Hosea’s life was a sermon to the people of Israel. It
was an exposition of what was in the mind of God and what He
wanted to express to His people. This prophecy was in
contrast to many of the prophecies in the Old Testament in
that it covered several years and personally involved the
prophet’s life and that of his family. Another prophet who
had to involve his family was Isaiah, whose children also had
names significant to the prophet’s message to the people.
This is not to say that the messages of the other prophets
did not involve them on the personal 1eve1–Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel are among others whose lives were intricately
involved with what God spoke through them to His people.
This message came to Hosea through a command to marry.
Any young man would have been delighted to hear this news!
It was the type of woman that God wanted him to marry that
created the problem. Yet it was this very problem which
became the central theme of God’s message through Hosea. God
was the husband of Israel, a wayward wife. Accordingly, God
could have divorced her, but He loves His wife so much that
He goes in search of her and finds her in adultery as a
prostitute. He buys her back out of a life of degradation to
bri-ng her once again into a loving relationship with Himself.
There is debate whether Gomer was a harlot before Hosea
married her or whether she went into adultery later on.
Augustine and others take this whole section as figurative
since they figure god would not have a prophet do anything
contrary to His law.1 If this were a parable or allegory
why does the prophet name the father of the bride? Both the
Beacon Bible Commentary and The Bible Knowledge Commentary
take this passage Iiterally, but see Hosea speaking in
retrospect of these circumstances. They see Gomer as “one of
the common people”,2 but not as a prostitute before or at the
time of marriage. One cannot say for sure if Gomer was a
harlot before she became Hosea’s wife. She was evidently
from a nation or family which was outcast or looked down upon
which was in sin and idolatry. Was this not where God chose
to come and find his “bride”–from Abraham’s family? Abraham
could be as Diblaim, a member of the common people. He is the
father of the nation of Israel (God’s wife). Out of a sinful
human race, God chose Abraham to be the father of many
nations, including the nation of Israel (represented by Gomer).
Hosea knew God had a purpose for him to marry Gomer
since God clearly stated he was to marry a woman of this
character. Sometimes one cannot understand the amount of
time involved with many of the prophecies in the Bible and one may try to
interpret them as something which happened in just one day or
one point in time. Hosea’s message was lived out by the
prophet over many years. (talk about a long sermon!). God may
have shown Hosea His whole plan beforehand or revealed it as
he lived it out, or (most probably) God showed Hosea the
whole plan and prophecy and its significance after he lived
it out and reflected back on his life. Many times the hand
of God is not seen in one’s life until there is a reflecting
back to see God’s will at work in life’s situations.
Does it rea11y matter if Hosea knew all about his wife
before he married her? Or, is it more important that Hosea
obeyed God and let God show His love to Israe1 through him?
God wanted to show His love to the hard-hearted person
through the tender heart of Hosea. The significance of
Hosea’s life could be seen if one were open to God. Yet
Those whose hearts remained hard and closed to God’s message
just turned it into a juicy piece of gossip.
God knew Hosea’s heart and saw the love Hosea could have
for one so unlovable as Gomer. Through this God could show
His own love and devotion, justice, and faithfulness to such
unlovable and wayward people as Israel. A person could
have come to Hosea to ask how he could stand to love a woman
such as this and how he could go out and buy her back after her
unfaithfulness. Hosea could reply (after the reflecting back
on his life’s meaning) that this is what God did for His
“wife” Israel.
Hosea’s children were also used to show how God would
deal with His people. “The divinely chosen names for
Hosea’s three children served as reminders of the broken
relationship between the Lord and Israel and pointed ahead to
judgment.”3 Yet even after judgment is pronounced, God shows
His mercy toward His people by reversing the meanings of the
names. This does not mean that judgment is revoked but
rather after the judgment has been fulfilled God will restore
His people.
The name of the first-born (a son) was Jezreel. The
literal meaning being “God sows” is not the intent here, but
refers to the “bloodshed” or massacre at Jezreel by Jehu.
God will bring judgment upon the house of Jehu because he
went beyond the judgment prescribed by God upon Ahaz and
Jezebel.
Lo-Ruhamah (she is not loved) and Lo-Ammi (not my
people) show that God will cut off His people. Since Israel
did not love God, and she did not consider Him as their God,
He now states they are not loved nor are they His people.
Some commentators believe that these children were
“illegitimate, born without a father’s love . . . and Hosea
acknowledges that Gomer has played the adulteress.”5 Other
commentators see Hosea as the father but this “may simply
point to their being born in the context of (but not as a
direct result of) Gomer’s infidelity.”6
God’s judgment on the house of Jehu was in 752 BC, with
the general fulfillment coming in 734-722 BC with the
invasion of the Assyrians. This judgment was sure, and could
not have been put off any longer, as attested to by the
children’s names.
All these things were to show Israel the 1ove of God.
“His love for Israel must lead to judgment. Judgment is an
act of love, because he seeks a response from his peopler,’7
Even in judgment the people will be multiplied, not
Because of any blessing due them, but because of the promise
to Abraham. Also there is the expression of hope for the
people of Israel in that they are now “not my people’, but
later they will be “sons of the living God.” The people cast
out will again become the ones who “obtain mercy” and who are
“my people.”
The proclaimers of the gospel today need to take heed to
the life of Hosea. Divorce is rampant even among Christians.
If a spouse does not measure up to the other’s expectations,
or does not complement one’s ministry, that spouse is
declared unfit and doomed to be discarded for the sake of
Christian ministry. How would it look if others saw what the
spouse was doing? “It will ruin my ministry!” As one
reflects back on a life that is far from perfect, one may see
the hand of God, even when a spouse or child does not measure
up to expectations. The love of Hosea and the willingness to
go after a wayward family member may be how God
intended to show His love for many who observe the present
day “Hosea.” But how are they to hear or see or understand
unless one does in fact step out of “the norm” and run
shamelessly after and retrieve that unlove1y one, with all the
love that God has shown to His people?
The Gospel must be proclaimed. Yet which gospel is the
correct one? The GospeI of prosperity, of unconditional love
(that all, no matter how sinful will finally be saved without
repentance or faith in Christ), or the Gospel of judgment upon sinners?
The Gospel to be preached is the one
which states that “God so loved the world that he gave his
only son, and whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal 1ife. . . He that believes in him is not
condemned, but he who believes not is condemned already. . .”
God unashamedly came searching for His own and upon finding
them, He gave His own life to redeem them to Himself. Is this
not the message of Hosea? To proclaim the love of God in
Christ to all who will accept Him and repent, and pronounce
judgment on those who spurn any expression of God’s love for
them. Yet the offer is available as long as possible, until
it becomes too late (either at one’s death or at the end of this age)
and judgment must be administered. Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:11-15, et al.
NOTES
1 Oscar F. Reed, “Hosea,” in The Beacon Bible
Commentary. 10 voIs., ed. A. F. Harper, et al (Kansas City:
Beacon Hill Press, 1966) 5:29-30.
2 Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Hosea,” in The Bible
Knowledqe Commentarv (O1d Testament), eds. John F. Walvoord
and Roy B. Zuck, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985) l379-1380
3 Ibid, 1380.
4 Ibid, l-380. Also VanGemeren sees this as “bloodshed”
(110) referring to Jehu and the massacre at the valley of
Jezreel. Reed understands the name as “God scatters,”
meaning that the people would be scattered out of the 1and.
5 Reed, 31,32.
6 Chisholm, l380.
7 Wi1lem A. VanGemeren, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990 ) 112.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ChishoIm, Robert 8., “Hosea,” in The Bible Knowledge
Commentary,. Eds., John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck.
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, l985.
Reed, Oscar F. “Hosea,” in The Beacon Bible Commentary.
Eds., A. F. Harper, et al. Kansas City, MO: Beacon
Hill Press, 1966.
Robinson, H. Wheeler. “Hosea,” in The Abingdon Bible
Commentary. Eds., Frederick C. Eiselen, et al.
New York: Abingdon Press, 1929.
VanGemeren, Willem A. Interpreting the Prophetic Word.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan , 1990.