Analysis of the Book of Hosea - Essay Example

At a closer look, Hosea is just allowed to experience how God feels when His people, the Israelites would leave Him to serve other gods and idols. God’s love is so great that it surpasses the transgressions of the Israelites. With this experience, Hosea has become an authentic and effective prophet of God. The following ideas and interpretations of the Book of Hosea are taken from various sources.

          The Book of Hosea is divided into two parts. The first part is about the Prophet's Marriage and Its Lesson (Hosea 1:1-3:5). The second part is about Israel's Guilt and Punishment (Hosea 4:1-14:9 (New American Bible)).

          According to John Shelby Spong (2005), Hosea lived in the Northern Kingdom and started being a prophet in the last years of Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.). There are several speculations about this person. Some say he is a priest while others call him a cult prophet. Spong says Hosea is a “very sensitive, emotional man who could pass quickly from violent anger to the deepest tenderness.” He is married to Gomer, who caused him so much trouble and pain. She is described as very beautiful and the favorite sex partner of upper-class men. When she became older, she is reduced to a slave. Spong describes it dramatically in the following passage:

And one day he went to a slave market sale, and this haggard old woman with matted hair and bloodshot eyes was brought out on the slave auction block, and the crowd around there began to laugh. Who in the world would pay anything for that hag? But Hosea recognized that as his wife. And in a strange and bold act, he stood up when the bidding was open and he offered the highest price that anyone would pay for the strongest young male servant… That's the only way Hosea knew how to begin to restore Gomer's dignity… he brought her to his home, and he installed her as his wife, the head of his household.

          Such sacrifice could surely not be done by an ordinary sinful and selfish person. This is indeed an impressive way of showing the credibility and sincerity of the message of Hosea to the adulterous Israelites.

          Got Questions Ministries gives a detailed outline of the Book of Hosea. The main points and subdivisions of the Book are outlined as follows: 1. Author: Hosea “is the only prophet of Israel who left any written prophecies which were recorded during the later years of his life.” 2. Date of Writing: “Hosea, the son of Beeri, prophesied for quite some time, from 785 to 725 B.C. The Book of Hosea was likely written between 755 and 725 B.C.” 3.
Purpose of Writing: The Book is written to show “a loving God whose loyalty to His covenant people is unwavering.”

          Moreover, Richard D. Patterson, in his “Introduction to Hosea: Historical Context,” details the milieu when the Book of Hosea and the events therein.   The setting is said to be during the eighth century B.C. in the Northern Kingdom. Also mentioned in the Book, are four eighth-century kings of Judah, thus making the setting to be in Judah. The kings mentioned are Uzziah (c. 792-740 B.C.), Jeroboam II (c. 792-752 B.C.), Jotham (732 B.C.), and Hezekiah in Judah (729 B.C.). This shows that Hosea lived a long life and cautioned and encouraged the people of Israel. This also implies that the Israelites are difficult people to lead and it is only God’s great unconditional love that makes them survive the tests of time and pressures from the neighboring tribes. The era is described as “a period marked by great economic and political success but growing spiritual apostasy.”

          Patterson continues to reveal that the “The Book of Hosea portrays the dangers of the observance of the religious ceremony without genuine devotion and commitment to the Lord.” In this case, a person or a group of people who wilfully and continually displease God are in danger of God’s anger and punishment. Aside from a warning, it also shows a promise of hope and redemption. When a person or the people genuinely repent, they will be reconciled to God and will be blessed and greatly favored again.

          The foregoing information and interpretation are too much to take and understand by human standards. Indeed it takes so much humility, sacrifice, and energy (emotional and physical) for a person to love and accept the loved one who has publicly and intentionally betrayed him/her. It needs a lot of God’s grace and power to make these things happen. With Hosea’s submission to God’s sovereign power and will, he is able to do the impossible and exhibit the true message of salvation.