Sermon Tone Analysis

Background

Was written by Hosea, son of Beeri, in the eight century, BC.

After king David's reign, the kingdom of Israel was split into two: Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah, the southern one.

What followed was a long succession of kings until first Assyria and then Babylon subjugated both kingdoms.

Hosea’s ministry spanned several decades, beginning near the end of the reigns of Uzziah of Judah (ca.

790-739 b.c.) and Jeroboam II of Israel (ca.

793-753 b.c.) and concluding in the early years of Hezekiah’s reign.

The beginning of his ministry was a quiet time where Israel and Judah experienced military success and there were not many enemies to challenge them.

However, at the end of the ministry the Jews were subdued by Assyrian empire.

The message of Hosea is similar to that of several other prophets living at about the same time (Amos, Micah and Isaiah) - Israel has violated the covenant by worshipping other Gods (e.g.

Baal).

The first three chapters are quite coherent, but the rest of the book reads as an anthology (collection of writings from different periods).

As one commentator puts it, "It is as if the speeches of a contemporary politician, delivered over a lifetime in public service, were compiled into a single anthology; while each speech would have made perfect sense at the time and in the place where it was first delivered, each one would be more difficult to understand later when the specific occasion for the speech was forgotten."

The major themes of Hosea’s message can be summarized in three words: sin, judgment, and salvation.

There are two dominant themes running through the sayings of Hosea which appear at first sight to be mutually exclusive: they are the /judgment/ of God and the /love/ of God.

However, it is very difficult to outline the book, simply because of lack of unity.

Outlines provided by major commentators vary substantially.

The text of Hosea has suffered in transmission, so the meaning of some passages might not be reliable.

However, the teaching of the whole book is clear.

The book of Hosea is full of metaphorical language.

The covenant between God and his people is compared to a marriage.

Idolatry is explained in terms of adultery.

Though Hosea’s prophecy contains some calls to repentance, he did not expect a positive response.

Judgment was inescapable.

In implementing the curses, the Lord would cause the nation to experience infertility, military invasion, and exile.

However, the Lord would not abandon Israel totally.

Despite its severity, each judgment was disciplinary and was intended to turn Israel back to God.

 

 

 

Hosea 1

Monday, July 30, 2007

12:22 AM

*Exegesis:*

 

Main pattern that keeps occurring in Hosea is the interplay between judgment and salvation.

In this chapter, God's judgment is expressed symbolically as the request for Hosea to marry an adulterous wife, symbolizing the main sin of Israel, and have children whose names symbolize both Israel's sin and God's judgment.

1.

What does the marriage symbolize?

The marriage, characterized by infidelity on the wife’s part, was to portray Israel’s unfaithfulness to its covenant with the Lord.

The idea is not new and described in much more detail in Ezek 16:1–43.

2.

What is the meaning of the first son?

First son, Jezreel is named after massacre, but it's not clear what massacre God has in mind.

If it is the one in 2 Kings 10, then why would God commend him for accomplishing it:

 

2 Kings 10:30 (NIV)

 

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

One possible answer is that Jehu went too far, killing more people than God commanded.

Another, more likely case, is that the word punish was translated wrongly.

The underlying Hebrew word can indeed mean to punish but more often to number, to account, to visit.

So, a correct translation could be "I will bring on Jehu the same thing he did at Jezreel".

In other words, it is not the punishment for massacre at Jezreel, it is the punishment for not learning from it.

The prophecy (Israel to be destroyed, Judah spared) was fulfilled in 735 BC, when Assyria attacked and conquered Israel, see 2 Kings 15:29.

3.

What is the meaning of the daughter?

The daughter's name can be translated as "No pity" or "Not loved", "No mercy".

The implication of this name is that God will not show compassion to Israel and will allow it to be destroyed.

Yet, God will show mercy to Judah, Jerusalem and Judah was spared from Assyrians when God destroyed 185,000 of them, see 2 Kings 19:35.

4.

What is the meaning of the second son?

The third child was a son, named "Not my people".

The first time God mentions the term my people is here in Exodus 6:6-8 (NIV)

 

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.

Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

I will give it to you as a possession.

I am the Lord.’

”

 

5.

What does God promise will happen after judgment?

Restoration.

God promises the reversal of judgment.

"Not my people" will be again called "Sons of the living God", Judah and Israel will be united under one leadership, probably of David's origin (see Hos 3:5).

Applications:

 

1.

There are two difficult questions that arise from this passage.

First, God made an unconditional covenant with the Jews, that they would be his people and he will be their God.

How, then, can he stop being their God, if the covenant is unconditional?

Second question, we often say the justice of God is some kind of discipline, e.g. it seeks to restore rather than to condemn.

We have recently (in 1 Cor 5) studies an example of such judgment applied to a church member.

But typical discipline seeks to give person a chance to change, while God's justice, in this particular case, led to the death of many, so it cannot be a discipline in the sense we understand it.

Surprisingly, the answer to both of these questions is given in Romans 9.

In short, God's covenant, while made with the Jews as the nation, is not with every person in the nation.

Just being a physical descendent of Abraham is not enough, there is a spiritual Israel within the physical Israel.

For the second question, the answer is even more morbid:

 

Romans 9:22-24 (NIV)

 

22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?

23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

God has created some people for destruction, so that the chosen ones will know his glory.

2.

What about us, Christians?

Do we have a covenant with God?

Is it conditional?

God's old covenant was with Jews.

But through Jesus he established a new covenant with both the Jews and gentiles.

We are the people of God, the prophecy of Hosea applies to us as much as it did to the Jews returning from the exile.

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)

 

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

But we should not be proud:

 

Romans 11:17-24 (NIV)

 

17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches.

If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted.

But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.

Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.

Otherwise, you also will be cut off.

23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.