Hosea

By William Dean Hamilton

Hosea is the first book of what is known as the minor prophets. This book will offer a deep dive into the meaning of the text using the literal meaning, symbolic meaning, and historical context. Hosea's wife Gomer is a symbol for the Northern Kingdon of Israel. Like all of us, Israel had been disobedient to God. As Israel had been unrepentant, they were coming under judgment. Hosea warns for the judgment and future hope of restoration through the grace of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Dean Hamilton
• Release date: Jun 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005474966

William Dean Hamilton

Mr. Hamilton is the author of over 1,000 articles, works of fiction and Poetry, and has just had his book, “Would You Do What They Did? Great Christian Leaders From Our Past” published by Crosslink Publishing. Mr. Hamilton writes the blog This Week in Christian History. He has recently been interviewed on Red’s Revelations, in Book Goodies, and by the Awesome Gang. 110 copies of one of his previous books, “Blessed, Life and Films of Val Kilmer,” were signed by Val Kilmer.

Book preview

Hosea

Published by William Dean Hamilton at Smashwords

Copyright 2022 William Dean Hamilton

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Symbolism

Analysis of Hosea by verse and Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Introduction

Hosea is the first book of the twelve books known as the minor prophets. Hosea prophecies to both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but his main focus is on the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which he sometimes refers to as Ephraim or Jacob. Israel had been split into two separate nations as a punishment for Solomon because he had married foreign wives who had led him into the worship of other gods.

In this book, Hosea represents God, and his unfaithful wife, Gomer, represents Israel. This book is written to the Jewish people, although some general concepts can be applied to the Church, this is not the main point of the book.

Hosea would have been a contemporary of Isaiah and Micah as he lived about 755-715 BC. We know this because the first verse lists kings which reigned in Judah, or the southern kingdom, and Israel, or the northern kingdom. His wife's name means complete or brings to an end. As she was symbolic of Israel, this is symbolic of the ending of God's covenant relationship with Israel and the subsequent new covenant.

The name Hosea means salvation, which is a sign to Israel that if they follow Hosea's message that they could be saved and that there will be a remnant who will be saved in the future. God tells Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, like how he has married Israel, and Israel has been unfaithful to him. They have three children, but because of her unfaithfulness, their lineage is uncertain. Later, Hosea's wife Gomer has left him and God tells him to pay off her debts and reunite with her. This is like how God will restore Israel, even though Israel has been unfaithful. God has paid their debts through Jesus on the cross.

After this biographical information, the rest of the book is prophetic poetry. There are two main sections, which repeat the same pattern of three parts, the first part of each section is a list of accusations against Israel, and the second part is warnings. The last section is about how God loves Israel and will call them back and have mercy on a remnant. The second time this is repeated, there is a list of historical offenses that Israel has committed, this shows that it is in Israel's nature to rebel against God.

The outline of the book is as follows:

I. Introduction and Hosea's marriage to Gomer (chapters 1-3). God explains that he made a covenant with Israel, then blessed them with the promised land, then they offered the bounty of the land to idols. God thought about ending his covenant with Israel, but instead, he will establish a new king (Jesus) for them because of his love for them.

II. First set of accusations and warnings (chapters 4-6), followed by his hope and mercy for the future.

III. Second set of accusations and warnings with a history lesson (chapters 7-14). Healed Israel will be a tree and offer shade and fruit to the nations.

Symbolism

Several symbols are used in the Book of Hosea. In this section, I am going to write about the meaning of these symbols. The first symbol in the book is that of Hosea's wife Gomer, who symbolizes Israel. This doesn't need much explanation, as it is presented in the text itself. The second is that adultery is symbolic of worshipping other gods. This is also explicitly stated in Hosea.

Water is a symbol of both the Holy Spirit and the Word. John 7:37-39:

37: On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

38: Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

39: By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

From these verses, we see that water is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:26: That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

Isaiah 55:10: "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Isaiah 55:11. so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Here are two passages that show water being used like the Word. Additionally, Jesus is identified as being the Word of God, so there is another connection in John 7:37 to water not just being the Holy Spirit, but also the Word.

Clothing covering for sin. This starts in the Garden of Eden, after the fall, Adam and Eve realize that they are naked and sew fig leaves to make clothes. God gives them animals skins for clothing, pointing to animal sacrifice. This is symbolic of Jesus as a sacrifice that takes away sins and substitutes his righteousness.

Bread as the body of Jesus and wine as the blood of Jesus. In the Lord's Supper, Jesus says that the bread they are eating is his body and that when they drink the wine, it is his blood. Elsewhere, wine is symbolic of joy.

Sword is symbolic of the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and