What do you know about the book of Hosea? At the head of the Minor Prophets, Hosea is often known as the book about the prophet and the prostitute. But it is much more than that. It is a book about a marriage commanded by God between His messenger and a “wife of whoredom” that reflected a marriage made by God with His chosen nation. The prophet’s name means “deliverance” but it was written to warn about the northern kingdom about impending judgment and destruction. Certainly, the prophet reveals the spurned Husband offering Himself as the only means of salvation which the people foolishly were rejecting for a relationship with cruel, unrighteous idolaters who desired only to use and abuse them. It was written during an extremely prosperous time for the Northern Kingdom, when Jeroboam II reigned. 2 Kings 14:25 says he “restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.” He was mighty and recovered cities for Israel that had been taken from Judah (2 Ki. 14:28). But, while they prospered militarily and economically, they were spiritually destitute.
But it is not simply about terrifying judgment on a rebellious nation. It is a love story, though it was a tragic story of unrequited (i.e., unreturned) love. Like Hosea’s wife would leave him for her lovers, Israel left God for idols. Like Hosea went and redeemed his wife despite her faithfulness, God longed for Israel to return to Him. Despite her rejection, He would say to her, “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” (11:8). While judgment is implied even in that (Admah and Zeboiim were destroyed alongside better-known Sodom and Gomorrah), it is not what God wanted.
It is also good to look for the “New Testament” sprinkled throughout this book. Not only does the theme reflect a desire God has for people today through Christ, but there are quite a few passages in the New Testament which quote from this relatively brief Old Testament book. Here is my list:
- Hosea 1:10 is quoted in 1 Peter 2:10.
- Hosea 2:23 is quoted in Romans 9:25.
- Hosea 6:6 is quoted in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7.
- Hosea 10:8 is quoted in Luke 23:30 and Revelation 6:16.
- Hosea 11:1 is quoted in Matthew 2:15.
- Hosea 13:14 is quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:55.
So, we see everything from Christ’s infancy as a human to His victorious resurrection foretold in this great, Old Testament book. An overriding principle to see as we walk through the book is that though God will punish those who absolutely refuse to return to Him, He loves us with a perfect love and desires nothing more than a relationship with us. We need to be wise and touched by that truth and be faithful to Him!
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