Commentary on the Minor Prophets: From The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary

By Gary V. Smith, Sheri L. Klouda, Andrew E. Hill and 3 more

Comprehensive, accessible, and fully illustrated--this commentary on the Minor Prophets is a must-have resource.

You want a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, but the notes in your study Bible don't give you enough depth or insight. This commentary was created with you in mind.

Each volume of The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary is a nontechnical, section-by-section commentary on one book or section of the Bible that provides reliable and readable interpretations of the Scriptures from leading evangelical scholars. This information-packed commentary will help you gain a deeper understanding of the Bible in your own personal study or in preparation for teaching. It tackles problematic questions, calls attention to the spiritual and personal aspects of the biblical message, and brings out important points of biblical theology, making it invaluable to anyone seeking to get the most out of their Bible study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781493424627

Gary V. Smith

Gary V. Smith has taught at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Union University. Among his other published works are the two volumes on the book of Isaiah in The New American Commentary series.

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Abbreviations

Hosea

Gary V. Smith

Outline

1. Covenant Unfaithfulness in God’s and Hosea’s Family (1:1–3:5)

A. Problems of Unfaithfulness in the Family (1:1–2:1)

B. Confrontation of Unfaithfulness (2:2–15)

C. God Will Bring Restoration to the Families (2:16–23)

D. Love for the Unlovely (3:1–5)

2. God’s Lawsuit because Israel Does Not Know God (4:1–6:6)

A. Proof that Israel Does Not Know God (4:1–19)

B. Punishment of War (5:1–14)

C. Hope: Return and Know God (5:15–6:6)

3. God’s Lawsuit because Israel Does Not Keep the Covenant (6:7–11:11)

A. Proof of Israel’s Lack of Covenant Love (6:7–7:16)

B. Punishment of War and Captivity (8:1–10:15)

C. Hope: God Loves You (11:1–11)

4. God’s Lawsuit because Israel Is Deceitful (11:12–14:9)

A. Proof of Deceitful Ways (11:12–13:3)

B. Punishment of Destruction (13:4–16)

C. Hope: Repent and God Will Forgive (14:1–9)

Introduction

Hosea the Prophet

Hosea’s personal life was most unusual, for it almost appears that he married the wrong woman. His marriage fell apart when his wife became a prostitute, and eventually he had to buy his wife back from enslavement. One wonders how God can use a prophet with this kind of background. Wouldn’t these kinds of personal problems disqualify a person from prophetic service, or was there a good reason why God allowed Hosea to go through these difficulties? Since 1:2 indicates that Hosea and Gomer are symbolic of God’s relationship to Israel, it is evident that God was attempting to teach Hosea, as well as the people he spoke to, a powerful lesson about God’s amazing love for sinful people. God does not give up on people just because they make a mistake; his love is steadfast, he is faithful to his plans, and he is willing to forgive all who repent of their sins.

The book says relatively little about the prophet himself. His father was named Beeri, but no one knows Hosea’s occupation before the Lord spoke to him, how old he was, or even where he was born. He repeatedly refers to cities in Israel (Samaria in 7:1; 8:5–6; 10:5, 7; 13:16; Jezreel in 1:5; Gilgal in 4:15; Mizpah in 5:1; Gibeah in 5:8; 9:9; Bethel in 10:5), and he seems to write in a slightly different Hebrew dialect, so most conclude from this meager evidence that he was born, was raised, and prophesied in and around the Israelite capital of Samaria. He claimed to be a prophet and God’s watchman, but some considered him a fool or an inspired maniac (9:7–8).

Chapters 1–3 contain information about Hosea’s wife, Gomer the daughter of Diblaim (1:3), his marriage, and his three children, who served as signs of the difficult relationship God had with Israel. In light of all the heartaches and troubles Gomer caused Hosea, it is puzzling why God would ask a godly prophet to marry a woman of adultery/prostitution (NIV a promiscuous woman, 1:2). Because God never asks any other prophet to marry an impure woman like this, because everyone knows that God does not approve of such sinful activity, and because Gomer was unfaithful even after their marriage, some commentators suggest that these odd instructions and events should not be interpreted literally. Instead they hypothesize that chapters 1–3 report either (1) the spiritual prostitution of Gomer worshiping another god, (2) the report of a dream, (3) the teachings of a parable, or (4) a somewhat risqué drama that was reenacted over and over again in order to teach a spiritual truth. Nevertheless, the narrative report about Hosea’s family reads like other historical events; there is no introductory notification informing the reader that this is just a parable or dream (which happens in other places), and there is no interpretation of this so-called parable. Thus it is best to accept this as an autobiographical account of what really happened in the life of Hosea.

Among those who take a literal interpretation of these events, some hypothesize that Gomer was actually pure at the time of her marriage; but the plain meaning of marry a woman of prostitution suggests that Hosea actually married a woman with loose morals who was sexually promiscuous both before and after her marriage. Although people in Hosea’s day may have looked down on him because of his failed marriage, there is no indication that this disqualified him in God’s eyes. At the very beginning when God instructs Hosea to marry Gomer (1:2), God explains the purpose, that Hosea’s relationship with Gomer is to function as an analogy of God’s relationship with Israel. There are in fact some benefits from this experience, for going through the painful events related to his wife’s marital unfaithfulness helps Hosea understand God’s terrible agony over the covenant unfaithfulness of his people. Hosea himself experiences a similar calamity. These difficult times also help Hosea comprehend the enormous depth of God’s love for his sinful people, for Hosea is told to go love Gomer again, even though she was unfaithful after they were married (3:1). No one can read this story without realizing just how horribly destructive sin is (it is like prostitution in God’s eyes). Of course this truth only magnifies the unbelievable greatness of God’s marvelous love for all who are sinners.

Historical Context

Hosea initially ministered in Israel during the time of the Israelite king Jeroboam II (a few years after Amos’s ministry, in 760 BC). The chronological information in 1:1 also indicates that Hosea prophesied in Israel while kings Uzziah, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were ruling in Judah. This means that the second part of Hosea’s ministry in Israel was parallel to some of the years when Micah (1:1) and Isaiah (1:1) were preaching in Judah. Since Hosea never refers to the fall of Israel (721 BC) as something that has already happened, it is safe to estimate that his prophetic career extended from approximately 755 to 725 BC.

This period of Hosea’s ministry falls into three distinct political eras. During the time of King Jeroboam II, Israel was independent and prosperous and had a strong army. With this army Jeroboam II gained control of most if not all of the old Solomonic Empire, as Jonah prophesied he would (2 Kings 14:25; cf. Amos 6:14). Israel received a great deal of tribute from conquered lands and established a wealthy upper class to rule the land and grow the economy of the nation (Amos 3:15; 4:1; 6:1–7). Signs of the prosperity of Israel during these years are found in Hosea 1–3, especially those comments about there being abundant silver and gold, grain, wine, and flax (2:8–9) and great parties at festival times (2:11; cf. Amos 6:1–7). Both Amos and Hosea condemn the wealthy and powerful who have misused the blessings God gave them during the time of Jeroboam II (Amos 5:10–15; 6:1–14; 8:1–6; Hos. 2:8–13).

Later God directs Hosea to prophesy in Israel during the relatively weak reigns of the Israelite kings Menahem and Pekah (2 Kings 15:19–29). During these years there were several political assassinations (2 Kings 15:8–16, 23–25) before the Israelite king Pekah and the Syrian king Rezin formed a coalition to confront the strong Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III. When Ahaz the king of Judah refused to join this coalition, Pekah and Rezin declared war on Judah (the Syro-Ephraimite War of 734–732 BC). Instead of trusting in God (Isa. 7:1–10), Ahaz asked the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III for help, and he responded by defeating both Syria and Israel and requiring tribute from them as well as from Judah (2 Kings 15:29; 16:8; 2 Chron. 28:20–21). These events are reflected in the messages in Hosea 4–11. Hosea predicts God’s coming judgment on Israel (5:1, 14) and then warns of the blowing of the trumpets to rally the Israelite troops for war (5:8–11; 8:1, referring to either the Syro-Ephraimite War or the Assyrian attack on Israel). Hosea warns the nation about a future military defeat, but there is no evidence that the people of Israel accept his message and repent. These must have been very difficult years for Hosea to minister in Israel. The economy, political stability, and social order were falling apart, and few were interested in the things he was preaching about.

The final era of Hosea’s ministry coincides with the reign of Hoshea, the last king of Israel (2 Kings 17:3–6). Hoshea tried to survive politically by making secret alliances with both Assyria and Egypt (2 Kings 17:4), but when the Assyrian king Shalmaneser got wind of Hoshea’s political deception, he invaded the land of Israel and besieged the capital city of Samaria. The next ruler, Sargon II, completed the conquest of Samaria in 721 BC and took thousands of Israelites into captivity in Assyria. Hosea was aware of Hoshea’s political duplicity (8:9; 9:3; 12:1) and called the nation to repent or face the wrath of God. It appears that Hosea’s prophecies end sometime before the defeat of Samaria and the exile of the people of Israel in 721 BC, but there is no information about whether Hosea was killed in this final battle, fled for safety into Judah sometime before the final battle, or was exiled with those who survived this conflict.

In many ways the social and economic situation in the northern nation of Israel mirrored the political situation. When Israel was strong in the days of Jeroboam II, the economy of the nation was flourishing (2:8–9, 11). During these years a strong social distinction developed between the wealthy upper class and the poor, oppressed lower class. In the second period of Hosea’s ministry great political and economic instability engulfed the nation after the assassination of several Israelite kings and the failed attack on Judah in the Syro-Ephraimite War. The rise of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III brought great economic and social harm because Israel lost many people in battle, had fertile crops destroyed and barns raided by troops, and had to pay heavy tribute to Assyria after the war. Violence increased (4:2; 6:8–9; 7:1); God put a curse on their crops (9:2); and the general population suffered greatly (10:14–15). These conditions continued in the final years of Israel during the reign of Hoshea; God was allowing the nation to fall apart (13:15–16) because of her sins.

A stele showing Baal with a thunderbolt (Ras Shamra, Late Bronze Age) [Copyright © Baker Photo Archive. Musée du Louvre; Autorisation de photographer et de filmer—LOUVRE, Paris, France.]

The Message of Hosea

The prophet Hosea focuses a good deal of his attention on the religious life of the people. Since the time of Ahab and Jezebel the nation of Israel was dominated by the worship of the Canaanite fertility god Baal (1 Kings 16:29–33). Although there were Israelite temples at Dan and Bethel, where Yahweh, the God of Israel, was worshiped in the form of a golden calf, Hosea condemns these practices as a perversion of true worship (8:5–6; 10:5; 13:2). Eventually the nation’s worship of Baal and Yahweh became so intermixed that some people thought that these were just two different names for the same God, so they would call Israel’s God by the name my Baal (2:16; see NIV note). Baal was the god of fertility who in Canaanite mythology would bring the people rain, fertility, and prosperity. Many were deceived into participating in the activities at these Baal temples because they wanted to become prosperous. Some mistakenly thought that Baal had given them abundant harvests of wine, oil, grain, and wool, so they gave their sacrifices and praise to Baal instead of Yahweh (2:8). Therefore, God decided to take away their material blessings (2:11–13) in order to bring an end to their false worship.

Hosea’s sermons deal with three central issues brought on by this inappropriate Baal worship. First, the people do not really know God (4:6; 5:4; 6:3, 6) because the priests have not been teaching from the Scriptures (4:6) and because the people do not distinguish between the worship of Baal and Yahweh. Second, the people display no steadfast loyalty to the covenant God made with the nation but break the covenant in many different ways (8:1, 12). Instead of loving God with all the heart and fearing only him (Deut. 6:6; 10:12), they trust in alliances with foreign nations for their security (7:8, 11) and in their armies and fortresses (8:14; 10:13–14). Third, the people are not truthful in their relationship to God but are deceptive, just as their great forefather Jacob was (11:12–12:4). Like a wife who deceives her husband and loves two men, the Israelites claim one thing but actually do something else.

As the prophet Hosea addresses each of these issues, he structures his presentation on the general pattern of an ancient Near Eastern court case at the city gate. Just as a husband might accuse his wife of unfaithfulness, God brings a covenant lawsuit against Israel because she has been unfaithful to the covenant with God. The goal of this confrontation is to force the guilty party, Israel, to recognize her failures so that she might turn from her wicked ways and restore her covenant relationship with God. In order to do this, (1) God presents a series of accusations that describe the unfaithfulness of his people; (2) God presents a series of warnings and threats about the punishment he will inflict on the nation; and then (3) God offers the people the hope of restoring their covenant relationship with him if they will repent and turn back to him (6:1–3; 11:1–11; 14:1–9).

Authorship

Some critical commentators question if Hosea authored everything now found in the book of Hosea, suggesting specifically that the verses related to Judah (5:10, 14; 6:11; 8:14; 12:2) and the affirming promises of hope and restoration (1:10–11; 2:18–23; 6:1–3; 11:1–11; 14:1–9) were added by later editors to give Hosea’s prophecies a more positive tone. Since most prophetic messages offer both negative warning of divine judgment and promises of hope for the future, the reader should not assume that Hosea was incapable of using hopeful promises as an effective tool to persuade his audience to turn back to God. The references to Judah indicate that the problems Hosea addressed were not problems that existed only in Israel; these were problems that also existed in Judah.

Literary Features

Hosea often legitimates his statements by alluding to earlier traditions in the Pentateuch (the books of the Law) or in other prophetic texts. For example, in 11:8 he mentions the destruction of the cities of Adam and Zeboyim (see Genesis 18–19), in 8:13; 9:3; 11:1, 5; 12:9 the exodus from Egypt (see Exodus 14–15), in 4:2 several of the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20), in 2:15 Achan’s sin at Jericho (see Joshua 7), in 12:3–4 the deceptive ways of the patriarch Jacob (see Genesis 25–35), and in 1:4–5 the story of Jehu’s murder of Ahab’s sons in the Valley of Jezreel (see 2 Kings 9–10). Hosea is explaining that God’s actions in Hosea’s day are similar to what God has done in the past and that many of Israel’s sins are similar to the wicked things people did in the past. This emphasizes the need to break with their past sins in order to avoid another divine judgment.

Hosea expresses his messages in quite unique ways. He is very bold in his use of imagery of sin, of God’s action, and of the future hope of the nation. He imagines God as a lion or a leopard (5:14; 13:7) or as a pine tree (14:8), or acting like rot or pus (5:12); Israel is compared to a stubborn heifer (4:16), an oven (7:4–7), wild grapes (9:10), a silly dove (11:11), or smoke (13:3), and her loyalty disappears as quickly as the dew (6:4). Hosea’s imagery is initially somewhat shocking because it is so unusual, but his overall aim was to get his Israelite audience to understand how seriously God took their sinfulness. These images, and especially the picture of God and Israel as marriage partners (similar to Hosea and Gomer), enabled Hosea to present the problem of covenant unfaithfulness in a practical way that common people could understand. The emotional idea of an unfaithful wife, the shame this would bring to the family, and the loving expression of God’s willingness to take his unfaithful partner back were moving emotional images that helped Hosea’s audience understand how serious God viewed their sins to be. God was very angry at Israel’s unfaithfulness and deceptive ways, but he also had a deep, abiding love for his people.

Theological Themes

In spite of the emotional tone of the book and the shocking imagery, the theology of Hosea’s message is fairly straightforward and easy to understand. God has a covenant relationship with the people of Israel. God loves his people and has promised to bless them, but they must love God and be faithful to their covenant commitments. Hosea presents evidence throughout the accusation sections of the book that the people of Israel have failed to be faithful in their exclusive covenant love for God; they have acted like a prostitute by loving another god (Baal, 4:11–14). They do not even seem to know the difference between God and Baal (2:16), seem uninformed about God’s law because the priests do not teach it (4:5–6), and are so steeped in their adulterous ways that it is almost impossible for them to repent and turn back to God (4:5). Nevertheless, God loves his people and wants them back, so he confronts them with their sins and makes them aware of the serious consequence their sin will have on their relationship to God. If they will repent of their sins, God will forgive them (14:1–7). Then they will again be his people (1:10–2:1), he will give them one king (the Messiah, 3:5), and God’s rich blessings will be poured out on them when he establishes his final kingdom (2:16–23).

All these words are messages that come from the Lord through the prophet Hosea. On several occasions in the narration of chapters 1–3, the prophet inserts into the story words like, the Lord began to speak through Hosea (1:2) or the Lord said to Hosea/me (1:4, 6, 9; 3:1) in order to assure the reader that these unusual events have been commanded by God. The poetic sections in chapters 4–14 begin with the similar introductory clause, hear the word of the Lord (4:1). God’s point of view remains consistent throughout the poetic messages in chapters 4–14, for whenever Hosea uses first-person terminology (I, me, my), his words represent the things that God wants Hosea to communicate to his covenant people.

Commentary

1. Covenant Unfaithfulness in God’s and Hosea’s Family (1:1–3:5)

A. Problems of unfaithfulness in the family (1:1–2:1). The superscription in 1:1 verifies that Hosea received a divine revelation from God in the reign of Jeroboam II and during the reign of several Judean kings, basically from about 755 to 725 BC. Hosea records no dramatic call like Isaiah or Jeremiah (Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1); his ministry simply begins when the Lord speaks to him concerning marrying Gomer (1:1–2). This paragraph can be divided into two parts. In the first part, Hosea marries Gomer, then Gomer’s three children are given symbolic names. In the second part, God explains how the negative implications of the children’s names will be reversed at some point in the future.

First, God instructs Hosea to marry the promiscuous Israelite woman Gomer (1:2–9). Although people today may view this command as somewhat inappropriate or a detriment to the prophet’s ministry, one should not try to rescue Hosea’s reputation by interpreting this story as a parable or a dream. There is no doubt (see 1:2) that God wants the marriage of Hosea and the adulterous Gomer to represent God’s covenant marriage with adulterous Israel. Hosea does not express any opposition to this instruction; he accepts God’s direction and follows it even if it may seem a little odd. Remember that God also asks the prophet Ezekiel to illustrate God’s message to his generation of exiles by lying on one side for 390 days and then on the other side for 40 days. God also instructs Ezekiel to cut off all his hair with his sword (Ezekiel 4–5), and he tells Isaiah to go naked for three years (Isa. 20:1–4). All of these unusual sign acts effectively communicate God’s truth to audiences that are too stubborn to listen to any normal or traditional presentation of God’s word.

The Valley of Jezreel, after which Hosea’s son Jezreel is named (Hos. 1:4–5)

The first child of Hosea and Gomer is a boy (1:3). God tells them to name the boy Jezreel because this will remind people of the massacre that King Jehu carried out many years ago in the Valley of Jezreel. When Jehu became the king of Israel, he killed all the sons of the wicked ruler Ahab and his wife Jezebel in the Valley of Jezreel (2 Kings 10:1–10). God approved the removal of this wicked family from power (2 Kings 10:30), but now the descendants of Jehu (meaning Jeroboam II) are no better than the children of Ahab. Hosea’s son will symbolize what God is about to do in bringing an end to the rule of the sons of King Jehu, for God will break their military power, represented by the bow in 1:5. In practical terms the ending of the line of Jehu means that Jeroboam II and his son Zechariah will soon die (2 Kings 14:28–29; 15:8–10). The second child that Gomer has is a girl (1:6; the text does not say she is Hosea’s child), and God instructs Hosea to name her Lo-Ruhamah, No Compassion (NIV not loved), because God will not have any compassion on the people in the nation of Israel. God will still have compassion on Judah and forgive them; it will be God’s grace that delivers them, not the strength of their army. The third child Gomer has is a son (1:8; again the text does not say if Hosea is the father), and they name him Lo-Ammi, Not My People, because the people of Israel are no longer acting like God’s beloved covenant people.

This paragraph ends (1:10–2:1) with a surprising and astonishing complete reversal of the meaning of the names of the three children. How this change will come about is not really explained in these verses, but it will be an unbelievable act of divine grace. There will be a change in the relationship between God and his people. Apparently this will happen because of God’s great love and because it is God’s will. Although all three names initially represent God’s curse on his people, which threatens to end the relationship between God and Israel, there will be a day sometime in the future when God will bless his people and fulfill his promises to Abram by multiplying their numbers to equal the sands of the sea (cf. Gen. 22:17; 32:12). This assures the listeners that the present judgment of God will last only so long. Later God will revive the nation in the land of Israel, multiply them exceedingly, have compassion on them (calling them Compassion), take them back as his own people (calling them My People; see 2:23), and gather Judah and Israel together under one ruler. This sounds like a promise of the future messianic kingdom of God. This will be the positive day of Jezreel (meaning God sows), when he plants his own people back in the land he promised them.

B. Confrontation of unfaithfulness (2:2–15). In order for God to reestablish a normal relationship with his people, there will need to be some dramatic changes in the hearts of the people of Israel. Initially chapter 2 appears to be a divorce court scene where Hosea is talking to his children about confronting their sinful mother Gomer, but after a few verses one realizes that the confrontation is not just about Hosea and Gomer; the text is also talking about God’s confronting the sons of Israel. Although the marriage relationship is