Hosea 1

Introduction to the book. Hosea apparently prophesied for a long time. Given the names of the kings he worked under (1:1), he probably preached for at least 50 years. He lived in the 8th century B.C. (the 700s), and his main message was a proclamation of doom upon the northern kingdom of Israel for their idolatry. Indeed, Samaria will be sacked by the Assyrians in 722/21 B.C., and the people of the 10 tribes carried off into captivity. Actually, the period of Jeroboam II (the Jeroboam mentioned in 1:1) was a very prosperous time in Israel. But it didn’t last long.

The Lord commands the prophet to take a harlot for a wife, “for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD,” (v. 2). It is possible, in order to make the image precise, that Gomer (the wife) was not a prostitute when Hosea married her, but became one afterwards. This would fit better the way the Lord viewed the progress of Israel. Regardless, Gomer bore three children, all of them significant. The first, Hosea’s child, was named Jezreel. The second and third children are not specifically noted as being the prophet’s, so they may not have been. The second child, a daughter, was named Lo-Ruhamah, which means “no mercy,” so named “for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away,” (v. 6). The third child, a son, was name Lo-Ammi, “no people,” or “not my people,” for “you are not My people, and I will not be your God,” (v. 9). God has finished with the northern kingdom of Israel. No mercy, you aren’t My people any more.  A sad, and totally unnecessary, ending for these 10 tribes.

Yet the real fascinating child is the first. “"Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel,” (v. 4). The events referred to here regarding the house of Jehu are recorded in II Kings 9 and 10. God had commanded Jehu to utterly obliterate the house of the wicked king Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. Jehu had indeed done what God told him. And yet now, through Hosea, the Lord says that what Jehu did would “bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.” It was the final straw. God’s patience had run out. Now, no mercy, not my people.

But…Jehu had done what God told him to! The act by which God finally decided to end the northern kingdom of Israel was an act of obedience! What did Jehu do wrong? Folks, obedience to God is a two-part matter—doing what He says, and doing it from the right motive. Jehu didn’t really care what God wanted; he wished to solidify his throne, and butchering the remaining family of Ahab was a good way to do it. He did what the Lord commanded, but not with a pure heart. And as a result, God brought an end to the northern kingdom of Israel.

This is a tremendous lesson for us, one of the greatest illustrations in Scripture, in my opinion. It is not sufficient just to do what God commands; outward obedience is vain without inward purity. That lesson is taught all through Old and New Testaments, and exemplified powerfully in Hosea 1. And it’s a warning which we must heed if we would be well pleasing in His sight. Reader, don’t just examine what you do, but also why you do it.

If anybody ever told you Christianity is easy, they either weren’t very wise or were pulling your leg.

Hosea 1 ends with a positive promise, but it fits in better with the first verses of chapter 2, so that’s where I’ll discuss it.