A bit of history before we kick off our series on the “Minor Prophets,” and specifically today, Hosea. If you recall, the twelve tribes of Israel were united as one nation during the reigns of the first three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. But after Solomon’s reign, his son Rehoboam made some really stupid political blunders which led to the 10 tribes to the north seceding from the “union,” leaving just 2 tribes to the south, resulting in a “Northern Kingdom” referred to as “Israel,” and a “Southern Kingdom” called Judah. The capitol of the Northern Kingdom was in Samaria while the capitol of the Southern Kingdom remained in Jerusalem, where Solomon’s Temple was situated. While Judah had many “good” kings who drew the people to the Lord, her “sister” to the north, Israel, had only “evil” kings who led the people away from God. Hosea was a prophet to Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and he often addresses the Northern Kingdom as “Ephraim,” the largest tribe in the Northern Kingdom.
For almost 200 years, the Northern Kingdom of Israel experienced a time of relative peace and prosperity, even though the nation was becoming more and more corrupt. Spiritual adultery was rampant. However, when the Assyrian Empire began to expand its territory, Israel was in danger of being gobbled up by the advancing army.
Hosea’s name means “salvation.” Interestingly, the names “Joshua” and “Jesus” also mean “salvation,” but with the added idea of “Yahweh is salvation.” As God’s messenger to the Northern Kingdom, Hosea offers the possibility of salvation if only the nation will turn from their idolatrous ways and back to God. Hosea was a contemporary of two prophets in the Southern Kingdom, namely Isaiah (we’ve already surveyed his message) and Micah (whom we will look at shortly). Thus, most scholars believe that his ministry lasted for about forty years, from 755 B.C. to about 715 B.C.
It is interesting to note that the Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 B.C., with the tribes being scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire, and those who stayed intermarried with the gentile Assyrian people. Those in the Southern Kingdom came to despise those to the north, derogatorily referring to their own people who intermarried with the Assyrians as “Samaritans.” Fast forwarding about 700 years, do you remember the “Woman at the Well” in John 4? Well, she was a “Samaritan!’ And remember the one who stopped to help the injured man on the road to Jericho? He has been referred to as a “Good Samaritan.” While Jesus’ disciples reeled at the thought of including Samaritans in his sphere of ministry, Jesus let them know that all people needed salvation and are worthy of having the gospel presented to them.
Furthermore, Hosea was married to an unfaithful wife named “Gomer,” and this unfaithfulness resulted in Hosea having a great deal of compassion as he imagined God’s grief in having to deal with His unfaithful bride, Israel. In his relationship with Gomer, Hosea portrays God’s faithfulness, justice, and love toward His people. He contrasts the nations’ immorality with God’s holiness; the nations’ injustice with God’s justice; and the nation’s hardness of heart and empty ritual with God’s love and compassion toward them.
Among all of their other sins, the nation had abandoned their knowledge of the truth and chose instead to follow in the idolatrous ways of their pagan neighbors. And the result was made clear in the words of Hosea,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you…since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hos. 4:6).
The knowledge of God is the most important knowledge that we can have, and yet in our own day, we reject His knowledge and wander in the wilderness of our own truth which we have determined for ourselves. What a tragedy. We fail to seek God’s truth in favor of “cisterns that can hold no water” as Isaiah reminds us.
More than any other Old Testament prophet, Hosea’s words announcing their coming judgment by Assyria were always tempered with a heart of compassion and love. With that in mind, notice how Hosea recorded the words of God that came directly from the heart of God,
“So My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the One on high, none exalt Him. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? My heart is turned over within Me; all My compassions are kindled” (Hos. 11:7-8).
As the people of Israel were “bent” on immorality, injustice, and idolatry, the compassionate heart of God never left His people. And with this same compassion, He never leaves us either. Remember the words of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem for the last time,
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling!” (Mt. 23:35).
The same God who had a heart of compassion for the nation of Israel during Hosea’s day, was also the Son of God who walked the streets of Jerusalem, calling upon the people to repent and turn to the One how loves them with great compassion. But they refused, and ended up crucifying Jesus, and a generation later, seeing their nation fall to the Romans with the city and temple being burned, putting an end to the entire sacrificial system in Israel. And this same God calls each of us to repent of our sins and turn to Him, the One who has compassion toward us and loves us with an unending love.
If you haven’t done so, just turn your heart to Him, calling upon Him to forgive your sins and to send His Holy Spirit to come into your life. He will do it. This is the testimony of all who have come to Him – He forgives sin and gives new life. So, there’s no reason to put if off. Go ahead, just do it! God bless you.
