HOSEA 1
The word of the Lord 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 the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”– Hosea 1:1-5
HOSEA 1 CALLED TO OBEDIENCE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Would you heed to God’s call even if it doesn’t make sense?
When you fear the Lord and you know him well
You would obey just like Hosea followed God’s demand
He took a prostitute for a wife to submit to his Master.
Sources say that Hosea prophesied during the latter half of the eighth century B.C. which was an extremely difficult time in Israel’s history, just before the northern kingdom went into exile. Hosea’s primary audience was Ephraim (another name for the northern kingdom, Israel), which is mentioned 35 times in the book. Hosea wanted to see Israel turn back to God. Israel was supposed to be the Lord’s bride but instead, she joined herself to the false god Baal. In Exodus 20, it states that they shall not have any other gods before the Lord. By doing so, they violated this command. Just like in a covenant marriage, Israel betrayed her union with God by serving Baal. Hosea calls it spiritual adultery, an offense against the marriage covenant between the Lord and Israel. He compares Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness to the ingratitude of a wayward wife.
More commentaries say that God didn’t want punishment for the betrayal. Instead, he wants Israel to turn away from their sin. He wants them to return to the One who first loved them and who can provide what is best for them. To make a point, God commands Hosea to take a prostitute for a wife to illustrate further to Israel that their unfaithfulness to him grieves him and he wants them back.
REFLECTION
- Would you obey the Lord even if it would go against your understanding? Why?
