The Minor Prophets: HOSEA

Historical Context

        The prophetic word we find in the book of Hosea was delivered sometime between 750 and 723 BC to the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, shortly before the 10 northern tribes in that kingdom fell to the troops of the Assyrian empire. In 721 BC the population of the northern Israel was deported and disappeared from history, the land being taken over by foreigners.

        When Hosea began his ministry, the country was prosperous under the leadership of Jeroboam. The prosperity, however, resulted in a great economic gap between the well-to-do and the poor, often fostered by corrupt courts of law and a breakdown in public morality. In addition, religious practice and worship was everywhere combined with the beliefs and practices of the cult of Baal, the Canaanite God of fertility.

        When Jeroboam's son, Zachariah, was assassinated in 745 BC after only six months rule, the monarchy was beset by total instability. Five different kings succeeded one another over a period of 12 years, four of them falling victim to political assassination. The final fall to Assyria occurred when the last king attempted to flee the country by appealing to Egypt for military aid.

Message/Theme/Audience

        With the possible exception of Jonah, Hosea was the only writing prophet to live in the Northern Kingdom.  Hosea’s marriage was integral to his prophetic ministry, since Gomer’s repeated unfaithfulness—and Hosea’s continued faithfulness—paralleled Israel’s spiritual adultery and breach of Covenant with Yahweh.  Yet God held  out opportunity and hope for them to return to Covenant faithfulness, though it would not be fulfilled until the coming of the Messiah.  Hosea (or Hoshea) was a common name in ancient Israel derived from the Hebrew word meaning “salvation.” 'Jesus' (or Yeshua) is a form of this name. 

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land." Hosea 4:1

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused."  Hosea 11:8