is probably around 200 years after they had broken off from southern Judah ^{(1 Kings 12)}.

This is likely a 25-year span of ministry of preaching and writing; and the collection of his book can be broken into three main sections.

Chapters 1-3 tell of Hosea’s broken marriage to a woman named

Reveal Answer

who was a

Reveal Answer

.

She eventually commits adultery.

Despite having three children, this behavior continues.

God tells Hosea, despite her unfaithfulness, Hosea is supposed to go find her, redeem
her (pay off her depts to her lovers) and to commit his love and faithfulness to her again.

This is all a prophetic symbol that tells the story of God’s relationship to Israel!

God has been like a faithful husband to Israel.

Rescued them out of slavery and brought them to Mt. Sinai, where he made covenant
with them and asked them to be faithful to Him.

He brought them into the Promised Land, and they took all the abundance that he gave them and dedicated to the worship of the Canaanite god Baal.

And so, God has a legitimate reason to end the covenant and divorce Israel.

Instead, He says he will pursue Israel again and renew his covenant.

And he says why:

19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.
—Hosea 2:19–20 (ESV)

(he sed) (steadfast love) – joint obligation; loyalty; graciousness; goodness; faithfulness.
(ya dah) (to know) – hear of; reveal; become known.

Hosea spells out that Israel’s rebellion will lead to imminent defeat by other nations and exile (Assyria).

But there is hope for a future restoration and Israel will eventually repent and come back to worship their God. And he will place over them a new Messianic King from the line of David who will bring God’s blessing!

Main Themes of Hosea:

Israel has

Reveal Answer

.

God Will Bring Severe

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.

God’s

Reveal Answer

Love and Mercy Are More Powerful Than Israel’s Sins

The rest of the book explores these themes in depth.

Chapters 4-10 explore the causes and effects for Israel’s unfaithfulness.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. —Hosea 4:6 (ESV)

(ya dah) (to know) – hear of; reveal; become known.

This is beyond common or even advanced knowledge of someone.

It is the difference between “knowing about someone” and actually knowing them!

This is beyond simply intellectual activity and rather, describes personal relational knowledge.

Hosea’s ministry is exposing Israel’s hypocrisy.

Breaking God’s commandments.

Practicing Social Injustice.

Then going into their “sacred” temples, and offering “worship” unto God.

Cities of Bethel and Gilgal (not to mention Dan) rather than Jerusalem.

Bethan and Dan were erected to the north and south to make worship convenient.

Additionally, Israel wanted to truth in Egypt and Assyria (political allegiances) for security rather than trusting in God!

They trust in Assyria, who will later turn on them and destroy their land!

This is the problem with trying to make covenant with the world!

Chapters 12-14 Hosea gives a sort of ancient history lesson using three examples:

Jacobs Treachery ^{(Gen 27-28)}

Israel’s Rebellion in Wilderness ^{(Num 12-20)}

Israel’s Choosing of Corrupt King (Saul) ^{(1 Sam 12 & 15)}

This is Hosea’s way of saying, “some things will never change!”

So, what hope does Israel have?

Well, we know from chapter 3 that God is going to do something to save and restore His people!

Chapter 11 tells of the solution:

God is the loving Father who shared everything with Israel.

The LORD’s Love for Israel
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of kindness,
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them. —Hosea 11:1–4 (ESV)

But the son grew up and rebelled against the father, taking advantage of his generosity.

And in this poem, God is seemingly emotionally torn apart.
a. He goes from angry.
b. He goes to heart broken.
c. But then, he’s moved by his compassion to forgive and restore the son he loves.

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. —Hosea 11:8 (ESV)

However, God would still punish the sin of Israel, but would not completely destroy them in his judgement. There would always be hope for Israel! Assyria would come and take them away into captivity, but there would always be a remnant and hope for a future redemption!

So, in chapter 14 Hosea calls Israel to repent and turn back to God, but he knows this will not last as it hasn’t in the past!

But God says that one day, he will heal their waywardness and love them freely.

4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. —Hosea 14:4 (ESV)

But, at the end of the book, there is somewhat of an appendage. It is almost as if Hosea wants to speak to the reader.

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. —Hosea 14:9 (ESV)

The Priests’ Polluted Offerings
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts. —Malachi 1:6–8 (ESV)

21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. —Amos 5:21–24 (ESV)

Notes: