Hosea Overview for tomorrow

The theme of this book is easy.  God has a covenant relationship with the people of Israel (and you).  God loves His people and has promised to bless them (and you).   BUT they (we) must love God and be faithful to the Word.  The book will present a marriage (covenant) and the spouse becomes unfaithful (Israel).

Reasons for the unfaithful wife (Israel, us) will be clearly spelled out.  See if any are applicable today:

• Israel does not really know God because they have not read the Scriptures (or taught them to their children…a conversation I had JUST tonight with my friend Randall)
• They display no concrete loyalty, breaking the covenant (what the scriptures say) in many different ways.  Instead of trusting God, they trust in others or themselves for security.
• They are not truthful with God-they rationalize their sin or are deceptive. They claim one thing but do another.

Like a wife who deceived her husband and loves two men.  The Israelites claim to be with God but act like they don’t.

Hosea means Salvation.   The prophet Hosea is instructed by God to marry an unfaithful woman, and he found in his own life a vivid illustration of the unfaithfulness of God’s people and the faithfulness of God.

I believe this story to be Historical to show an analogy.  (Some think it is just an allegory, but I think if it wasn’t historical, God would have noted that)

This book is: Love, God’s Covenant, Relationship with His people, Judgement, and Hope.

• Hosea was the only prophet to come from Israel (northern kingdom).
• This book is written after the fall of their capital Samaria.
• After the judgment on God’s people, Israel didn’t turn towards Him, instead, they went further away from the Lord.  The country was in rapid decline morally and politically. (ummmmm)
• For the past 200 years, the Golden Calf has been the official national god, and God has sent prophet after prophet preaching to the people to change their ways.
• In the meantime, other world powers (Rome and India) are growing, and they are not even noticing.
• Buddhism is a new religion and beginning to grow.

The book of Hosea is a one-sided story of faithfulness that represents the relationship between Israel and God.  Gomer is married to Hosea like Israel is married to God like the Church is married to God. (We are HOMER in the story).  

The story has two characters, the faithful husband and the adulterous wife.  She chases after other gods, idolatry, and materialism. 

If you have read the book “Redeeming Love’ by Francine Rivers you know how it ends.  But if you know God you already know how it ends.

-with Forgiveness ❤️.