Hosea

Amos had preached during the days of Israel's glory, but now those days of glory were over. The Assyrian Empire was the dominant world power. Israel was forced to pay the Assyrians a tribute. When Israel rebelled and refused to pay any longer, the Assyrians invaded and in 722 the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria.

The biblical narrators named Jeroboam I as the chief culprit for Israel's downfall. He had brought about the division of the kingdom and had put the golden calves as objects of worship at Bethel and Dan.

Assyria had a policy of switching populations among its vassal states. This policy produced a mixed race of people known in later times as the Samaritans. The new inhabitants intermarried with the poor people who had been left in the land. The mixing of cultures included a mixing of religions. This mixed religion would be looked down upon by later Jews because they felt the true worship of the LORD had been corrupted.

Hosea was a native of the northern kingdom. His judgments were as severe as those of Amos. but they were spoken with tears rather than righteous indignation. The time of Hosea was after 750 BCE to the downfall of Israel in 722 or 721 BCE.

Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). Hosea's children not only had to bear the burden of their mother being a prostitute, but their names became a part of their father's sermon illustrations.

The firstborn was Jezreel. This name reflected Hosea's opinion of Jehu's bloody purge, which had been commissioned by the prophet Elisha. Hosea saw the LORD's judgment coming upon Israel because of Jehu's indiscriminate slaughter of people (1:3-5).

The second child was a daughter named Lo-ruamah, or "not pitied." This meant that judgment would come upon the sinful nation and no pity would be shown by the conquerors (1:6-7).

The third child was a son named Lo-ammi, or "not my people." Primarily, the name was meant to say that Israel could no longer claim to be a nation of the LORD's people. It may also reflect Hosea's suspicions about his wife's indiscretions by saying "This one is not mine!" (1:8-9)

In 1:10-2:1, the prophet spoke a word of hope that the day would come when the message of the children's names would be changed.

In that day, instead of the LORD saying to Israel, "You are not my people," they would be called, "Sons of the living God." Lack of pity would give way to pity, and Jezreel would be a place of joy, not destruction.

In an oracle in 2:2-23, Hosea calls for his children to plead with their mother to change her ways. Hosea compared his relations with Gomer to the LORD's relation to Israel. As Gomer had followed her lovers and had been unfaithful to Hosea, so Israel had gone after the Baal cult and had forsaken the LORD.

Later on, Gomer was being sold as a slave. Hosea bought her for the price of a slave, fifteen shekels of silver and about ten bushels of barley. He did not immediately restore her as his wife, however. She had to undergo a period of probation. In like manner, the LORD would do the same for Israel. She, too, would be bought back, but not without penalty (3:1-5).

Like Amos, Hosea was a prophet of judgment; but he emphasized that the LORD still loved Israel.

The main reason for Israel's downfall were the religious leaders. They were supposed to be experts in the knowledge of God, but they were leading the people to worship Baal.

Instead of lives marked with compassion and concern for their fellow man, most of the Israelites were selfish, corrupt, and immoral. Hosea emphasized the LORD's love for the people, and he suggested that there would be those who would survive the judgment.

After all, Hosea believed that the ultimate goal of God's judgment is the redemption of Israel.

The Assyrians finally were able to destroy the capital Samaria in 722/721 BCE. Thus the northern kingdom was dead, and the ten northern tribes were lost. Judah escaped because King Ahaz of Judah had made an alliance with the Assyrians rather than joining with the Syria-Israel alliance.