Name means: “Deliverance.”
Home: Probably Israel, perhaps Samaria.
Family: Son of Beeri; husband of Gomer; father of two sons, Jezreel (“God Scatters”) and Lo-Ammi (“Not-My-People”), and a daughter, Lo-Ruhamah (“No-Mercy”).
Occupation: Prophet (c. 755–710 B.C.).
Best known as: The principal prophet to Israel in the years just prior to its fall to Assyria (722 B.C.).
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Prodigal Wife, Prodigal People
The Lord called Hosea to an unusual marriage, commanding him to take “a wife of harlotry” (Hos. 1:2). Gomer may have been unfaithful to a previous husband, or she may have worked as a prostitute, possibly as a participant in the idolatrous rites practiced by Israel.
Gomer symbolized Israel’s spiritual adultery. Israel had almost entirely abandoned worship as prescribed in the Law. The people had adopted the religions of surrounding cultures, particularly the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Moabites, whose fertility cults involved ritual sexual intercourse with prostitutes attached to pagan temples (see “The Abominations of the Canaanites” at Lev. 18:24–30).
God rejected these practices, labeling them “harlotries.” The Lord, not the Canaanite god Baal, ruled the land. He was Israel’s faithful lover and bountiful provider (Hos. 2:8).
Like Israel, Gomer left her loving husband and returned to her unfaithfulness. She apparently ended up on the slave market, put up for sale by another lover. Hosea bought her back for fifteen shekels and some barley (3:2). This was the common price of a slave, a fairly minor expense. But the purchase represented a costly and painful sacrifice by Hosea, who had been exposed to personal agony and public humiliation by Gomer’s wandering ways. The prophet mirrored God’s love for His prodigal people, illustrating the reconciliation that would someday take place (3:4, 5).
The New Testament likens the relationship between believers and Christ to marriage (Eph. 5:25–33). When Christians abandon Christ and adopt beliefs, values, practices, and rituals unworthy of Him, they engage in the same unfaithfulness that Israel committed against the Lord (2 Cor. 11:2–4).
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God called Hosea to pursue a love far deeper than emotional attraction or sexual passion. This love was a conscious choice by Hosea to devote himself to Gomer regardless of her response. Hosea’s marriage was a living picture of God’s marriage to the spiritually adulterous nation of Israel.
The Old Testament explores all the stages of Israel’s relationship with God using the metaphor of marriage. Prophecies by Jeremiah and Ezekiel add to the lessons seen in Hosea:
Stage: Betrothal
Israel’s Prophets: Jer. 2:2
Hosea’s Marriage: Hos. 1:2
Stage: Marriage
Israel’s Prophets: Ezek. 16:8–14
Hosea’s Marriage: Hos. 1:3
Stage: Adultery
Israel’s Prophets: Jer. 5:7; Ezek. 16:15–34
Hosea’s Marriage: Hos. 3:1
Stage: Estrangement
Israel’s Prophets: Jer. 3:8–10; Ezek. 16:35–52
Stage: Restoration
Israel’s Prophets: Ezek. 16:53–63
Hosea’s Marriage: Hos. 3:5
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Sin can be subtle and seductive, but its outcomes always prove devastating. Hosea attempted to shock God’s people into an awareness of the dangers of their patterns of sin and disobedience. Throughout the Book of Hosea, the prophet gives vivid insights into sin’s nature and impact.
• Sin brings severe consequences. The pain of sin may not be immediate but it is nevertheless inevitable. The names of Hosea’s children illustrate sin’s tragic results: Jezreel (“God Scatters”), named for the Valley of Jezreel (see the site’s profile at 2 Kin. 9:37), where the Lord vowed to punish the nation’s transgressions (Hos. 1:3–5); Lo-Ruhamah (“No-Mercy”), indicating that mercy is thwarted by habitual sin (1:6, 7); and Lo-Ammi (“Not-My-People”), indicating the separation that sin causes between people and their Creator (1:8–10).
• Sin deludes and enslaves. Sin causes bondage similar to lust or addiction (4:11–13). The habit of sin is one of the hardest ones to break.
• Sin is a sinner’s responsibility. Wrongdoing cannot be attributed to someone or something else, as with children blaming their parents (see “Blaming Parents” at Ezek. 18:2) or men blaming the source of temptation (Hos. 4:14).
• Sin separates a sinner from God. Uncontrolled appetites distract a person from seeking God (5:4).
• Sin erodes a sinner’s moral resolve. Sin eats away at a person’s integrity, self-control, and ability to keep commitments (6:4–11).
• Sin makes life futile. No matter how successful a person may appear on the outside, sin produces nothing of lasting significance (8:7–10).
More: Scripture is straightforward about sin’s devastation, but it also reveals God’s solution. See “Salvation: Past, Present, and Future” at Rom. 5:6–11.
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Gilgal and Beth Aven were two of forty-eight Levitical cities, settlements set aside for use by the Levites, who were not allowed to own land. God designed these cities as centers of spiritual influence where the Law was taught and justice was served. Gilgal and Beth Aven had been major centers of Israel’s civic and religious life, but by Hosea’s day, they were notorious for their idolatry. Beth Aven (meaning “House of Idolatry”) was actually a name the prophet used to mock Bethel (meaning “House of God”), the city’s actual name. Learn more at Bethel’s profile at Genesis 28:19; Gilgal’s profile at Joshua 5:9; and “From Holiness to Harlotry” at Hosea 10:5–8.
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The latter portions of the Book of Hosea refer to the northern kingdom of Israel as Ephraim, a name with historical, geographical, and symbolic significance.
Ephraim (“Fruitfulness”) was Joseph’s second son (Gen. 41:50–52). Contrary to tradition (see “Birthrights” at Gen. 25:31), when Joseph’s father Jacob blessed his two grandsons, Ephraim received the better blessing and brighter forecast (48:19).
Following the Exodus, Ephraim became one of Israel’s leading tribes, in part because Joshua, Moses’ general and successor, was an Ephraimite (Num. 13:8, where the name Joshua is rendered “Hoshea”). Ephraim was assigned land in central Canaan just north of Dan, Judah, and Benjamin, including the important religious and political centers of Bethel, Shiloh, and Shechem.
Ephraim saw the tribe of Judah as its major rival. After Saul’s death, Ephraim joined with other northern tribes in a civil war against David (2 Sam. 2:8–11). The tribes later submitted to David (5:1–3) as well as to Solomon. But when Solomon’s successor Rehoboam announced a tax increase, the ten northern tribes quickly denounced Judah’s king and appointed an Ephraimite rebel named Jeroboam as their ruler (1 Kin. 12:16–20).
Ephraim’s influence over the northern kingdom was solidified. Jeroboam made Shechem his capital and erected an idolatrous worship center at Bethel (12:25, 29). Over time, the name Ephraim came to stand for the entire northern kingdom of Israel (Is. 7:9).
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Hosea preached that every hill in Israel had become an idolatrous trap set to ensnare the Israelites, whether priests, people, or king.
The city of Mizpah (see Mizpah’s profile at Judg. 20:1) lay in the south of Israel, about eight miles north of Jerusalem. Built on a hill, it was probably the site of a pagan religious shrine (see “The High Places” at Deut. 12:2). The spectacular promontory of Mount Tabor overlooked the Sea of Galilee in the north and was also the site of an idolatrous sanctuary. These two sites symbolized Israel’s nationwide devotion to idolatry. Hosea put into poetry the thoughts of another biblical writer: “The children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city” (2 Kin. 17:9).
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As the capital of the northern kingdom, Samaria became a symbol of all of Israel’s sins. Built around 875 B.C. by King Omri, the city was home to an unbroken line of sinful kings (Hos. 7:3). The city was infamous for its idolatry. See Samaria’s profile at 1 Kings 16:24.
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Those who warn of modern society’s moral and spiritual decline should study Hosea’s approach to speaking up. He used metaphors to help his nation see its spiritual condition. He described Israel as:
• Contaminated (Hos. 7:8). Israel allowed the pagan religions of surrounding nations to pollute its spirituality. The people shamelessly violated the first and second Commandments (Ex. 20:3, 4) and set up defenses through political alliances instead of relying on the Lord (for example, 2 Kin. 16:5, 6).
• Half-baked (Hos. 7:8). An unturned cake was like a pancake burned on one side and runny on the other. Israel was half-baked because it was concerned with material issues but not with spiritual ones.
• Weakened and feeble (7:9). The “aliens” (Hebrew: zarim) Hosea refers to were allies like Assyria and Egypt who only appeared to be friends (2 Kin. 15:17–20; 17:3, 4). These enemy nations “devoured” Israel’s strength by requiring heavy tribute. Yet their insidious attack occurred imperceptibly over a period of about forty years, so that the Israelites barely noticed their own decline.
• Arrogant (7:10). Despite many setbacks that took place between the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (c. 782–753 B.C.) and the foolish reign of Hoshea, Israel’s last king (c. 732–722 B.C.), the nation lived under the illusion that it remained strong. The people arrogantly resisted God right up to the end of their kingdom (2 Kin. 17:13–18).
Israel’s experience shows that material prosperity cannot sustain a nation forever. Without godliness at the core, moral weakness will hasten a society’s collapse.
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After Solomon’s death, Jeroboam I founded the northern kingdom of Israel. Fearing that his people might return to Judah if they made religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem, he set up rival worship centers at Bethel in the south and Dan in the north (1 Kin. 12:28–33). Bethel (“House of God”) became so infamous as an idolatrous shrine that it was renamed Beth Aven (“House of Harlotry”).
Bethel’s transformation from holiness to harlotry was a tragic reversal of the city’s legacy. The early Israelites often built an altar to mark a sacred place where God had intervened in human history and fulfilled His promises. Abraham and Jacob had erected pillars at or near ancient Bethel to mark their covenant with God and His promises of blessing (Gen. 12:8; 28:22; 31:13). Under Jeroboam, this sacred space was defiled.
Yet a downward spiral can be reversed. As part of a campaign of sweeping reforms, King Josiah of Judah tore down Jeroboam’s idols and high places (2 Kin. 23:15). He proved that with God’s help, change can happen for the better. Our communities constantly rise or fall. Our aim is to create cities that deserve names of honor.
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Admah and Zeboiim were two of five “cities of the plain” that the Lord destroyed with fire and brimstone (Gen. 14:2, 8; 19:24, 25). The most notorious were Sodom and Gomorrah. By linking Israel to these cities, the Lord indicated how evil His people had become and how ready He was to wipe their sins from the face of the earth. In light of His relentless love for His people, He promised that He would not destroy them as completely as the cities of the plain—even though Israel unquestionably deserved it.
More: Sodom was often used as a standard to measure wickedness. See “Equal Sin and Unequal Punishment” at Lam. 4:6 and Sodom and Gomorrah’s profile at Gen. 18:20.
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Hosea alluded to Jacob’s wrestling with God at Penuel as well as the patriarch’s vision of a ladder reaching to heaven at Bethel (compare Gen. 28:10–22; 32:24–32). The events mirror two sides of Israel’s relationship with God: the nation’s rebellious struggle with Lord, and the Lord’s merciful revelation of Himself. For more on the sites of these incidents, see Penuel’s profile at Judges 8:8 and Bethel’s profile at Genesis 28:19.
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The Bible’s pages are filled with accounts of dying and death—of the good and the evil, the powerful and the weak, kings and peasants, faithful and sinners. Even God confronted death’s painful reality in the crucifixion of His Son Jesus.
But the Bible challenges death’s ultimate victory. Hosea, for example, promised that God would ransom His faithful people from the power of the grave: “I will redeem them from death,” the Lord vowed. The prophet’s declaration is delivered in a taunting song that ridicules death’s power. Other biblical writers also affirm God’s power over death:
• Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden allowed death to enter the world. But the words of God’s curse also included a word of hope: the tempter who brought sin and death into the world would be conquered (Gen. 3:14, 15). Death will not have the final word.
• Isaiah promised that God will “swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces” (Is. 25:8).
• Even as Jeremiah lamented the tragic death of the holy city, he reminded his listeners that God’s mercies are “new every morning.” They can “hope in Him” because salvation is from the Lord (Lam. 3:22–27).
• Paul echoed Hosea when he asked, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” He added, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55–57).
• John foresaw the end of death in his vision of a new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1, 4).
Because Christ offers everlasting life in His presence to those who believe in Him (John 11:25, 26), Christians can sing with hope and praise at the funerals of fellow believers. Even as mourners lament the loss of loved ones in this life, they can confidently rest in the expectation of reuniting with them in heaven.
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Surprised by God
The last thing Ida Scudder (1870–1960) wished for was to spend her life serving in India. As the daughter of medical missionaries Dr. John and Sophia Scudder, she grew up haunted by the faces of hunger and disease she encountered in that immense nation, distraught that she had only a chunk of bread to give to each child who lined up at their door. One piece would not fill them up.
Scudder’s grandparents had served in India as the nation’s first medical missionaries. Her father and mother followed in their path, and Scudder was born in Ranipet in southern India. Famine and epidemic sent the family home to the States when Scudder was around eight years old. Her parents returned to India when she was thirteen, leaving her in the care of an aunt and uncle while she finished her schooling. Scudder cried uncontrollably after she was left behind, nursing her loneliness and feelings of abandonment.
A few years later, the famous evangelist and pastor Dwight L. Moody invited Scudder to study at his Northfield Seminary in Massachusetts. At school Scudder was described as a lively and energetic young woman who excelled at pranks, including “borrowing” the screws from the school’s main gate before the headmistress’s arrival.
Scudder dreamed of getting married and settling down, but an urgent cable from her father pressed her to return to India in order to care for her ailing mother. Once at her mother’s side, she felt fresh pressure to carry out the family tradition of medical missions. Besides looking after her mother, she was enlisted to lead a school of sixty-eight girls. All the while, her friends begged her to come back home to the joys of being a young woman in America.
But one particular night in India changed Scudder’s life forever. Three times she heard a knock at the door. Each time a different man pleaded for help for his wife, who was experiencing difficulty in childbirth. Each refused assistance from Scudder’s father, however, because it was against custom for a woman to be seen by a male doctor. There was nothing Scudder could do, and the next morning all three women were dead. She shut herself up in her room and thought and prayed seriously about the condition of India’s women. She then told her parents that she needed to go home to study medicine. She would come back to help.
Scudder earned her medical degree from Cornell University and returned to India in 1900 with enough money to build a hospital in the southern city of Vellore. Soon after she arrived, her father died. At first the local population was reluctant to accept her, but within two years she had treated thousands of patients. She worked in her hospital and at roadside clinics in remote locations. She began to train scores of nurses, and realizing that one female doctor could not better the health of India’s women alone, she opened a medical school for women in 1918.
Scudder became a revered figure in India, retiring officially at age seventy-five but continuing to work for a decade longer. Her response to God’s call made her one of forty-two members of four generations of Scudders who have given more than a thousand years of combined medical missionary service to India. Like the prophet Hosea, Scudder followed the leading of the Lord even though the direction was unexpected, the destination unwanted. In the end she found that His way was the best way—the only way—for her.
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