Today, we begin a 7-week series of devotionals based within the preaching of Hosea, the prophet. Hosea tells us that he preached during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in the southern nation of Judah, as well as King Jeroboam II, in Israel (1:1). In order to understand that historical context, we would need to read and consider 2 Kings 14-20 and 2 Chronicles 25-32. At that time, the Assyrians were invading Israel, which would eventually fall in 722 B. C.
The reason Israel would go into exile into Assyria was idolatry, or spiritual adultery. To create a living object lesson for the nation of Israel, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, (1:2) for her immoral lifestyle is going to provide Hosea with a built-in lesson for the nation of Israel. Hosea and Gomer have three children, each of which carry a name that provides a message from God to Israel (1:4-5, 6-7, 8-11).
Through Hosea, God calls on Israel to return to God in their hearts and their lifestyles, to quit being unfaithful to Him (2:2). Israel was saying that her prosperity came from her false gods, primarily Baal (2:5). In reality, of course, it was Jehovah God who gave her what she needed (2:8).
In an act of judgment, through the Assyrian invasion and exile, God will expose her weaknesses (2:10), take away her celebrations (2:11), and destroy her idol worship (2:13). She would be punished because she “forgot” God (2:13). It wasn’t that Israel did not know that God existed; she just didn’t worship God exclusively according to the ancient order of worship, prescribed by the law of Moses.
When God finishes disciplining Israel, she will come back to God in repentance and will stop mixing contemporary worship styles with the biblical pattern. We see that in 2:16 where Israel apparently called God “My Master [Baali]” which would appear to neighbors as if Israel was worshiping Baal instead of Jehovah God. Instead, Israel will call God “My husband,” fitting in with the imagery of Israel as God’s wife.
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God will even remove the name of Baal from Israel’s mouth so that they will not call on him again (2:17) and He will become engaged to her in “righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, compassion, and faithfulness” (2:19). Then, Israel will know God (2:20).
Even though Israel was worshiping Baal, the god of fertility, Jehovah God would make her land fruitful (2:22). He would have compassion on her (2:23) and He would make her His people, including the Gentile nations (2:23; Rom. 9:25).
God must have our highest and ultimate allegiance. Otherwise, the relationship is not worth anything at all.
Paul Holland
