SUMMARY
The book of Hosea is a collection of prophetic messages delivered by
the prophet Hosea and narrative descriptions of Hosea's marriage and
the birth of his children (1:2-2:1; 3:1-5). Most of Hosea's messages
are announcements of God's anger with Israel (the northern of the two
Israelite kingdoms) and God's impending judgment on this people.
Hosea's messages focus on Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord. This
lack of faithfulness is seen in Israel's worship of other gods
(alongside the Lord). The religious leaders of the people are singled
out by Hosea for condemnation. Their job was to lead the people in
faithfulness, but they actually did the opposite. The prophet also
criticizes the political leaders of the nation for forming covenants
with Egypt and Assyria, rather than relying on the Lord. The book
also includes messages of hope, most notably the tender image of God
as the parent who taught the child Israel to walk and will not, in
the end, abandon the nation.
SO
WHAT? The messages of Hosea announce sharply that God's
relationship with human beings includes judgment--and also that this
relationship continues on the other side of judgment, because God is
faithful. Hosea teaches that to know God is to have one's entire life
transformed in faith and obedience. God's anger was provoked because
the people both worshiped other gods and oppressed their neighbors,
sins that Hosea sees as related.
WHERE
DO I FIND IT? Hosea is the 28th book in the Old Testament. It’s
the first of the so-called "minor" (or shorter) prophets,
the twelve books that make up the final portion of the Old Testament.
WHO
WROTE IT? Most of the messages in the book of Hosea were spoken
by Hosea. We do not know if he wrote them down himself; his words
were most probably collected by followers who were convinced that
Hosea spoke for God. It is likely that an editor placed Hosea's
messages in the present order and composed the narrative descriptions
of Hosea's family life (chapters 1 and 3). It is also likely that the
editor arranged the books so that each major section (1-3; 4-11;
12-14) ends with a word of hope.
WHEN
WAS IT WRITTEN? Hosea most likely spoke his messages between the
years 750 and 722 B.C.E. during the final years of Jereboam II’s
reign. WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The book of Hosea is about God's loving
relationship with the chosen people--a love that leads God to judge
the people when they love other gods and oppress each other, but also
a relationship to which God is faithful on the other side of
judgment.
HOW
DO I READ IT? A study Bible can help with Hosea's metaphors,
references to history and tradition, and references to social
practices of his time. Read together, the messages make clear that
the judgment proclaimed by Hosea was neither a departure from God's
history of dealing with the people nor an end to that history, but an
ongoing part of that history.