Seventh-day Adventist Bible CommentaryHosea 1

Ministry of Hosea in the Days of Jeroboam II of Israel and of Uzziah Through Hezekiah of Judah 1

HOSEA INTRODUCTION 1. Title. The book of Hosea has as its title the name of the prophet who wrote it. Hosea is the first of the twelve Minor Prophets, so called, not because they are less in importance than the Major Prophets, but because they are shorter in length. Many ancient Hebrew and Christian writers regarded the writings of the Minor Prophets as forming one book. Inasmuch as the period covered by the Minor Prophets was somewhat similar in character to our own in its spirit of materialism, commercialism, and social evils, these books have a definite and important message for us today. The name Hosea (Heb. Hosea‘) is a shortened form of the Heb. Hosha‘eyah (Jer. 42:1; 43:2), which means, “Yahweh has saved.” 2. Authorship. Nothing more is known concerning the family history of Hosea than is given in the opening verses of his prophecy. The naming of the prophet’s father, Beeri (Heb. Be’eri, “my well”), does not reveal the tribe to which Hosea belonged. We know

Nichol, F. D. (1978). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary : The Holy Bible with exegetical and expository comment. Commentary Reference Series (Ho 1:1). Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association.

nothing of the happenings of Hosea’s latter days, or the place and time of his death. However, internal evidence makes it clear that Hosea belonged to the northern kingdom, Israel, and carried on his ministry there. 3. Historical Setting. The reigns during which Hosea prophesied are dated, according to the tentative chronology used in this commentary (see Vol. II, pp. 77, 131–162), as follows: Uzziah (790–739), Jotham (750–731), Ahaz (735–715), and Hezekiah (729– 686), kings of Judah, and Jeroboam II (793–753), king of Israel. Hosea must have begun his ministry well before 753 B.C. and continued actively until some time after 729 B.C. He lived in the darkest period of the history of the kingdom of Israel, just before the nation was taken captive by Assyria. Since the book of Hosea makes no mention of this event, it is probable that it was written before the final ruin of the northern kingdom. Outwardly, Israel under Jeroboam II was prosperous and successful, more so than in any time since David and Solomon (see on Hosea 2:8). Its northern boundaries were almost as extensive as those under these early kings (see 2 Kings 14:25, 28). However, this outer glory only revealed the more the inner moral and spiritual declension of the people. Political anarchy and misrule were the order of the day. Kings took the throne after murdering their predecessors, and in turn were themselves assassinated. Shallum slew Zachariah, Menahem slew Shallum, Pekah slew the son of Menahem, Pekahiah; and Hosea, the last king of Israel, slew Pekah. Possibly it is because of this shameful anarchy that followed the reign of Jeroboam II that he alone is mentioned by Hosea, and his successors are omitted (Hosea 1:1; see on chs. 7:5; 8:4), or possibly the prophet went south into Judah after the reign of Jeroboam. Hosea repeatedly refers to the idolatrous calf worship set up by Jeroboam I (see 1 Kings 12) as a prime cause of Israel’s wickedness. This calf worship probably gave entrance later to a cruder and more inhuman worship offered to Baal and Ashtoreth, the shocking abomination of the sacrifice of children and the unspeakable degradation of gross sensuality. Hosea lived in the time of the harvest of this evil sowing. Creature worship displaced that of the Creator. No commandment of the true God was obeyed. Dishonesty, mutual distrust, deception toward God and man, prevailed. Bloodshed was rife; luxury in every form was stimulated in the prosperous days of Jeroboam II. Perverted justice was common, also oppression of the poor. Adultery was consecrated to religion. All levels of society became debauched, and blasphemy and skepticism marked the royal court. The priests, wholly devoted to idolatry, joined the people in their sinfulness, and added to the corruption that covered the land. Against this flood of iniquity in the northern kingdom Hosea was called by God to erect the dikes of rebuke, condemnation, and appeal—appeal to the invincible love of God for His erring children. But the appeals of Hosea went unheeded by an apostate people. Unrepentant, unchanged, the wicked nation held to its rebellious course of action, and was carried into the cruel captivity of Assyrian bondage. Hosea bore God’s last message to the northern kingdom prior to its fall in 723/722 B.C. 4. Theme. The dominant theme of the book of Hosea is the love of God for His erring children. The experiences through which the prophet passed in his own family life, and the feelings of his own heart toward his faithless wife, gave him a glimpse into the boundless depths of the Father’s love for His people.

In the light of this divine love the terrible wickedness of the northern kingdom appears even blacker, and Hosea in no way excuses the people for their conduct. The prophet also paints in darkest hues the dreadful retributions that will fall upon Israel if they persist in their evil ways. These warnings are not threats, but are statements of fact, showing that punishment inevitably follows sin. However, through all his writing Hosea depicts the yearning love of God for His wayward people. The book is filled with appeals to repentance and messages of hope to those who will turn again to their loving Father. 5. Outline. I. The Superscription, 1:1. II. God’s Relationship to Israel Symbolized by Hosea’s Family Experiences, 1:2 to 3:5. A. The faithfulness of Israel in the figure of the prophet’s family, 1:2–9. 1. The marriage of Hosea, 1:2, 3. 2. The birth of Jezreel, 1:4, 5. 3. The birth of Lo-ruhamah, 1:6, 7. 4. The birth of Lo-ammi, 1:8, 9. B. A promise of Israel’s future acceptance by God, 1:10 to 2:1. C. Israel’s idolatry compared to Gomer’s faithlessness, 2:2–13. D. Hosea’s love for Gomer and God’s love for Israel, 2:14–23. E. Gomer’s return to Hosea and Israel’s return to God, 3:1–5. III. Israel’s Wicked Condition and the Certainty of Punishment, 4:1–10:15 to 10:15. A. The accusation of wickedness, 4:1–7:16 to 7:16. 1. The wickedness of the people as a whole, 4:1–19. 2. The wickedness of the priests and leaders, 5:1–15. 3. An exhortation to repentance, 6:1–11. 4. The wickedness of the royal house, 7:1–16. B. The judgment upon the nation, 8:1–10:15 to 10:15. 1. The tragic harvest of foolish dependence upon Assyria, 8:1–14. 2. Removal to Assyria and decrease of population, 9:1–17. 3. Place of worship devastated and kingdom destroyed, 10:1–15. IV. A summary of God’s Dealings With Israel, 11:1 to 14:9. A. God’s mercy and love toward Israel, 11:1–11. B. Epharim’s ingratitude and wickedness contrasted with the experience of Jacob, 11:12 to 12:14. C. The divine judgment upon Ephraim, 13:1–16. D. The entreaty to return and promise of full redemption, 14:1–9.

The word of the Lord. See on Jer. 46:1. With a directness characteristic of the prophets, Hosea declares that the message he bears is not of human invention but of divine inspiration (see 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21).

Take unto thee a wife. Concerning the events here described three views have been held: a. That they represent merely a dream or a vision, and hence were not actually fulfilled in the personal life of Hosea. b. That the account is only a parable or an allegory.

c. That the account is a literal, biographical sketch of the personal family life of Hosea. The principal objection urged against the literal interpretation is that the command to take “a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms” seems inconsistent with the character of God. However, in the absence of any direct statement or hint that the passage is allegorical or that it describes a vision or dream, the most natural way to understand the passage is to regard it as a literal narrative. Many commentators favor the literal view, although they differ widely in their understanding of the details. Some have sought to justify the command of God to Hosea by observing that whatever God commands is therefore right. Others observe that the narrative by no means establishes that Gomer was of questionable character when Hosea married her, since the phrase “of whoredoms” may simply describe her ancestry, not necessarily her personal character, or may proleptically describe the woman’s future status. That she later became unfaithful appears clear (ch. 3:1–3). However, the precise time of her fall is not clearly pointed out. Of the three children born, only of the first, Jezreel, is it said that he was born to “him,” that is, to Hosea. If Gomer was of upright character when Hosea married her, then there can be no question as to a command from God to marry this woman. It was possibly a permissive command (see Num. 13:1, 2; cf. Deut. 1:22; PP 387) to marry someone he already loved. The narrative has the form of a strictly historical account, and in the absence of any real evidence to the contrary it seems preferable to take it as such. The land hath committed. The personal family experience of Hosea was made the basis of important religious instruction and appeal.

Gomer. Probably meaning “completion.” No satisfactory explanation has been found regarding the significance of this name. This adds weight to the belief that Gomer was the historical name of a literal character. The same may be said concerning the name Diblaim.

Jezreel. The meaning of the Hebrew name is “God will sow,” or “God will scatter.” Some have pointed out the play on ideas in the Hebrew name itself. Because anciently seed was scattered in the process of sowing, the word “to scatter” came also to have the meaning “to sow,” or “to plant.” The first meaning of the name Jezreel applied to the time of Gomer’s unfaithfulness, as a result of which Hosea “scattered,” or hindered, her, that is, hedged her up and restricted her privileges. Later, when she repented, Hosea “planted” her, that is, he restored her to her former status and privileges (see on ch. 2:22). Also there is a typical Hebrew play on words in the contrast of the word Jezreel with the word Israel: the latter has reference to prevailing with God for salvation (see on Gen. 32:28), the former, as used here, is a reference to being scattered by God unto destruction. The names of the prophet’s three children are significant, pointing as they do to God’s punishment of His people for their sins. Avenge. Literally, “visit”; here used in the sense of administering punishment (see on Ps. 8:4;59:5). Blood of Jezreel. At the command of God, Jehu had exterminated the whole house of Ahab in the city of Jezreel (2 Kings 9:6, 7; 10:17). Why, then, should Jehu’s action be avenged? Very likely because his motive in destroying the dynasty of Ahab was sinful. To destroy the house of Ahab fitted into Jehu’s selfish desire to obtain the kingdom. God’s purpose in exterminating the house of Ahab was to blot out completely the idolatry

so generally provoked by Ahab and Jezreel. Although Jehu brought to an end the worship of Baal, he still retained the worship of Jeroboam’s calves (see 2 Kings 10:21–31). This half fulfillment of the divine command revealed a divided heart, and so brought upon Jehu the greater condemnation, since it nullified the divine objective. He placed his own purposes before those of God, and so the sentence was pronounced upon him, “I will avenge.” A man may be employed by God to accomplish a divine purpose, and yet be rejected if his heart is not right. House of Jehu. Jehu’s son (Jehoahaz), his grandson (Jehoash or Joash), and his great- grandson (Jeroboam II) followed him on Israel’s throne; then Shallum slew the son of Jeroboam II, Zachariah, ending this royal line (2 Kings 15:8–12). Thus was fulfilled both Hosea’s prophecy and the previous word of the Lord unto Jehu (see on 2 Kings 10:30). Cause to cease. This follows because the event that ended the house of Jehu, the assassination of Zachariah, began the period of political confusion that quickly ushered in the downfall of the northern kingdom (see Vol. II, pp. 84, 85). The pronounced secular prosperity of the nation under Jeroboam II was not an evidence of divine favor. The ultimate result of disobedience was the same then as now—destruction.

At that day. When the northern kingdom would be destroyed. Break the bow. That is, destroy the military might of Israel. Valley of Jezreel. The punishment upon the nation was depicted as taking place in the same region where Jehu slew the family of Ahab (see 2 Kings 9:15–37). For the meaning of the word “Jezreel” see on Hosea 1:4.

Bare a daughter. Some have found it significant that the record does not state, bare “him” a child, as was stated concerning Jezreel (see v. 3). This fact has led them to conclude that Lo-ruhamah was not a child of Hosea, but was born as a result of the adultery of Gomer. This view is strengthened if ch. 2 is taken to be the actual experience of the prophet with his wife, Gomer (see on ch. 2:4). Lo-rohamah. Heb. Lo’ruchamah, “not pitied,” or “not having received compassion.” Paul, referring to the prophecy of Hosea, apparently interprets the phrase as meaning “not beloved” (Rom. 9:25), and Peter, doubtless referring to the same general passage, speaks of a people that “had not obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:10). The nation of Israel was at the place where a God of love could no longer have compassion upon it (see Gen. 6:3). Utterly take them away. The LXX reads, “surely set myself in array against them.” This is evidently a reference to the soon-coming Assyrian captivity.

But I will have mercy. The spiritual condition of the southern kingdom, “the house of Judah,” was much better than that of the northern kingdom. Although there was a spiritual decline in Judah, the nation as a whole still held, in some measure, to the worship of God, to the Law, to the Temple services and to the sacrifices that pointed forward to the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This called forth divine compassion upon the southern kingdom in reproachful contrast with that denied the kingdom of Israel. Will save them. God did save Judah from the fate suffered by Samaria in 723/722; he saved them later from Sennacherib by slaying the 185,000 in the Assyrian camp (2 Kings 19:35, 36; Isa. 37:36, 37). Will not save them by bow. Judah, though tainted with idolatry, did to a considerable degree maintain its devotion and trust in God rather than in military strength as did Israel. The detailed mention of armed forces here strikingly emphasizes the truth that when God

delivers His people He does not need bow or sword, horses or horsemen, to gain the victory; and that these, when used, cannot save without Him (see Ps. 20:7; Isa. 31:1).

Bare a son. Again there is no positive statement that the prophet is the father of this child (see on v. 6).

Lo-ammi. Heb. Lo’ ‘ammi, “not my people.” Some see in this name a final recognition by Hosea of the adultery of Gomer; that is, the prophet is saying that the child is not of his family. In any event, the name given to the child was symbolic of God’s relationship to the northern kingdom of Israel. Ye are not my people. In this strong fashion God indicates His rejection of Israel as a nation because of their sins, the severance of His covenant relation with them.

Yet the number. Mingled with the prophecy of the breakup of the kingdom of Israel (v. 4) is the promise of restoration. Note the resemblance here to the promise given to Abraham (Gen. 22:17), and to that given to Jacob (Gen. 32:12). The promised restoration would not be to the ten tribes as such, but to Israel and Judah together (see on v. 11). However, the children of Israel did not live up to the glorious destiny that the Lord had planned for them (see pp. 30–32). The apostle Paul shows how this prophecy will be fulfilled with respect to the Gentiles (Rom. 9:25, 26; see pp. 35, 36). Sons of the living God. This promise now meets its fulfillment in the Christian church. Through the acceptance by faith of the gospel we, whether Jews or Gentiles, are adopted as individuals into the family of God (Rom. 9:24–26), and so become heirs of eternal life (see John 1:11, 12; Rom. 8:14–17; Gal. 3:26, 29; Rev. 21:7; cf. Paul’s illustration of the grafting into the fig tree of true Israel, Rom. 11). It was on the basis of the covenant relationship that God acknowledged Israel as His “people.” The name Lo’ ‘ammi thus implied an annulment of the covenant, and the statement, “Ye are the sons of the living God,” its restoration.

Children of Judah. Judah and Israel are spoken of together to indicate that God’s plan for His chosen people was that they should be united in one nation. Later prophets emphasized this same truth (see Jer. 3:18; 50:4, 5, 33; Eze. 37:16–22; etc.). Representatives from the tribes of Israel were among the exiles who returned after the captivity of Judah (see on Ezra 6:17). Come up out of the land. Evidently a reference to the return from the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. Jezreel. Whereas in v. 4 Hosea uses the name “Jezreel” to represent the scattering of the people, here (as in ch. 2:22, 23) the prophet employs “Jezreel” to express the sowing of God’s love and mercy toward His people. This chapter stresses the truth that “God is not mocked” (Gal. 6:7). If we disobey Him, we cannot expect to escape the penalty for our transgressions. Hosea’s three children, representing the apostate children of Israel, declare by their names the successively severer punishments for this apostasy. However, divine mercy is here pictured as strongly as is divine judgment. God is a God of justice and love (see Ps. 85:10; 89:14).