Hosea Part One Deep Dive

A REDEMPTIVE KIND OF LOVE | ELLA HICKEY

Hosea lived roughly in the mid-eighth century BCE, around the same time as the prophet Amos. However, what makes Hosea so unique in the Bible is that his prophetic activity and insights are the only ones in scripture that are about the Northern Kingdom of Israel from a local’s perspective, whereas Amos viewed Israel through the eyes of a Judahite. Amos tends to focus more on ethical issues, and Hosea religious, namely, Yahweh being the one and only God and Saviour.

The book is mostly poetry and sayings, with some exceptions, however it is commonly understood to be broken into three parts: Chapters 1-3, 4-10, and 11-14.

CHAPTERS 1-3

The beginning of the Book of Hosea is the most peculiar yet fascinating start to a prophetic book, as it focuses on Hosea’s marriage, written in a mix of third and first person (unlike the rest of the book, which is from Hosea himself). Hosea’s marriage to the prostitute, Gomer, is understood to be a lived prophetic symbolic action, in relation to God’s relationship with the adulterous Israel.

The story goes that God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, but then she fell back into adultery. Despite this, the Lord said to Hosea...

H 3:1 Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.

So Hosea buys her back. This central story sets up the rest of the books primary theme: that God is willing to go to seemingly foolish and radical lengths to declare His love for His people.

Another example of how God uses Hosea’s marriage as a prophetic symbol is that the children born out of this marriage were given names which were representative of the message that God intended Hosea to give to Israel: ‘Jezreel’, a promise to judge Israel and end the kingdom, ‘Lo-ruhamah’ proclaiming that Israel will not be pitied or receive mercy, and ‘Lo-ammi’ to show Israel that He is not their God, and they are not His people.

Chapters 4-10

Hosea’s reproaches are aimed primarily at Israel’s failure because of both their cultic and political actions and mindsets. As with most of the prophets in the Bible, Hosea’s primary focus in these chapters are on Israel’s preoccupation with Baal, and bringing to light the hypocrisies of God’s people. They would go to the temple to worship Yahweh, whilst worshipping other gods, while also breaking the Ten Commandments and not living like God’s chosen people.

Israel’s political life was also unfaithful and treacherous. During Hosea’s time, many kings came to power through assassinations and conspiracy, making bloodshed the primary political strategy. The kings also turned to other nations such as Assyria and Egypt for strength and protection, relying on military power as their safety, rather than turning to and having faith in Yahweh.

Hosea is also unique in that rather than using terminology such as ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’ to describe how Israel should behave, he uses terms like ‘knowledge’ and ‘devotion’. This gives us a picture of relationship and love, rather than just obedience. Instead of just showing Israel that they had committed cold legal transgressions, Hosea reveals to them that their betrayal is personal.

Chapters 11-14

Hosea paints a picture in these chapters of just how unfaithful Israel has been from the beginning, alluding to Jacob’s dishonesty, Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness, and their appointment of kings over the nation. Yet God remained faithful to Israel, brought them into relationship with Him through His covenant, and although they were unfaithful, rather than forsaking them, He promised to pursue Israel because of His own love for them.

We find out early in the book that there is hope for Israel despite Hosea’s warnings, but this becomes most clear in the concluding chapters. Chapter 11 is a poem about a loving father who has a rebellious son who leaves him. First angry, but then heartbroken, the father forgives the son. This sets the scene for the concluding chapters, which calls the nation to repentance, and where God promises that He will ‘heal their waywardness and love them freely’ (14:4).

It is commonly understood that this book is one that emerged over time, with later edits and configurations after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, and perhaps also the South, possibly to bring clarity to how Hosea’s human love intertwines metaphorically with his religious discourse. Hosea spoke out with passion and creativity, strongly identifying with God, which carries with it an authenticity tied up with his own life experience. However, it remains difficult, as with many other prophetic books, to reconcile the language of destruction, punishment, and castigation, with the poetry that pronounces hope and reconciliation, though what Hosea does do quite brilliantly is give us a picture of love in all its ambiguity, and the power of a restorative love that never gives up and covers over a multitude of sins. This is encapsulated beautifully in the words of Paul when he says in Romans 5:20, ‘where sin increased, grace increased all the more.’

Ella Hickey is a coffee drinking, exasperatingly optimistic, irresponsibly tattooed, twenty-something assistant pastor, novice radio announcer, neophyte writer and Bachelor of ministry graduate. She would describe herself as a theological pilgrim and one who tries their very best to be sensible and reliable (despite the tattoos and caffeine dependence).

Hosea Part One Deep Dive

A REDEMPTIVE KIND OF LOVE | ELLA HICKEY

CHAPTERS 1-3

Chapters 4-10

Chapters 11-14

FURTHER READING

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