OT: Hosea
Hosea is the first in a series of books we call the Minor Prophets. These book are not of lesser value or importance than the major prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, they are just shorter works.
We’ve said that prophets have three jobs: expose idolatry, announce judgment, give hope. Each of the prophets mentions all three of these things, but each of them focuses on one as his main message. The Jews view them as a unified whole, comprising only one book in the Jewish Scriptures. We will take them one at a time as they appear in our English Bibles.
Hosea’s main focus is going to be on the nation’s idolatry. The question we need to ask is, “What does Israel’s idolatry 2500 years ago have to do with us today?”
Let’s get a little perspective on this book of Hosea.
Hosea the prophet appears on the scene roughly 170 years after the division of the kingdom. Hosea ministered in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, although he consistently refers to it as Ephraim. Ephraim was the largest of the tribes that made up the northern kingdom, and was probably representative of them all.
Hosea’s ministry takes place during a period of political upheaval. The Northern Kingdom will experience 6 kings in only 30 years, while living under the constant threat of invasion and exile from the kingdom of Assyria.
Hosea prophecies from about 755-753BC to 727-722BC.
The religious context of Hosea is the idolatry of the Northern Kingdom, centered around the worship of Baal. Baal was a canaanite god said to control the weather and fertility. The worship of Baal involved much sexual sin, including temple prostitution.
So Hosea is called as a prophet during a time when the northern part of the nation has fallen into gross idolatry and has been very unfaithful to God.
Outline
If we were to outline the book very simply, it would look like this.
1-3 Summary & illustration
4-13 Exposing idolatry & announcing judgment
14 Promise of redemption
About Hosea
Hosea begins his ministry with a vivid sermon illustration. God tells him to marry and have children. The catch is this, he is to marry a prostitute!
1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. (ESV)
I want us to notice a couple things here. First, I want us to notice why God has told Hosea to do something this drastic. The middle of verse 2 tells us why.
“for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”
When it says “for” that’s like saying “because.” Basically God is saying, “I want you to go marry a prostitute and have children, because I want you to demonstrate vividly what’s happened in the relationship between my people and myself.”
The second thing to notice is that Hosea is to play the role of God, and the prostitute wife is to play the role of Israel, in this little drama, or skit, that Hosea is taking part in.
Let’s continue reading.
3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” (ESV)
So Hosea marries this woman, Gomer. They have one son, then she is unfaithful and has a daughter and another son. God uses these three children as illustrations as well. The nation has been unfaithful to God, whoring after idols and has given birth to people who do not know God, hence the name “Not My People.”
3:1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (ESV)
Then some time later, Hosea is told to redeem his whoring wife. He seeks her out and it seems she has become a slave of some sort, possibly a temple prostitute, and he has to buy her back. The price is not high, her owner doesn’t value her much. And so Hosea buys her back and tells her she must be faithful.
This is a picture of the nation’s relationship with Yahweh. They have gone after idols and become worthless.
Hosea’s marriage to Gomer is meant to be an illustration for his prophetic accusations against the nation. Just as his wife has been unfaithful in the worst way and sold herself into prostitution, so the nation has been unfaithful to Yahweh and given itself into slavery to idols (Baal).
This is not the only analogy used in Hosea. Later he will compare Israel to an indifferent mother, an illegitimate child, an ungrateful son, a stubborn heifer, a silly dove, a luxuriant vine, and a greedy merchant. But the drama of the whoring wife and illegitimate children are the main sermon illustration Hosea employs.
Hosea’s relationship to Gomer is a picture of God’s relationship to his people, Israel. In the same way marriage is held up in the New Testament as a picture of Christ’s relationship to the church.
Idolatry
Back in Exodus when God gave his Law to the people he expressly stated that he was the only God, and they were to exclusively worship him. By creating idols and worshiping them, the people have broken the covenant between themselves and God, in the same way an unfaithful spouse breaks the marriage covenant.
So Hosea plays the part of God. Gomer plays the part of the nation. And their children play the part of individuals. No individual Jew was to consider himself or herself to be God’s wife. That analogy was for the people as a whole. The same is true of us. The New Testament uses the metaphor of a bride for the church, with Jesus being the bridegroom. The church, as a whole, is called the bride. Individuals are never referred to in this way. As individual Christians we are to look to God as our Father.
So that is the metaphor that sets up the accusations Hosea is about to bring. One more establishing fact though.
Hosea states quite clearly that the nation/people belong to God and he is responsible for every good thing that happens to them.
5 For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
8 And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal. (ESV)
(see also: 7:15, 11:3-4, 12:10)
Throughout the book God makes it plain that he was responsible for the prosperity of the nation, for the spiritual blessings of the nation, even for the nation existing as a nation. In fact, God’s divine initiative is powerfully on display in this book. 128 times the first person “I” is used by God. 66 times it is pared with the word “will” to create statements of God’s intent, “I will.” There are only 197 verses in the book.
As we will see in a little while, not only was God responsible for the former blessings the nation enjoyed, it is God who will judge them for their sin, and then God who will act to bring them back into right relationship with himself.
The tragedy is this. The prosperity with which God blessed the people was soon followed by idolatry. We saw that in chapter 2 verse 8.
(see also: 4:7, 8:4, 10:1, 11:2, 12:8)
I’m afraid that what has been said about Israel in these passages could also be said about the Christian church in America. We have been blessed with so much. We have money, resources, more food than we should eat, etc. And I’m afraid we done the same thing, and turned to idols. But let’s talk about Israel’s idols first and then ours.
Baal
Baal is mentioned six times in Hosea.
The nation uses the blessing given by the Lord to fuel their idolatry
(see also: 2:13, 9:10, 11:1-2)
The worship of anything other than God is detestable. God is the creator of everything, so to worship anything other than him is to worship something less than him and is offensive to him. Furthermore, this verse reinforces the idea we looked at in the past that you become like what you worship. We were created to reflect the image of God and his intent is that we become like Jesus, not some demon god/idol.
4 They made kings, but not through me.
They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
5 I have spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces. (ESV)
13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
2 And now they sin more and more,
and make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!” (ESV)
Here we learn a bit more about what’s going on. From a place of blessing and greatness, the people have fallen into death as idol worshipers. Their sin continues to increase. They worship lifeless things that they have made, and become spiritually dead themselves. The last part of verse 2 gives us some additional information about the nature of this Baal worship.
“Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
Baal was the most popular god of the Canaanites. Often represented as a bull, Baal was thought to be the god of rain and harvest. It was believed that he controlled the weather, and thus the growth of agricultural crops and vegetation. Baal’s consort/wife was the goddess Ashtoreth. She was the goddess of fertility. Together, these two gods represented fertility and sexual reproduction. The worship of these gods involved temple prostitution in which male worshipers would have sex with female priests and temple prostitutes, and female worshipers would have sex with male priests. These acts were thought to provoke the gods to sexual activity so that the worshiper’s crops and livestock would be blessed with reproductive growth.
12 My people inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the whore,
and your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with cult prostitutes,
and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. (ESV)
In addition to temple prostitution, some of the worst Baal worship also involved child sacrifices.
In
25:1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”
14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.
16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” (ESV)
, the Israelites are enticed sexually by the Moabites and then led into Baal worship. Then in
12:1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings. (ESV)
we saw the creation of two golden calves in the Northern Kingdom. Later in the book, Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. But even so, the worship of Baal continued and regained its popularity by the days of Hosea.
Worshiping the gods of the culture, soon led the Israelites to adopt other aspects and characteristics of the lifestyle of the Canaanites. They became corrupt, rather than becoming holy as God is holy.
4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. (ESV)
Baal isn’t the only idol the Israelites worshiped though. There are other idols, subtler ones being worshiped in Israel. Because of the idolatry and unfaithfulness, God has taken away his blessing and the people are in distress. And in their distress we see where they turn for help and healing. Who/what are they making into functional saviors?
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria,
and sent to the great king.
But he is not able to cure you
or heal your wound. (ESV)
Hosea 7:11
Hosea 8:9
Hosea 12:1
Instead of seeking salvation and healing from Yahweh, they have sought it from kings of the earth. They entered into covenant with them. They have turned political/military might into a functional savior, expecting this idol to rescue them.
Hosea 10:13
Another idol:
Hosea 4:10
Hosea 7:14
They sought joy and fulfillment in food and wine. They “cherished” these things. When Yahweh should have been their treasure, they treasured temporary things of this world. They made an idol for themselves of pleasure.
Another idol:
Hosea8:14
Hosea 12:8
Palaces, fortified cities, wealth, they made an idol of their own accomplishments, of success. They thought they were justified by their works.
Our Idols
In reality, our idols are not much different from theirs. Oh, we don’t worship a golden statue of a calf, but our culture does worship nature, mother earth if you will. We should be good stewards of God’s creation, but we shouldn’t expect from it the things only God can give. Our culture believes in justification by recycling.
Our society definitely worships sex. It’s the largest religion in the world. Churches buy into this as well. Some churches ordain homosexuals as pastors, in open violation of God’s Word. Now, who is their god? The God of the Bible who says homosexuality is an offense? Or, the god of sex who says sexual perversion is a right?
As God’s people, one thing we do is try to make God in our own image. They crafted a god in the shape of a calf. We do the same thing when we make God, and church, all about whatever “our” pet concern is, whether it’s feeding the poor, stopping abortion, social justice, etc. These are good things, but if we center our life and worship around them, if we reduce God to being concerned with a kingdom here on earth, then as Mark Driscoll says, we make these good things into a god thing, they become a bad thing.
Even less obvious, sometimes we just try to make God fit our own expectations, desires, and perceptions. Instead of taking him at his Word about who he is, we decide ahead of time, this is only one example, that the loving God we imagine wouldn’t send anyone to hell. And when you do that, you’ve created an idol, because you’re worshiping a different God than the God who presents himself to us in the Bible. The result is not God worship, but self-worship.
What does your god look like? Is your image of God biblical? Is it adequate? Is it big enough? Or do you need to destroy the image of god you’ve created and return to worshiping the immeasurably awesome God of the Bible?
Christianity in America has been very guilty of making an idol of politics and seeking salvation in legislation. Our hope is not dependent on who is elected to a political office, or what law is passed. Are anti-abortion laws, or pro-marriage laws good things? Sure, just don’t expect them to save us or we make them into god things, which is a bad thing.
What about pleasure? Do we, as Christians, make an idol out of food and drink? Sure we do. Gluttony is one sin we are only too happy to overlook, even embrace! Our own safety and pleasure and has become so important that we’re willing to give our money to missions, but not to go ourselves. Why is there such a lack of godly men willing to enter the mission field and evangelize Muslims? We’re worshiping the god of safety!
We can also make an idol out of entertainment. What do you do when you feel stressed and worn out? Do you go to God for healing? Or do you turn on the TV? Or get on facebook? Or watch a movie? Or play a video game? If you’re seeking refreshment and healing for a weary soul in entertainment, be careful! You may be making an idol.
And we’ve definitely decided that we’re justified by our accomplishments. That’s the reason big churches are considered “more successful” than smaller churches. That’s the reason churches spend so much to build such huge facilities. That’s the reason we take pride in our “service” to God, whether that’s playing on the worship team, teaching a class, attending regularly, or whatever it is. We tend to make an idol of our own accomplishments and think they are our justification.
We probably won’t think any of this in our minds, but we start to feel it in our hearts. We begin to look to these things, many of them good things, expecting to find in them what only God can give
Judgment
God’s response to all this idolatry is judgment. Hosea devotes most of his time to exposing the nation’s idolatry, but he also spends a good bit of time announcing God’s judgment as well. Throughout the book accusations of unfaithfulness are interwoven with pronouncements of punishment.
Hosea 6:4-7
(see also: 7:11-13, 9:9-17, 13:15-16)
These are pretty harsh pronouncements of God’s judgment on the nation for their sin. And yet even as Hosea laces his accusations of unfaithfulness with pronouncements of judgment, his pronouncements are likewise laced with whispers of hope.
Hosea 5:11-15
Hosea 6:1-3
This is a call to repentance. The prophets often do this, while proclaiming God’s wrath and pronouncing his judgment, they extend an offer of hope, with a call to repentance. The punishment is the means by which God brings his people to repentance.
Our Discipline
In the same way, God will also discipline us for our idolatry. The purpose of his discipline is to bring us to repentance.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (ESV)
We are judged and disciplined “so that” we will be made holy, not for justification, and not suffer condemnation.
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (ESV)
We are disciplined because God loves us and is treating us like his children, teaching us to be holy. His discipline is “for our good, that we may share his holiness.”
5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (ESV)
Even the discipline the church as a whole is to exercise is for the purpose of restoring people to holiness.
God punishes Israel so that they will be restored to holiness and purity of worship. Similarly, Christ sanctifies his church, even using discipline,
“so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (ESV)
)
Hope
Finally, Hosea pictures future hope for the nation.
3:1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (ESV)
Again, Hosea’s marriage is meant to be a sermon illustration. Verse 4 tells us that the people will spend a long time in captivity. Verse 5 though presents a picture of God re-gathering the people in the future. Notice that it mentions “David their king.” Speaking to the Northern Kingdom as he is, this can be taken to mean two things. First, the nation will be reunited and no longer divided. Second, it can be taken as a reference to the descendent of David who is the promised Messiah, Jesus.
Hosea 2:14-23
A call of repentance is issued, yet it is clear that it is God who heals the nation and causes them to repent. It is God who restores them. It is God who loves enough to forgive and to bless. It is God who gets the glory for the redemption of his people. Just as Ezekiel has stressed, it is for his name that acts to restore them.
Our Hope
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)
Our hope is in Christ. He is both the author, and the perfecter of our faith. It is God who justifies, applying Christ’s righteousness to us. It is God who glorifies, and Christ who receives all the glory.
The message of Hosea is to warn us against spiritual adultery. Be faithful to Christ. Treasure him! “Our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
