The Gospel of Hosea: A Big-Picture Summary

The Gospel of Hosea: A Big-Picture Summary.

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.” (Flannery O’Conner).

On Prophets as Actors in God’s Street Theater. If the biblical world was a classroom, God’s prophets were the visual aids. As the Lord’s mouthpieces, they were often called upon to be symbols of His messages. Since they were instructed to be dramatic illustrations of the word of the Lord that help the people to read God’s mind, the people not only heard the word, but they also literally saw the word. So prophets were often asked to make spectacles of themselves. Sometimes they went from being mouthpieces to megaphones in their actions. They were often held up for ridicule, mockery and rejection. Because prophets were obedient to a fairly unpredictable God, they were often dismissed as cranks and eccentrics and not taken seriously. Prophets were often instructed to be living object lessons, so they had to learn how to swallow their pride and embrace public humiliation. Sometimes prophets did things that should be glossed over in Sunday School if not totally ignored. At times we have to wince when we read of a prophet’s antics, and we want to file it under “Do not try this at home.” We can often take a light-hearted approach to their street theater. In such cases we can take to heart G. K. Chesterton’s words, “He who has the Faith has the fun.” But other times their performance art does not even approach comic relief. It is difficult and painful and definitely not fun. All this translates into God’s biblical prophets being spiritual live wires, engaging personalities, and real characters ready for anything. The prophets may have struggled at times with accepting God’s instructions and thought twice about what God wanted them to do for Him. But in the end they all settled into being holy fools for the Kingdom.

Hosea, the Book. The book of Hosea is the oldest of “The Twelve,” which is what the Hebrew tradition has called the collection of what others refer to as the “minor prophets“… minor in the sense of fewer words and thus shorter, not minor in the sense of being less significant. It was the first book in Scripture since the ketubah, the marriage ceremony on Mt. Sinai, to use the picturesque imagery of marriage to describe the Lord’s covenant relationship with His chosen people. Later prophets picked up on this powerful image, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, extending all the way to the New Testament with St. Paul.  Most of the content of Hosea is in poetic form, offering many vivid word pictures and figurative language in trying to describe Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord… a promiscuous wife, an indifferent mother, a stubborn heifer, an overheated oven, a half-baked cake, an illegitimate child, a treacherous bow, an ungrateful son, a silly dove, the morning mist, and wild grapes grown in the wilderness. God is imaginatively pictured as well, as a bear, a lion, a husband, a leopard, dew, rain, and even a moth.  Some key themes in Hosea include:

1. Israel’s Covenant with Yahweh. (Hebrew, “berith“). The Covenant was an enduring, two-way promise of faithfulness and loyalty with both sides having their obligations; a solemn alliance establishing a binding relationship of blessing and accountability; an official pledge of mutual commitment. Our God is a covenant-keeping God, establishing five covenants in Scripture: with Noah after the Flood, promising never to destroy the earth again; with Abraham, promising his family to be the Chosen People that will occupy the Holy Land; with Moses, promising blessings and curses based on their marriage-like relationship with Yahweh; with David, promising the future Messiah would come through his family line; through Jesus and the promise of a New Covenant of salvation. The Hebrew word for faith (“pistis“), is actually a covenant word that involves both God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises and a person’s loyal trust in God as a response. One biblical scholar put it this way… “Pistis-faith embodies the entire spectrum of a faithful, trusting and loyal covenant relationship between God and His people, encompassing both belief and steadfast action.” The mystery is that, based on His heart of grace and favor, when people do not live up to their side of the covenant with God and are persistently rebellious, God chooses to live up to His side of the covenant regardless. Even with the human side of the promise being broken, God remains faithful to His promises, forever loyal because of his mercy.
2. Baal Worship. Throughout the book, God catalogues Israel’s unfaithfulness to their covenant with Him, especially through their idolatry regarding the god Baal. Yahweh continues to hammer down on their whoring after Baal and being spiritually promiscuous in their worship of it. Baal was primarily their weather god who controlled the fertility of their crops and the productivity of their agricultural life. Worshippers used sexual acts with temple prostitutes, ritual prostitution, as their way of assuring fertility in their land. Yahweh considered Himself Israel’s bride, so chasing after Baal is best described in Glod’s eyes as religious fornication, as being spiritually unfaithful and adulterous. This sexual focus in their Baal worship led to other sexual sins in Israel such as bestiality and incest. Throughout Hosea, the Lord builds His case of how their spiritual adultery has led them into such cultural corruptions as violence, injustice, arrogance, hypocrisy, and attitudes of rebellion and ingratitude. Israel’s moral disintegration compels Hosea to continue his prophetic work of warning, accusing, appealing to the people, even promising them of God’s mercy and their restoration and protection from enemies if only they would return to Yahweh.
3. Knowledge of God. “There is no knowledge of God in the land… My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:1,6). A vital theme in Hosea is the importance of knowledge of God. The Hebrew word “yada” is dropped 25 times in the book, and if we don’t understand what the Bible means by “know,” we are missing the heartbeat of our relationship with God. The Bible has a lot to say about the meaning of know, including the usual suspects: memory of a fact or event; possession of a technical skill; a perception of a piece of reality; an intuitive awareness; a mastery of a particular subject; an understanding of something; a personal familiarity with something. That’s all good. Nothing new there. But now the fun begins… The Hebraic-Christian understanding of “know” is not at all limited to an intellectual or mental knowledge. To know someone in the Biblical sense is to experience that person in a deeply intimate way. “Know” is a relationship word and involves knowledge that comes from personal experience. To know involves a deeply personal union with a truth or a person. In the Hebrew and Christian mind, we don’t really know something until it becomes a part of us, something that changes us in some way. To truly know something is to be able to live it out, to experience participation with that which is known. Knowing something involves a heartfelt focus, an intense investment. To know something is to care for it, to give oneself over to it.  To know someone in the Biblical sense is to literally participate in a profound relationship with that person, to establish an ongoing union with someone, to be personally invested to an intimate degree with a person. A spiritual relationship with God seems best understood in the context of “knowledge” in the biblical sense, a deep union involving spiritual relations between God and the believer. In the same way that Adam and Eve “knew” each other physically, God wants to “know” us spiritually, and for us to know Him at that same level. To walk with the Lord is to grow in our “knowledge” of Him, to experience spiritual relations with Him in an intimate way.  In fact, to know God in the way He want us to know Him means to have spiritual intercourse with Him, an ongoing spiritual union that involves, not “carnal knowledge,” but spiritual knowledge.
4. Mercy. Hosea has been called a prophet of love, and his book a love story. The book of Hosea has a lot to say about love in general (thirty mentions in the book) and mercy in particular, about God’s divine lovingkindness, Israel’s lack thereof, and His desire that His followers demonstrate mercy. There are various ways of describing mercy: Eager love-in-action; steadfast kindness; loyal compassion; faithful favor; generous grace; the ardent desire to do good to someone; a completely undeserved lovingkindness; an affectionate love that goes beyond what is expected, above and beyond, free of charge, no strings attached, way beyond the call of duty; to demonstrate to a complete stranger the same type of generous compassion one would reveal to a friend or family member, and  the strong desire to treat someone as if that close relationship existed. “You may expend your whole life in search of the Will of God, His “perfect will,” but you will not find any other perfect will of God than that which God has revealed in Christ Jesus. And that will is mercy, a mercy which involves giving your life for others as an offering to God.” (Brother Rex Andrews, from his book, What the Bible Teaches About Mercy). There are three main words for love in Hosea: hesed, rachem, and ahab.

• “Hesed” = A Hebrew word for mercy used a number of times in Hosea, and is often translated as lovingkindness, indicating an eternally steadfast love, covenant faithfulness, unfailing loyalty, love-in-action. Hesed has so many dimensions that it is much easier to describe than define. Hesed may be the most important word in the Hebrew Bible, because it is considered a summary word for all of God’s character traits, the driving force behind all He does. There is no one translation of hesed that is perfect or says it all. Hesed is a covenant word, a relationship word, and celebrates God’s commitment to remaining true to his merciful promises out of sheer love. “Hesed” is used over 120 times in the book of Psalms alone, and a grand total of 250 times in the Hebrew Bible.
• “Rachem” = Another primary word for mercy used a number of times in Hosea. The word rachem is translated in Scripture as tender mercy, deep compassion, and, profoundly enough, womb. In the Hebrew mind, the womb is much more than the sacred place in a woman that enables the unborn baby to safely develop till birth. Womb also became a metaphor for mercy because of its linguistic roots. The Hebrew word rachem is intended to mean mercy-womb. God formed each of us with rachem when we were mere unborns, and we were conceived and nourished within His rachem, the mother’s mercy-womb. The baby within the woman is the ideal time to extend God’s compassion to that human being inside of her. The developing baby utterly depends on a mercy-womb. And God wants Himself to be experienced as our womb-sanctuary, our safe place in Him, our refuge and shelter. God Himself yearns to be experienced as a womb of mercy for each of us, a refuge and shelter and safe haven. The purpose of our lives is to live in God’s rachem, God’s womb of love.
• “Ahab” = This is the most frequent word for love in the Hebrew Bible, used hundreds of times, and is mentioned seventeen times in Hosea. Ahab is an umbrella term that could be used for human affection for another, devotion to God, divine love, embrace of moral concepts, attraction to inanimate things, and the act of giving to others.

Hosea, the Prophet. The Hebrew name Hosea means “he has saved/delivered” and comes from the same verb as Joshua and Yeshua, pointing eventually to Jesus. He was probably not a priest, since priests were not allowed to marry a prostitute in Mosaic law. He was certainly a very emotional and sensitive person, and could jump quickly from rage to tenderness, what one scholar described as affectionate one minute and fiery the next. Not much is known about the background of the prophet Hosea, except that he is living and ministering in the Northern Kingdom of Israel between the dates 753-687 BC. This particular era during Hosea’s ministry was, though relatively prosperous, especially turbulent politically with a large turnover of Israelite kings and six different attacks by Assyrian invaders. While he was serving as God’s prophet in the North, Isaiah was at the same time a prophet in the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Hosea must have proven himself before the Lord, for God specially chose him for a difficult and seemingly foolish task. God commanded Hosea to be a living parable. Hosea has been called by some a prophet of love. But this parable was not primarily about human love. Hosea was a fleshed-out symbol of God’s covenant love and unending mercy. Unfortunately for Hosea, God chose a rather unprecedented way to remind His people of His unlimited compassion. The Lord instructed Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman and raise a family with her. God wanted to see children from their marital union, and He wanted Hosea to remain faithful to her despite her further sexual adventures after walking down the aisle. Some scholars claim that Hosea was asked by God to marry a temple prostitute from the fertility cult of Baal. Others say he was to go to your common whore on the street corner and choose to marry her. Still others say that the Lord was asking Hosea to marry someone who would surely become promiscuous after their marriage.  How’s that for a surprising assignment from a holy Lord, from the God who ordained marriage and considered it sacred? Also, could there be anything more foolish to the public eye than marrying a woman who will undoubtedly remain promiscuous, raising a family with her, and remaining faithful to her? Ever the obedient servant, that’s just what Hosea did. This was indeed a difficult object lesson to act out in reality. Obeying Yahweh by marrying Gomer was a definitely a fool’s errand. Given Hosea’s holy foolishness, he demonstrated some unusual qualities that served him well in the Lord’s work:

1. Hosea Had Chutzpah. If ever there was a biblical example of someone with a generous heart and stubborn obedience, it was the prophet Hosea. Hosea was given a difficult task by God, and he needed holy chutzpah to fulfill that task. Chutzpah (hoots-pah) is a Yiddish word that long ago entered English usage. It is from the Hebrew word, “hutspah,” which means insolent or audacious. Chutzpah is a neutral word that can be either positive or negative. Chutzpah can be righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy. It is an idea difficult to define, so there are a lot of synonyms for it, especially in the biblical sense: spiritual audacity; brazen gall; tenacious stubbornness; headstrong persistence; outrageous guts; shameless nerve; feisty assertiveness; brazen impudence; unyielding boldness; courageous spine; expectant defiance. The Holy Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, are overflowing with examples of holy chutzpah. One wonders not only if it’s a job requirement for saints and prophets, but also a faith requirement for all believers. In fact, God seems to love chutzpah in us when it is based on our ultimate trust in Him and His character, our unselfish motives, our yearning for justice and mercy. Chutzpah in front of others becomes holy when it is done in obedience to the Lord and is an outworking of our faith in Him. As Rabbi Schulweiss once said, “Spiritual audacity toward God finds a place of honor in Jewish religious thought.” The rabbis of old have always insisted that chutzpah is a valid expression of faith. Just a quick glimpse at the Gospels reveals that Jesus and His followers fully embraced the ancient Jewish ethic of holy chutzpah. When Jesus saw chutzpah in action, He usually said things like, “Great is your faith!” Maybe Christian scholar Dr. Brad Young said it best. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian).
2. Hosea Fleshed Out Hope. But what was God’s point in this very visual aid? Why did God put Hosea through this strange marriage? God wanted to teach the Israelites a very important lesson, what turned out to be a gospel lesson in love. The Lord wanted Hosea’s union with Gomer to provide a graphic picture of the relationship between the Lord and His people Israel. The people are unfaithful to me, says the Lord. They are prostituting themselves after other gods. As the Message puts it, “This whole country has become a whorehouse!” (1:2). My chosen people have violated our covenant, our sacred marriage vows. They are uniting themselves with other gods. And yet, and yet. I will pursue my people in faithfulness, because I love them anyway. I will be faithful when my people are at their worst. Hosea is a picture of how I love my people, says the Lord. Hosea forgave Gomer even after she slept with other men after their marriage. And that is a picture, says the Lord, of how I will forgive my chosen people even after their wayward unfaithfulness. I will take them back into my love.
3. Hosea Demonstrated Redemption. Gomer was later sold into sexual slavery after leaving Hosea, and he in his unwavering faithfulness decided to redeem her, to buy her out of that slavery, have her return into his house, and renew their marriage. What a picture of the gospel of Redemption. We don’t know Gomer’s response to Hosea’s amazing patience and forgiveness. We do know that Hosea goes on in his prophetic role to announce the Lord’s judgment on both Israel and Judah. But the final chapter is hopeful for those who repent of their unfaithfulness. “Yahweh says, ‘Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever… Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them.” (Hosea 14:4,9). Hosea was an obedient fool for love. It seems that God is playing the holy fool for love for our sake as well. Jesus on the Cross, the holy Fool of love to redeem our very souls.
4. Hosea Had A ‘Good Eye’. There was an ancient Jewish idiom that referred to a “good eye” (aiyin tovah) and an “evil eye” (aiyin ra’ah). The good eye referred to looking at people generously, favorably, positively. A good eye meant that a person was generous in how he or she dealt with others. The evil eye meant that a person was stingy, unforgiving, negative in his outlook towards others. For centuries, one of the hot topics in rabbinic circles had to do with how to interpret Leviticus 19:15: “You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.” And the two most popular interpretations even during Jesus’ day were, “Judge everyone with the scales weighted in their favor,” and “Judge every person in favorable terms.” If ever there was a biblical example of someone with a generous heart, of someone who gave an unworthy person the ongoing benefit of the doubt, it was the prophet Hosea. Hosea was given a difficult task by God, and he needed a good eye to fulfill that task.
5. Hosea Sees Gomer with the Eyes of Jesus. Jesus accepted what was popular in rabbinic teaching during His time… Give others the benefit of the doubt. Don’t assume the worst motivation for someone’s questionable behavior. Believe the best about people, because only God knows the heart and can therefore judge rightly. Drop the critical spirit before you become an incurable cynic. Don’t jump to conclusions about a suspicious action, but learn to make allowances. If you believe the worst about people, and judge them with contempt, you are acting as if you know what people are thinking and why they are thinking it. Instead, weight your scales of justice in that person’s favor, even if we think they might not “deserve” it. Jesus seemed to support all those ideas, but he increased the challenge by focusing heavily on the main reasons for showing mercy… Mercy toward others because of God’s mercy towards me; I give grace to others and allow them to have apparent weak moments, because God gives grace to me and allows me to show my humanity as well. I weight the scales in my neighbor’s favor, because God graciously weights the scales in my favor, despite my own sinfulness. Pretend evil doesn’t exist? Of course not. Excuse sinful behavior? No again. Moral accountability? Yes indeed. Judging favorably doesn’t excuse bad behavior, it instead graciously assumes a forgivable explanation for it. In terms of what’s going on in other’s hearts, God only knows. In our own hearts, which we do know, seek mercy, grace, and peace. “So be generous with others, magnanimous even! Isn’t that how the Father treats everyone, whether we deserve it or not? He created a magnificent world for us all to enjoy, given us the very breath of life. He causes the warming sun to shine, and provides the nourishing rain as well, whether we’ve been naughty or nice, grateful or ungrateful. Really now, who do we think we are, judging our neighbor without grace like we do? Listen to our marching orders straight from the King… Love others the way that God loves us.” ( a little riff on Luke 6, Matthew 5:45, James 4:11-12, Romans 14:10, and 1 John 4:11)
6. Hosea Scorned the Shame. Hosea had the unique call by God to become a public spectacle, full of shame and ridicule, and yet Hosea scorned that shame to become a faithful prophet and biblical light to the world in his continuing act of faithfulness. Can you imagine the shame Hosea must have had to endure as he faithfully continued a marriage with a publicly promiscuous wife? Psychiatrist and author Dr. Curt Thompson has a very helpful section in his outstanding book called The Soul of Shame. In this one section he discusses Hebrews 12:2, where its writer says that Christ “endured the cross, despising the shame.” Dr. Thompson discusses how Jesus laid out a pattern for us on how to deal with shame. Translations of the word ‘despise’ also use words like scorn and disregard. Jesus scorned the shame associated with the cross. He faced His shame head-on, He was aware of its presence and didn’t pretend it wasn’t there. He acknowledged the shame and turned away, as if He didn’t think anything of it. He fearlessly confronted His shame while not being overrun by it. He turned attention away from the shame after addressing its reality, and turned towards His Father and what He was being asked to do. In His vulnerability, He scorned shame, He faced it down and overcame it by rejecting it, because of the love and acceptance He felt from the Father. Jesus disregarded the shame and pushed it into the margins in terms of its importance. It makes sense, doesn’t it, that the names of Hosea and Yeshua are practically synonymous? They both were public spectacles and yet scorned the shame.

What is Our Baal 2.0? Each of us need to ask ourselves every day… Do I have a contemporary version of Baal, a god I choose that distracts me from God? Maybe Power and Influence? or Money and Things? or Ego and Self? or Succes and Fame? or Sex and Pleasure? or Entertainment and Amusement? or Knowledge and Information? or Status and Image? or Social Media and Phone-Scrolling? Maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to ridicule or criticize Baal worshippers after all.