This week we
will begin the study of the Book of
Hosea in the Old Testament.
Background:
The Book of Hosea is included under the category of Minor Prophets (12 in total) in the Hebrew Scriptures (minor in the sense of shortness in length). Hosea’s prophecies are directed to the Northern Kingdom, Israel, beginning likely after the death of Jeroboam II (2 Ki. 14:23ff), marking the end of a prosperous period in the history of the Northern Kingdom by which time Israel had engaged in idol worship and forsaken Yahweh worship for some time. The message of Hosea is primarily of judgment, the reiterating of the curses foretold in the Law of Moses, although prophecies of hope are pronounced, but such blessings are eschatological and would come only when Israel has served His punishment. The name Hosea means salvation. One of the features of the Book of Hosea is the puzzling command by God to him to marry an adulterous woman (twice). It is absolutely futile to speculate if he was asked to marry a woman who became unfaithful to him, or someone who was already adulterous before their marriage, lest we get distracted from the main message which is the undying love of the Lord in reclaiming His adulterous people, although not until they have faced the full measure of the consequence of their sins.
(1) Hosea spoke as the prophet of the Lord, indeed for some 60-65 years:
27-30 years under Uzziah, 31 under Jotham and Ahaz, and 1-3 years under
Hezekiah (see K&D, 11). If you look at 1 Kings 15-17, you will see that during
the reigns of these kings of Judah (of the Southern Kingdom), there were many contemporary kings of Israel (of the Northern Kingdom) to whom Hosea directed his main messages and of whom he was a
subject. What might be the reason that
while each of the kings of Judah was mentioned, only Jeroboam (of the Northern Kingdom) was mentioned? Which of the following might be the reason?
a. In the strictest sense, only the kings of Judah were legitimate in the eyes of the prophet. Or,
b. Most of these kings of Judah did listen to him while none of the kings of Israel paid attention to his message.
(2) Why did God ask the prophet to marry an adulterous wife?
a. How does such a relationship reflect the relationship between God and Israel?
b. Why are verbal messages of rebuke about Israel’s rebellion against their God not enough?
c. What does such an actual experience mean to the prophet in his understanding of the heart of God, of His judgment and of His ultimate forgiveness?
d. Do you think the prophet’s own experience has any impact on the people and the kings of Israel, as far as his message is concerned?
(3) Three messages are conveyed through the naming of the three children born by Gomer:
a. The name of the first son is “Jezreel": This message does not seem to have anything to do with the word-meaning of the name (which means God sows), but with the historical event of the bloody slaying by Jehu of the house of Ahab. (see 2 Ki. 9:21-26; 9:30-10:17)
- Why did God, on the one hand, commend Jehu for his killing of the house of Ahab (who resided in Jezreel) in 2 Kings 10:30 and yet hold him accountable for the massacre, to the point that the entire kingdom of Israel would come to an end also in Jezreel?
- What kind of a king was Jehu? (2 Ki. 10:29, 31)
- While he might have killed an evil king in Ahab, do you think he did it out of obedience to God or was it for some other purposes? How do we know?
- Why does God place such significance on the sin of massacre?
b. The name of the next child, a daughter, is “Lo-Ruhamah”. The name means “not loved.”
- What is the message to Israel?
- What do “no longer love” and “forgive” signify as far as God’s covenant to Israel is concerned?
- Why does God contrast Judah with Israel?
- What is the message to Judah then?
c. The name of the second son is “Lo-Ammi”: The name means “not my people”.
- What is the message to Israel?
- What does it signify as far as God’s relationship with Israel is concerned?
d. Judging from the account of vv. 2-9, what might be the minimum length of time it took for Hosea to convey these messages?
e. What then does the Lord expect the people and the king of Israel to do in the meantime?
f. Do you think they listened?
(4) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
While Samaria was eventually captured by the Assyrians who put an end to the Northern Kingdom, the Bible does not mention where the major or decisive battle was fought. The famous church father, Jerome (A.D. 347-420), states that the decisive victory took place in the valley of Jezreel (see K&D, 30).
Right after the initial pronouncement of judgment and forsaking because of Israel’s breach of the covenant, God immediately reveals His commitment to the covenant as the God who is always faithful (2 Tim. 2:13) with the connective “yet”:
(1) What is the promise that God reiterates as part of His covenant to Abraham (Gen. 22:17)?
(2) However, how is this promise now expanded to include others beyond the nation of Israel?
(3) How does this reiteration clarify the true intent of God’s promise to Abraham as the “Father of all nations” (Gen. 17:4-5; 22:18)?
(4) How is this promise fulfilled? (See Rom. 9:24-26; 1 Pet. 2:10)
(5) Hosea prophesies that “the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be united”.
a. Do you think it points to the re-establishment of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948? Why or why not?
b. Read 1:11 again to see what will happen upon the fulfillment of this prophecy (Note: “the day of Jezreel” has created a huge debate among scholars over the years. As it denotes in v. 4 the decisive battle that ends the kingdom of Northern Israel due to its sins of bloodshed, idolatry and adultery, perhaps in its future sense, it points to an eschatological time or battle that brings true repentance to both Israel and Judah.)
(6) As a reversal of the curse pronounced by the names of Hosea’s two children, what does this prophecy foresee in the future in 2:1? What is the message the Lord wishes to convey to the rebellious hearers of Hosea?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
It is important that we remember the message is declared by the Lord (v. 13) to Israel whose unfaithfulness is exposed through Gomer and whose judgment is being pronounced partly as metaphors, partly as plain reality. Since this section is primarily of warning and judgment, let’s reflect based on the many warnings that begin with “I will”:
(1) 2:3-5: The warning of stripping the mother naked ("I will strip"): This warning is preceded by calling the children to rebuke their mother:
a. Why does this metaphor seem to differentiate the mother (Israel) from the children (the people of Israel)?
b. What kind of sin is being depicted in v. 2?
c. The warning to strip bare in v. 3 is given in the form of two pairs of parallelism: How does the second pair of parallelism explain the first pair of the metaphor?
d. How does the sin of the mother affect the children? How is it applied to Israel and its people?
e. How does v. 5 describe the unfaithfulness and disgrace of the mother and what kind of sin of Israel is being depicted?
(2) 2:6-7: The warning of blocking her path (I will block):
a. What kind of warning is this metaphor to Israel?
b. What does God wish to achieve through this punishment (v. 7)?
(3) 2:8-9: The warning of taking back (I will take back):
a. What does God threaten to take away from Israel?
b. What is the reason given (v. 8)? What kind of sin is being depicted?
(4) 2:10: The warning of exposing (I will expose):
a. God threatens not only to take away blessings He has given, but to expose her lewdness. How is this metaphor applied to Israel?
(5) 2:11: The warning of stopping (I will stop) —The metaphor now gives way to plain
judgment:
a. Why does God desire to stop their celebrations?
(6) 2:12: The warning to ruin (I will ruin):
a. Who indeed has given her vines and fig trees? Why would she credit her “lovers”?
b. How will God ruin them?
(7) 2:13: The reason for punishments (I will punish)
a. What are the reasons given for these punishments or what kinds of sin are being depicted?
(8) From the reflections based on the questions in italics, list all the sins committed by Israel.
(9) Is God justified in pronouncing His judgments? Why or why not?
(10) Which of these sins speak to you in particular?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
The song of lament and judgment is suddenly turned into a promise of restoration and even given equal length:
(1) The promise of restoration of the wayward wife, Israel (2:14-15):
a. What will God do to restore Israel according to v. 14?
b. However, the process of restoration must be through “the desert” and even “the Valley of Achor” (see Jos. 7:24-26). Why?
c. What will be the result? Why is it likened to the day Israel came out of Egypt?
(2) The restoration of the covenantal relationship (2:16-17):
a. What kind of relationship will be restored?
b. What will this intimate relationship be marked by?
c. Although this passage has not mentioned how it is being made possible, what do you think will happen to bring about this restoration? (See Ezek. 11:19; 36:26)
(3) The extensions of the restored covenant with God (2:18)
a. What is the covenant that God will make for their sake concerning their relationship with the animal world?
b. What impact does the restoration of peace with God have on the human world?
c. How do Isaiah 2:4 and 65:25 depict the above promises?
(4) The ceremony or price for betrothal (2:19-20) — see Note below.
a. Does Israel, the betrothed, possess any of these qualities?
b. How then will such qualities be present in this renewed relationship?
c. Apart from these qualities, what marks this renewed relationship from the former?
(5) The God who hears (2:21-23):
a. What is the picture of restoration being depicted in vv. 21-22?
b. Now “Jezreel” seems to cease to remind them of past judgment, but of the fulfillment of the meaning of the name which means “God sows”:
- What is being sowed by God in vv. 2-13?
- What is being reaped now in v. 23?
- Is this harvest confined to Israel? Why or why not? (Again, read Rom. 9: 23-26; 1 Pet. 2:10)
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“These two verses (vv. 19-20) form a unit…As Yahweh addresses His beloved directly, the metaphor shifts to marriage betrothal…The words of Yahweh can mean that He will betroth Israel to Him with or by means of righteousness, justice, etc., in the sense that these qualities can denote the bride price of this marriage.”
(Word, Hosea-Jonah, 59)
(1) Presumably, Gomer has left Hosea for another man, but now the Lord commands him to take her back (see Note I below):
a. How hard would it be for Hosea to do so?
b. Would you take such an adulterous spouse back? Why or why not?
c. So, is it easy then for the Lord to reclaim Israel (and us) back?
(2) Reclaiming is one thing, but the command to Hosea is to “Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” (3:1).
a. Can you describe how the Lord loves the Israelites?
b. Can you describe how the Lord loves you?
(3) It appears that Hosea paid only half of the price of a slave girl (Exod. 21:32) plus some inexpensive barley to purchase his wife back:
a. What does this signal as the value of life of this woman after she left Hosea?
b. How does it speak to the actual value or quality of life of each below?
- A sinner like us
- Israel as a people in a life apart from God
(4) What are the commands given by Hosea to his wife now?
(5) What does it mean for the nation of Israel? (See Note II)
(6) If the last words of v. 3 are translated as “and I will not live with you”, consider the following:
a. How does it apply to the prophecy in the first part of v. 4?
b. How does this reflect the history of Israel after the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 until now?
c. What is God’s purpose in this respect?
(7) We know that David their king refers to the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ:
a. Under what condition will Israel return to the Lord in the last days? (See 5:15)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note
I:
It is true that it is not entirely clear if the Lord asked Hosea to take his wife back or to take another adulterous woman as his wife. But since such an action clearly speaks to God taking back Israel, it is only logical that this woman had to be this former wife for this typology to work.
Note
II:
Many would translate the last words of v. 3 as “and I will not be intimate with you”.
4:1-4—A formal charge laid against Israel
We have no idea about the time and occasion of this oracle.
(1) In using the language of a court setting to “bring a charge”, what does the Lord signify?
(2) What are the things that the Lord charges them with as lacking?
(3) What does it mean to be a society or people with the following characteristics:
a. Without faithfulness
b. Without love
c. Without acknowledgement of God
(4) Why would the absence of the above qualities constitute a serious sin to be charged?
(5) How would you describe a society that is filled with or marked by the following?
a. Cursing, lying and murder
b. Breaking of all bounds
c. Bloodshed that follows bloodshed (All kings in Israel during the time of Hosea died of assassination.)
(6) What has the absence of faithfulness, love and acknowledgement of God to do with their evil condition?
(7) Can you nail down the reason why such a nation once “under God” could turn into such a lawless society?
(8) What is the direct result of the sinfulness of the society? (4:3)
(9) Why does the Lord warn that only He could bring a charge against the people and not anyone of them? (4:4)
4:5-9—Like priests like people
V. 4 likely means that the people should not lay blame on the priests, because in essence the Lord looks as the whole nation as a priest.
(10) If people, priests and prophets all stumble together, what kind of a spiritual condition has the nation fallen into?
(11) In pronouncing His judgment of destruction, the Lord charges them with a “lack of knowledge” (v. 6). What knowledge is He talking about that they have even rejected? Why does this disqualify them as priests? (Exod. 19:6)
(12) What do you understand as the role of a priest, and Israel as a “kingdom of priests”?
(13) List the sins of the priests highlighted in vv. 6-8.
(14) Can you imagine the impact of the priests’ sins on the common people?
(15) What might be the reason that priests could degenerate into such a pitiful state?
(16) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Having chastised the people and their priests, the Lord now lists the horrible sins committed by the nation and their consequences:
4:10-14—The sin of prostitution
(1) The sin of prostitution is mentioned quite a few times in these verses:
a. Can you distinguish the two kinds of prostitution being rebuked here?
b. How does one kind relate to the other? (v. 13 in particular)
(2) What is the reason for their sin of prostitution? And what is its short-term consequence? (4:10)
(3) What do the giving of themselves to prostitution and the giving of themselves to old wine and new wine have in common? (v. 11)
(4) What is meant by “the taking away of understanding”? What kind of a warning is it?
(5) Why would the Lord not punish the sin of prostitution of the daughters and the daughters-in-law?
(6) What kind of a society is being depicted here?
(7) What is its long-term consequence (4:14)?
4:15-19—A warning to Judah
With the destiny of the Northern Kingdom assured in v. 19, the Lord calls on Judah to not follow their footsteps:
(8) While the history of the use of Gilgal as a place of worship is not known, the reference to Beth Aven which is Bethel (see Amos 4:4, 5:5) is according to the setting up of a golden calf in 1 Kings 12:29. To worship the golden calf is sinful enough. What kind of sin is it if coupled with the swearing by the name of the Living God?
(9) The next kind of sin that Judah should avoid is mentioned in v. 16:
a. What kind of sin is being depicted by a heifer?
b. What does God desire them to be? Why?
(10) Ephraim, the strongest of the ten tribes, is being singled out in v. 17:
a. What is being highlighted by the word “joined”?
b. What is God’s verdict? Why?
(11) V. 18 is a concluding statement of their sins:
a. How does the Lord depict the severity and finality of their sins?
b. Who are the people mentioned?
(12) What will be the final destiny of the Northern Kingdom?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?