Context: Hosea (Hosea 1:1)
- Meaning: Hosea from Joshua or Jehoshua meaning Jehovah is salvation
- Timeline (Judah): Uzziah,Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Judah
- Uzziah was initially an OK king. But later he became proud
- He tried to burn incense – which was the job of the priests
- Became a leper in God’s house
- He tried to burn incense – which was the job of the priests
- Jotham was a good king who became mighty because he followed God
- Ahaz was an evil king who followed other gods and committed abominations
- Hezekiah was overall a good king who led both Judah and Israel back to God
- Uzziah was initially an OK king. But later he became proud
- Timeline (Israel): Jeroboam king of Israel, was an evil king right from get go
- He did everything (bad) that the first king of Israel, Jeroboam did
- Taking people away from the true God
- He did everything (bad) that the first king of Israel, Jeroboam did
- Timeline (Other prophets) during this time: Isaiah, Amos, Jonah and Micah
- People were corrupt. Exploited vulnerable folks. Followed other gods.
Compare and Contrast Jonah’s and Hosea’s call and response to God? (v1:2-3,3:1-3)
- Jonah was called to minister to Ninivah – not Israelites
- Jonah choose to flee and even die rather than obey God’s call
- Hosea was asked to marry someone with a history of prostitution
- Hosea obeyed.
How do parents choose names for kids? How about Hosea? (v1:4-6,9)
- Significance of names in the Bible:
- Genesis 17:5 … your name will be Abraham …
- Genesis 32:28 … Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel …
- Genesis 41:51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.”
- John 1:42 … You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas …
- Hosea was obedient to God with the names of his children
- Jezreel (son): Place of bloodshed – both the kings of Israel and Judah
- Lo-Ruhamah (daughter): Not loved
- Lo-Ammi (son): Not my people
How does Hosea represent God’s love for Israel and us? (v3:4-5)
- Starting with the name: Hosea – Salvation or God is Salvation.
- From Hebrew Joshua – Jehoshua. Greek: Jesus (Yeshuva).
- Children of Israel would pay for their sins, by leading their lives:
- Without political leadership: No king or a prince
- Far from God: No sacrifice, altars or priests
- However, they will not be forsaken for ever but will return and
- Will seek their God, Yahweh
- And their king, David
- Will fear their God
- God loves us so much, that Christ died for us while were yet sinners
- We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son, while we were still enemies
Conclusion / Application
- What is my level of obedience to God? In everything or only when it’s convenient?
Main Passage Hosea 1:1-9,3:1-5 – World English Bible (WEB)
1 Yahweh’s[a] word 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 Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh.”
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.
4 Yahweh said to him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease. 5 It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
6 She conceived again, and bore a daughter. Then he said to him, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah[b]; for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should in any way pardon them. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God,[c] and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.
9 He said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi[d]; for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
3 Yahweh said to me, “Go again, love a woman loved by another, and an adulteress, even as Yahweh loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods, and love cakes of raisins.”
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer[e] and a half of barley. 3 I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days. You shall not play the prostitute, and you shall not be with any other man. I will also be so toward you.”
4 For the children of Israel shall live many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without sacred stone, and without ephod or idols. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return, and seek Yahweh their God, and David their king, and shall come with trembling to Yahweh and to his blessings in the last days.
Footnotes
- 1:1 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.
- 1:6 Lo-Ruhamah means “not loved”.
- 1:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
- 1:9 Lo-Ammi means “not my people”.
- 3:2 1 homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels
Notes / Cross References
Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Chronicles 26:18-19 18 They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from Yahweh God.” 19 Then Uzziah was angry. He had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in Yahweh’s house, beside the altar of incense.
2 Chronicles 27:1-2 1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that his father Uzziah had done. However he didn’t enter into Yahweh’s temple. The people still acted corruptly.
2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Yahweh his God.
2 Chronicles 28:1-4 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, like David his father,
Romans 5:8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
2 Kings 9:27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. Jehu followed after him, and said, “Strike him also in the chariot!” They struck him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo, and died there.
