1:1Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel from 753 to 715 B.C. Under the reign of Jeroboam II, the northern kingdom had prospered materially but had decayed spiritually. The people were greedy and had adopted the moral behavior and idolatrous religion of the surrounding Canaanites. Hosea’s role was to show how the people of the northern kingdom had been unfaithful to God, their “husband” and provider, and had married themselves to Baal and the gods of Canaan, He warned that unless they repented of their sin and turned back to God, they were headed for destruction. Hosea spoke of Gad’s characteristics—his powerful love and justice—and how their practical experience of these should affect their lives and make under Christ. Today all betievers everywhere are God’s chosen people, “royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession” (see 1 Peter 2:9).
Life Application Study BibleHoseaChapter 1
Hosea 1
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1403, 1404
1EXPLANATIONJust as Hosea’s wife, Gomer, was unfaithful tohim, so the nation of Israel had been unfaithfulto God. Israel’s idolatry was like adultery. Theysought illicit relationships with Assyria and Egyptin pursuit of military might, and they mixed Baalworship with the worship of God.Hosea solemnly warned Judah against followingIsrael’s example. Because Judah broke the cov-enant, turned away from God, and forgot herMaker, she experienced a devastating invasionand exile. Sin has terrible consequences.Just as Hosea went after his unfaithful wife tobring her back, so the LORD pursues us with hislove. His love is tender, loyal, unchanging, andundying. No matter what, God still loves us.Although God will discipline his people for sin,he encourages and restores those who haverepented. True repentance opens the way to anew beginning. God forgives and restores.
A. HOSEA’S WAYWARD WIFE (1:1—3:5)
Hosea highlights the parailels between his relationship with Gomer and God's relationship with the nation of Israel. Although the people made a covenant with the one true God, they went after false gods. In the same way, Hosea married Gomer, knowing ahead of time that she would leave him. Hosea tenderly dealt with his wife in spite of her sin. And God was merciful toward the people of Israel despite their sins. God has not changed; he is stil! merciful and forgiving. The LORD gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash* was king of Israel.
Hosea’s Wife and Children
22When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,* so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods.” 3So0 Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. 4And the LORD said, “Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence. 5I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.” 6Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—'Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. 7But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God.”
Textual footnotes
- 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant spelling of Jehoash.
- 1:11 Jezree! means “God plants.” 2:1 Verses 2:1-23 are numbered 2:3-25 in Hebrew text.
Life Application Notes 2 notes
1:11Just as the other children’s names carried significance, so did Jezreel. in verse 4, the name depicts divine judgment; here it represents planting. The name means “God plants.” This was a sign of a new day and a new relationship between God and Israel.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1403
THE BLUEPRINT A. HOSEA'S WAYWARD WIFE
(1:1—3:5)
Israel (northern kingdom) falls 722
Isaiah becomes @ prophet to Judah 740
Micah becomes a prophet to Judah 742
Hosea’s ministry ends 715
Tiglath-pileser If invades Israel 743
Hosea was commanded by God to marty a woman who would be unfaithful to him and would cause him many heartaches. Just as Gomer lost interest in Hosea and ran after other lovers, we, too, can easily lose appreciation for our special relationship with God and pursue dreams and goals that do not include him. When we compromise our Christian life-styles and adopt the ways of the world, we are being unfaithful. God wanted the people in the northern kingdom to turn from their sin and return to worshiping him alone, but they persisted in their wickedness. Throughout the book, Israel is described as ignorant of God, with no desire to please him. israel did not understand God at all, just as Gomer did not understand Hosea. Like a loving husband or patient father, God wants people to know him and to turn to him daily.
B. GOD’S WAYWARD PEOPLE (4:1—14:9) 1. Israel’s sinfulness 2. Israel’s punishment 3. God’s love for Israel
MEGATHEMES THEME The Nation’s Sin
IMPORTANCE Like Gomer, we can chase after other loves—love of power, pleasure, money, or recognition, The temptations in this world can be very seductive. Are we loyal to God, remaining completely faithful, or have other loves taken his rightful place?
Disaster surely follows ingratitude toward God and rebellion. The LORD is our only true refuge. If we harden our hearts against him, there is no safety or security anywhere else. We cannot escape God’s judgment. Have you forgotten God and become disloyal to him? Don't let prosperity diminish your love for him or let success blind you to your need for his love.
God’s Judgment
God’s Love
There is still hope for those who turn back to God. No loyalty, achievement, or honor can be compared to loving him. Turn to the LORD while the offer is still good. No matter how far you have strayed, God is willing to forgive you.
Restoration
Study feature · page 1404
and the land was divided into a northern kingdom (Israel, whose capital was Samaria) and a southern kingdom (Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem}. Although Hosea spoke mainly to the northern kingdom, his concern, like God's, was for the entire nation of Israelites including those from the kingdom of Judah. Just as Hosea prophesied, God helped Judah because Judah had a few kings who honored him. Shortly after defeating Israel, the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem. He was driven off by an angel’s powerful and dramatic intervention (Isaiah 36-37). 1:7 God said he would personally rescue the people of Judah trom their enemies with no help from their weapons or armies. Although God asks us to do our part, we should remember that he is not limited to human effort. God often chooses to work through people, but only because it is good for them. He can accomplish all his purposes without any help from us if he so chooses. You are very important to God, but on your own you have neither the ability to fulfill nor the power to disrupt God’s plans. 1:9 Here God was in essence dissolving the covenant (Jeremiah 7:23). The name of the third child conveys the finality of God’s judgment. God’s warnings recorded in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 were beginning to come true: Israel was abandoning God, and in turn, he was leaving them alone and without his blessings. 1:10 The Old Testament prophetic books sometimes use the word /srae/to refer to the people of the united kingdom (north and south) and sometimes just to the northern kingdom. In talking about past events, Hosea usually thought of Israel as the northern kingdom with its capital in Samaria. But when Hosea spoke about future events relating to God’s promises of restoration, it is difficult to understand his words as applying only to the northern kingdom because the exiled northerners would become hopelessly intermingied with their conquerors. Thus, most scholars see the promises of return as either: (1) conditional—the Israelites chose not to return to God, and therefore they were not entitled to the blessings included in the promises of restoration, or (2) unconditional—God’s promises of restoration have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and therefore the church (the new Israel) receives his blessings (Romans 9:25, 26; 1 Peter 2:10). 1:10, 11. Although israel was unfaithful, God’s commitment remained unchanged. This promise of a future reuniting confirmed the covenant made with Moses (Deuteronomy 30:1-10) and foreshadowed the prophecies of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:11-14; 31:31-40) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 11:16-21). it was a prediction of the day when all the people of God will be united