Hosea’s name means “salvation.” He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel from about 786-746 BC during the reign of King Jeroboam II. At this time, northern Israel was enjoying physical prosperity, they were at peace, and everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Then Hosea was called as a prophet to bring the nation to repentance. They had a serious sin problem. Israel had consistently moved away from God, who had not only saved them from Egypt but established a covenant relationship with them. As a sign and image for northern Israel, Hosea was commanded by God to restore his own marriage. His wife had committed adultery, but rather than put her away, Hosea was to take her back. This adultery, no doubt, brought Hosea cultural shame and very real pain and anguish, but this is what God was willing to do for Israel. Israel had been unfaithful to their covenant with the LORD. They would bear the consequences of their decisions, yet, even still, God promised to redeem them.
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Up Next in August 2025
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The Fall; Hosea 5-7
Hosea is a hard book to read. Hosea had to deal with the difficult realities of his own life while demonstrating the very similar situation between God and the nation of Israel. It always strikes me here that the Bible is clearly not a book of propaganda for Israel. If it is, it is a really bad o...
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Changed Life; Hosea 8-14
Looks can be deceiving. During the life of the prophet Hosea, the northern nation of Israel was both prosperous and strong. As far as she was concerned, and as far as the physical evidence went, Israel was blessed by God. Except, their material blessing was not based on their righteousness. When ...
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Cause and Effect; Amos 1-4
The principle of cause and effect is important for us to remember. Every action that we take has a consequence. For ancient Israel, they had attempted to alter the unalterable terms of their agreement with God, and the result was that they became callous to God and His ways. Amos called this out ...
