Hosea is a powerful prophetic book, and it is regarded as the lead of the

twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible (or the Old Testament). The

books Hosea through Malachi were designed as a single book in the

ancient Tanak simply called, “The Twelve.” The Tanak refers to 24 distinct

ancient Hebrew canonical books (or the ancient Hebrew Bible) and its sort

of an acrostic or acronym. “T” being the Torah (teaching/law), “N” being

the “Nevi-im” (Prophets), and “K” being the Ketuvim (writings). It’s 24

books rather than the 39 we have today because it combines several books

including all of the minor prophets into one book called, “The Twelve,” (of

which Hosea is the first).

This book is a raw, emotion filled look at the relationship between God and

Israel, using the heartbreaking and life-shattering picture of a broken

marriage due to adultery to illustrate love, betrayal and redemption.

Hosea is identified as the author in the first verse of this book. Hosea as a

name means, “salvation.” The names Jesus and Joshua are both derived

from the same Hebrew root word as Hosea with only a small difference in

that Joshua includes the name of God, meaning, “God is Salvation.” We

don’t know really anything more about Hosea than what we find in this

book as he is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

Hosea wrote and lived in the 8 th Century, or during the 700s. Unlike many

other prophets who were called from Judah to preach to the north, Hosea

was a native of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He was the son of Beeri

which is interesting because his father’s name is a Hittite name (you find it

in Genesis 26:34), but he was Jewish. Which I think is a good picture of the

state of the nation at the time. (Taking non-Jewish names in their families)

Scholars date this book between 760 and 725BC and that’s accurate

because the text notes that Hosea prophesied during the reigns of kings

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah, and King Jeroboam II of

Israel (or the Northern Kingdom).

He writes during a time of immense economic prosperity under Jeroboam

II, but spanned into the rapid political decay that followed, ending just

before the Assyrian empire destroyed the Northern Kingdom in 722BC.

The underlying theme and idea of this book includes how you can have so

much, maybe even everything, but because of the one thing you can’t have

that you just have to have, you lose all that you have! The kingdom was

rich, thriving, but the one thing they could not do was be faithful, and so

everything was gone…

This book confronts spiritual infidelity, warns of inevitable hardship that

comes from faithlessness, but also reminds us throughout of God’s

relentless and unconditional selfless love that He has for each of us. The

thing is, do we want to be loved by God in a state of thriving, flourishing,

doing well and being at peace and in joy in our heart, or do we want to be

loved by God in a state of loss, regret, disappointment and heartache?

The book fits nicely into an outline of the first three chapters detail Isarel’s

infidelity with chapters 4 through 14 detail God’s unconditional love.

That’s fitting for many reasons. First, we can never out-sin God’s love.

There’s no sin that would ever cause God to stop loving us and give up on

us. So, we have 11 chapters on that and only 3 chapters on the issue or the

sin.

Also, this is how it works in real life. Especially in the case of betrayal or

infidelity in a relationship. The sin is big; chapters filled for sure. But the

suffering that comes after (that leads to restoration) is far more involved

and immense. One moment, one day of sin, can lead to years, even a

lifetime of hardship and suffering.

Hosea Chapter 1 Verse 1

 By the names of the kings given, we know that Hosea’s ministry lasted

about 40 years, from 760 to 725 BC. This was some 250 years after

King David and during the time when the nation of Israel was divided

into the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The north was referred to as

Israel and the south was referred to as Judah.

 Ok, what all happened there? Quick summary. When Solomon died,

his son Rehoboam was asked by the people to lighten their labor and

tax burdens, which were both heavy as a result of Solomon.

Rehoboam seeks the advice of his elders but rejected that advice and

instead increased the tax and labor burden on the people.

 For this reason, ten tribes, known as the northern tribes, rejected

Rehoboam as king and instead crowned their own king Jeroboam, a

former official who had turned against Solomon. Rehoboam retained

control of only the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (and also

Jerusalem). This all persisted until Israel was taken over by Assyria

around 722 BC.

Hosea Chapter 1 Verses 2 – 3

 Not cool. I mean, that’s the first thought that comes to mind when I

read this. Not so much that Gomer was a prostitute but because I’ve

read the book and know that she didn’t leave that behind when she

married Hosea. So, my initial take on this is man, that’s a terrible deal

for Hosea…, and in many ways it is…

 And, there now opens an opportunity for Hosea to truly, and in a

particular way, relate to the Lord personally. Paul said in Philippians

3:7-10, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss

for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of

the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the

loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from

the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness

which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His

resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to

His death…”

 When you go through something, it gives you a unique and

personal connection with folks that go through the same thing.

This is the ministry of consolation and also the fellowship of suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who

comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those

who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are

comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our

consolation also abounds through Christ.”

 What is being asked of Hosea is a raw deal for sure. It will break his

heart, break his home, break his spirit…, and in all of that he will look

at the Lord and give the genuine testimony, “I understand now…”

And the Lord and Hosea will walk together a bit, in a new way, for

the rest and for the intensely better of Hosea…

 Israel throughout the Bible is the wife of God. God describes His

covenant relationship with the nation of Israel several times in the

scriptures including Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband…,”

and Hosea 2:19-20, “I will betroth you to Me forever…” And, God did

all of that knowing that Israel would be unfaithful to Him… The point

is, God is good, people are not and when we are faithless, He remains

faithful because He cannot deny Himself…

 When you love those who have hurt you, turned on you, offended you,

betrayed you, sometimes that is one of the greatest pains anyone can

ever experience. Most would rather lose their life than be betrayed by

someone close to them especially a spouse, and yet this is exactly what

God does for Israel. If He doesn’t then He is not good. If replacement

theology is true, God is not good. It’s just that simple… God is not

through with Israel, His wife by covenant. This book is written for that

message…

 And Hosea, by going through what he will go through, he will become

more of himself than ever and closer to the Lord than ever. Maturity

and intense internal blessing come at a very high price. Ask

Abraham. Ask Moses. Ask Joseph. Ask David. Ask Paul. Ask John.

Ask Jesus…

 Christians that are disobedient to God miss out on so much in life and

Christians that reject and fight tooth-and-nail against any type of

offense, suffering and discomfort, miss out on SO much in life and in

relationship with God… But I understand. I don’t fault anyone for

that at all… Because intense suffering is terrible… And I don’t wish

that part of it all on anyone…

 So, he takes Gomer the daughter of Diblaim. The name Gomer comes

from the Hebrew root word meaning, “To End,” or to bring to

“completion.” Diblaim means “double cakes.” Nothing spiritual

there, just cool. HA!

 Gomer bore a son and Hosea is keen to announce that this son was

his…

Hosea Chapter 1 Verses 4 – 5

 Jezreel means “Scattered,” and Israel would soon be scattered in exile

by a conquering Assyrian army. Also, Jezreel refers to the Valley of

Jezreel. where Jehu, the founder of the dynasty that put Jeroboam II on

the throne, massacred all the descendants of Ahab, including Ahab’s

seventy sons, thus establishing his own throne. God directed Hosea to

name his son Jezreel to confirm His promise to avenge the bloodshed

of Jezreel by judging the house of Jehu.

Hosea Chapter 1 Verses 6 – 7

 The clear implication here is that Gomer conceived Lo-Ruhamah by

another man. Lo-Ruhamah means, “No mercy,” or, “Not pitied,” or,

“Not loved.” Terrible name for anyone first of all but notice its Hosea

that is given the task to name this child born in his house, born of his

wife, but not of him… The sorrow in this verse is intense. The name is

not for the child but it is rather a picture of what Hosea is going

through by Gomer…, and a picture of what God is going through by

His people. And that’s the point God is making…

 Fellowship between Hosea and Gomer is broken. Well, 5/6ths. God

says, “I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,” which was

comprised of 10 northern tribes… “Yet, I will have mercy on the house

of Judah,” which was comprised of two southern tribes…

 When a relationship is broken, there remains a remnant. It’s just a

matter of fact. Forgiveness is a choice. It’s not a feeling, it’s a

decision. And if you want to forgive and restore the relationship, you

can. It will never be what it was, but it could be even better. The price

is just massively high…

 The price is heartbreaking to both. One has to live with what they’ve

done… In a way, they’ve proved to themselves that their internal

narrative of being a good person is lie… But in truth, none of us are

good. To the other, they have to live with what was done to them. How

they really aren’t as important or loved or cherished as they want to be

or ought to be…, or thought they were. Which is also true in all of our

lives…

 But we live in structured safe realities that are mostly not true. And

the hardships we go through reveal what we’ve already been told in

the Bible… that there is only One that is good and that is God. That

God IS love. That He IS the way, the truth and the life. And none of

those things really are anywhere else… Some would rather take the

blue pill and not wake up to that truth, and I get that… Totally. But to

wake up to that truth is to be very close to the Lord. To find grace and

oddly enough, by losing the satisfaction of all that is temporary, you

now have access to a satisfaction of all that is eternal…

 And you walk on water… The rules everyone else has to follow to

protect their structured and safe internal narrative, you don’t have to

follow anymore. Reactions to offense and reactions to being served,

may even look the same. Grace can be given in exchange for failure.

Enemies don’t cause internal bitterness but increase your prayer for

them… and on and on and on… and water no longer drowns you, you

walk on it. Transparent, humble, ok with what comes… Because

you’ve found life outside of your own, His name is Jesus…

 And battles are now won left and right, up and down, inside and out

but not by the bow, nor by the sword, horses and horsemen… All the

things the world needs to win… You simply win now because of your

covenant relationship with God… God says in verse 7, “I will save

them by the Lord their God…”

Hosea Chapter 1 Verses 8 - 9

 Lo-Ammi means, “Not mine,” or “Not My people.” It’s clear that this

son of Gomer was not the son of Hosea. And God makes a strong and

alarming statement with this continual and even graver sin (being a

son this time, an heir to another, rather than a daughter)… He says,

“You are not My people, and I am not Your God.” Is this God turning

on them? Absolutely not! There are few things God cannot do. He

cannot stop loving you. He cannot lie. He cannot change. He cannot

learn. He cannot be counseled. And He cannot stop being God…

 What he is saying here is that the people have rejected Him as their

God by their unfaithfulness. God cannot stop being God but we can

most certainly make Him not God of our lives… And doing that leads

to nothing good… I mean just practically walk this out for a moment.

What single minute or circumstance or relationship or issue of your

life doesn’t need the hand of God in order to be what it ought to be?

And yet we shove His hand away so often… And then when things

aren’t what we want, what do we do? We call out to God! And the

reaction and response of the universe (HA!) is, dude, you got here

because I’m not your God! And now you want Me? Nope…

 Well, yep… But you will know the love of God through loss, regret,

disappointment and heartache…

Hosea Chapter 1 Verses 10 – 11

 God is not through with Israel and He won’t be until all things are

complete and we are living as one people during the Millennial Reign

of Christ. The nature of the relationship will change, just as the Old

Covenant has passed away and the New Covenant under an eternal

High Priest has been ushered in by grace… And they will go from

being the people of God, to the children of God. Just as we read in

John 1:11-12, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become

children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

 This is not a statement of replacement but rather a statement of

completion. The complete revelation of the good grace and covenant

faithfulness of God as specifically the Nation of Israel in total is called

out in verse 11!

 And as a reunified nation, which it is again today, (notice it took

destruction to bring them back together as a people – but that is the

reward of sin), as a reunified nation they will appoint for themselves

one Head, finally recognizing Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and

restoring full fellowship and covenant relationship both ways with

God!

 For great will be the day of Jezreel! The first child of Hosea and

Gomer was named Jezreel as a sign of judgment and separation. But

God promises for Israel specifically a restoration so complete that

Jezreel would become a name of greatness, not judgment. Why?

Because God has chosen to forgive, at the immense expense of

Himself, because He is good!