The Old Testament book of Hosea was written by one of the minor prophets of Israel, “Israel” in this context referring to the northern kingdom of the divided nation of Israel. This northern kingdom was made up of ten tribes. Hosea also made comment on Judah, the southern kingdom, comprising two tribes. By ‘minor’, as in ‘minor prophet’, is not meant less important but the writer of a shorter book of prophecy relative to longer OT prophetic books. There are twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament and anything from three to five or even more major prophets, depending on various opinions.
Hosea writes that Israel and Judah had committed harlotry against their God, the one, true God of all that exists. Hosea 1:2 states at the outset the who’s who of the characters in his account of Israel’s history.
Hosea 1:2
2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.”
This sets the stage. God tells Hosea to act out in his life the story of unfaithful Israel and their faithful God by obeying His command to marry an unfaithful wife or wife of harlotry, Gomer, while remaining her faithful husband. Note that Hosea 1:2 speaks of God’s people as having FORSAKEN Him. If we read Scripture for what it is saying, just as we do any other book, we see plainly that it is possible for God’s people to reverse course on their faith and instead to forsake Him. Here we see that God’s calling to people, and His invitation to repentance and faith for the sake of salvation and fellowship with Him, is RESISTIBLE. God’s grace is not irresistible. Granted, God uses evil circumstances in order to bring His people back to Himself. This indicates His sovereignty over all events yet Hosea reveals a God who waits and waits for His people to respond and turn back to Him in repentance and true faith amidst the natural consequences of their rebellions against Him. With God there is always hope for return to Him by anyone. He welcomes back wanderers away from the faith at any time in this life. But don’t figure on repenting just before you die. That might be too late because you do not know when this will happen and whether you will be given a last chance to repent. Jesus says as much:
Luke 12:20
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’” (New Living Translation)
Even the prodigal son actually repented before returning to his welcoming father. His father didn’t go out hunting for him but was welcomingly there when his son did choose to repent and return.
A few weeks ago, I watched for the first time the beautiful 2012 movie, ‘Amazing Love’. It featured Sean Astin of Lord Of The Rings fame (Samwise Gamgee). I recommend it as a good overview of the book of Hosea. Read through the biblical book too. I re-read it after seeing the film because I was not sure of the film’s conclusion regarding Gomer. As I re-read Hosea 2, I could see where the film was coming from. As we read on in Hosea 3, we see that Israel will “come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days”.
My understanding of the entirety of the book is that it teaches us Who God is and what He expects of His people. This is an overview of what I found to be the essentials of the book of Hosea when I recently re-read it. By verse 9 of the first chapter we have been told how God sees the northern kingdom, Israel: the names of the “children of harlotry” tell Israel’s story: Jezreel “God sows”; Lo-ruhamah “without compassion”, meaning without God’s compassion; Lo-ammi “not my people”. What an indictment upon Israel. Throughout his book, Hosea shows the basis for God’s case against His people – their continuing turning away from faithful Judaic practice and deed, with lying and callousness ruling them instead. Furthermore, they turned to the superpowers of their day to rescue them from their national enemies rather than returning to God. They sank to the lowest of the low when they emulated the nations surrounding them by sacrificing their children to death by burning to appease false gods. Yet in several of the chapters, there is embedded in one or two verses the tender voice of God saying that He will restore Israel and Judah; He loves them and will bring them back to Himself. Because God’s unfaithful people are “a stiff-necked people”, a recurring phrase from God as recorded in Exodus and Deuteronomy, harsh earthly circumstances, the natural result of their chosen actions of disbelief, are allowed to run their course in the lives of these recalcitrants.
So, summing up, there are words of deserved judgement but of God’s continuing love for His unfaithful people, plus the promise of future restoration. I believe this will be a literal restoration of Israel to Christ because of the following from Paul in Romans 11:
Romans 11:25-29 (NASB)
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” 27 “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Hosea’s writing is about God’s just cause in punishing Israel and Judah but His being willing to restore them if, and only if, they do what He continually implores them to do throughout the book – “return” to Him and “walk” in His ways. We end with two classes of people – those who walk in God’s ways vs those who stumble in God’s ways. Walking in God’s ways requires the same today as in OT times: walking in repentance and faith. Some do this (the remnant) while others stumble (nominal Israelites then, nominal Christians now – both alike). This is why the word ‘remnant’ figures so highly in the prophets’ writings. As Paul said in the first century, but which has always been the case since the beginning of Israel’s creation, “…NOT ALL who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6 ESV). This has always, and will always, apply. The descendants of Israel are those who will believe or who have believed in the true God of Israel and so have recognised Jesus Christ as the Messiah when His coming was either prophesied, in the case of the OT Israelites, or had come to pass, in the case of NT believers.
God’s call is universal. That is not to say that God’s salvation is universal; His call is. God calls Jews and Gentiles. God speaks to people and is relatable because all humans have been made in the image of God and the Fall did not remove that fact. However, people can so run in the opposite direction from God that the image of God with which they have been endowed becomes horribly marred. This is a sign that they are not living up to what or to Whom they are called. I am not referring here to doing works to appease an angry God. I mean to convey the need to honestly face oneself and be willing to meet God on His terms: in repentance and faith, evidenced by a growing obedience in His ways which is the outward manifestation of inward faith. Failing might happen. Repent and return. Not that you lose your status as “saved” if you fail. A continual rejection of God and His ways may indicate a loss of salvation but weakness resulting in failure is not cause for loss of salvation. People can choose to believe in and follow, or reject, God. Rejection can happen in continuing thought, word and deed that defy how God has told us to live. Yes, I have even seen church workers believe they have the right and freedom to defy God’s clear commands. This includes leaving spouses for no good reason and deciding to make themselves happy in a worldly sense, all the while boasting their “freedom in Christ”. This is not freedom. This is not the freedom believers have been called to. This is not momentary weakness but is positive defiance. This is the antinomian (lawless) church, so prevalent in parts of the church of our day. Anyone’s attitude to Jesus Christ, if they have heard of Him, is what determines whether they or you or I belong to God.
Hebrews 10:26-31 (NASB) 26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Note the last line of Albert Barnes’ introduction to the book of Hosea:
The contradiction of people’s lives to the law, thus extant and taught among them, could scarcely have been greater than that of Christians now to the Bible which they have in their houses and their hands and their ears, but not in their hearts.
Albert Barnes, biblehub.com
A final summary of Hosea is found in his closing verse:
Hosea 14:9 (NASB)
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the ways of the LORD are right,
And the righteous will walk in them,
But transgressors will stumble in them.
Our World Our Faith 