Hosea 1-14

You are being asked to read the entire prophecy of Hosea. Since the reading is long, you may want to separate it into two days. From Ezekiel we are stepping back 200 years and moving from being in exile in the south under Babylon to being threatened with exile in the north under Assyria. The prophecy is a protest of an alliance created by Jeroboam II with the nation of Assyria. Practically, speaking this was a good move, and likely saved the northern kingdom from being taken over for a generation. But to Hosea, this was crawling in bed with a harlot, a deal with the devil.

The prophecy begins with a vivid and disturbing object lesson. Hosea is told by God to find a prostitute named Gomer and marry her. For the man of God to go see a prostitute yet marry her would be unthinkable, which is Hosea's point. What Israel has done is unthinkable and astonishingly wrong. His wife's full name is Gomer bat Diblaim and is known in literature of the time as a Canaanite cult prostitute involved in the sexual worship of Ba'al and Astarte, two fertility gods who were considered husband and wife. The Golden Calf of Exodus 32 in the days of Moses would likely have been in the form of a Cannanite Ba'al. Then notice the symbolic names of their children: Jezreel (meaning "God sows" - a harvest of punishment to come and a recall of sinful history that started the family reign of Jehu's dynasty), Lo-Ruhamah (meaning "no mercy", merciless punishment coming), Lo-Ammi (meaning "not my people" in constrast to "I will be your God and you will be my people"). Yet, in chapter 1:10, there is still the promises of restoration. This is further stated in 2:16, "On that day, say the LORD, you will call me, "My husband" and no longer will you call me "My Ba'al."

Now let's skip to the beginning of chapter 3. Is Hosea being commanded to go and love another adultress, or is it Gomer? Most commentators think this is a restatement of his marriage to Gomer, and this time it is to tell the story of redemption. He pays for her, gives her a time of purification and then takes her as his own wife. The one who was sinful is brought into a covenant relationship. The one who is without hope or a future is given a whole new life.

The harlotry of Israel is found in three things: her forgetfulness of the LORD in providing, guiding, protecting and establishing them as a people, her idol worship following the gods of the area, and her making an alliance with a nation that worships other gods. The rest of the prophecy continues the rhythm of unfaithfulness, punishment, grace and restoration.

Chapter 4:1-3 uses powerful language. The unfaithfulness and the violence of the people recalls the murder of Abel by Cain, where "the ground cries out to God." In North America among Native-American tribes, at the birth of a child the umbilical cord is still buried in the ground to remind the people that they are one with the land. Hebrew understanding is similar that we are dust (Adamah) and to dust we one day return and the land cries out when there is murder and violence. Here, even the fish of the sea are perishing. This all reminds me of Paul's word in Romans where "all of creation is in travail" awaiting the redemption of the children of God. This raises the question of whether there is cosmic pain because of personal and corporate sin. From polluted waters, cancer-causing air, to global warming, we know this to be literally true. But how else might creation itself be suffering from the sinfulness and unfaithfulness of God's people?

Notice that Hosea is an equal opportunity offender, indicting both the northern and southern kingdoms. Chapter 7 reminds me of Jonathan Edward's sermon in early Americana, "Sinners in the hands of an angry God." You can picture the searing heat of the furnace prepared by God's kindling wrath. The end of chapter 7 calls into question the alliances that eventually both kingdoms make in order to survive. The northern kingdom makes an alliance with Assyria, while the southern kingdom makes alliances with both Assyria and Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 is a familiar verse to us because of the Christmas story. In Matthew's gospel when they return from Egypt after Herod's death, this verse is quoted. Hosea 14 then gives a final call for repentance, a return to the Lord. God is both the punisher and the redeemer, a God of wrath and gracious mercy.

For teaching purposes, having studied together the prophecy of Hosea, you are then able to apply contemporary questions for learning, just as I did with Hosea 4 above. Some questions could be: How is Israel today still being unfaithful to God and trusting in her history and her alliances? More to the point, how are we as the USAmerican Church doing the same thing? What does redemption look like in a broader scope, not just my personal redemption? In II Chronicles 7:14, God says to Solomon,

"If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land."

What part might repentance and spiritual revival play in healing the seemingly insurmountable problems of our day? Will we continue to prostrate ourselves before our own technology and our military preparedness and our ability to spread Americana around the world or will we turn to God? How might we be playing the role of the harlot? What if the church started to really raise that question? Are we willing to be called unpatriotic and unAmerican? Are we willing to be prophetic, and if so, how?