Introduction to Hosea, Read Hosea 14:4-9

(We are beginning a study of Hosea.  In these notes we acknowledge in this introduction the influence of Dr. Curtis Mitchell of Biola Univ., my professor in 1967-68.  The next two Saturdays on this blog we will also have an introduction to the Old Testament prophets.)

1)    Author.  Hosea is a man fully dedicated to God, as seen in his obedience in his marriage in Ch. 1-3.  Hosea is tender, compassionate, not full of bitterness given his difficult marital situation.  Other than the story involving his family in Ch. 1 we know little else about the man.

2)    Date.  We believe Hosea lived and ministered from 760-710BC.  Hos. 1:4 speaks of an event after the death of Jeroboam II; Hos. 7:11 (double-dealing with Egypt and Assyria) seems to refer to something in the time of Hoshea, the last king of Israel.  Let us put him in the historical context of the kings and prophets of the divided nation. (Dates are those of William F. Albright.)

Judah’s Kings	Dates BC	Judah’s Prophets	Israel’s Prophets	Dates BC	Israel’s Kings
Amaziah	800-783	Joel 790-760	Jonah 810-790	786-746	Jeroboam II
Uzziah	783-742	Isaiah 750-695 Micah 745-725	Amos 780-760 Hosea 785-725	746 (6 mo) 745 (1 mo) 745-738 738-737	Zechariah Shallum Menahem Pekahiah
Jotham	742-735			737-732	Pekah
Ahaz	735-715			732-722	Hoshea
Hezekiah	715-687

3)    Background.  The enemy from without is Assyria.  She has been busy with local problems but is now rising as a world power.  The enemy from within is the affluence of the times of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-29) and the idolatry that goes back to Jeroboam I who established worship of the golden calves in Israel (1 Kings 12:25-33).  Worship of Baal brought in by Jezebel and Ahab had been eradicated by Jehu but the calves remained (2 Kings 10:28-31).

4)    Outline:

a)     Ch. 1-3: God’s love for Israel illustrated.

b)    Ch. 4-14: God’s love for Israel preached.

5)    Theme: God’s unfailing love.  His love is seen in discipline as well as restoration.  Note how God loved Israel but Israel refused His love (2:14-16; 6:1-4; 11:1-4,8,9; 14:4-8).

6)    Application thoughts: We need to know God’s love and the price for rejecting that love.  God has shown his love to us generally in creation as well as specially in the cross of Christ, God’s provision of salvation.  This is a valuable book to study.