Hosea is the third of these ‘earlier’ prophets whose ministry occurred under the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. According to 1:1, however, he outlasted Jeroboam, continuing to prophecy into the time of King Hezekiah of Judah. It is therefore likely that he would have seen the first element of the Exile take place when in 722 BCE, Sargon II completed the siege of Samaria and deported the intelligentsia way off into Assyria.

Hosea 1-3 is one of the most graphic, emotive and dramatic sections of the Old Testament Scriptures. The powerful story of love, betrayal and redemption personalises the story of Israel, igniting it from cold Covenant-breaking to the fiery lies of a passionate and devastating adultery.

Hosea plays the part of Yahweh in this startling sequence of desperate pathos. Taking the prostitute Gomer as his wife, they have three children, the last of which is probably not his. Calling this child ‘not mine’, Hosea asserts with passionate distress that Israel are no longer the people of Yahweh; he has rejected and abandoned them.

Spurting anger and judgement, Yahweh and Israel are locked in the throes of a bitter break-up, Yahweh promising that Israel will get nothing from him; Israel hardly caring, so submerged is she in the fervour of her adultery.

Then Yahweh breaks. His rejection and wrath cannot tolerate his overwhelming devotion to his beloved. With the conviction of a warrior he declares his intent; like a Gorilla pounding his chest with testosterone-psyched intention. He will win Israel back. ‘Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will…make the Valley of Trouble a door of hope. There she will respond to me as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day… you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master’ (2:14-16). This is no mere romance; no sloppy lovey-dovey nostalgia. This is grace. Out of the ruins of his wrecked and battered heart arises a commitment to Israel more terrible and unknown than all the forces of Assyria. It is, as C.S. Lewis whispered, ‘a deeper magic, from before the dawn of time’.

Bewildered by this sentiment, overcome by its sheer audacity, quietened by its deafening submission, we read on as Hosea outlines Yahweh’s case for divorce. Infidelities upon infidelity are espoused. Attempts to win Israel back are recounted. Yet Israel can’t hear it. Standing in the courtroom she gazes at her husband, emotion welling and her gated heart unguarded. Where there was rejection, now bubbles desire. Where once was rooted mistrust, now spring frail shoots of devotion. He is not her Suzerain, he is her Lover. The Suzerain could use this evidence to end it. Yet her Lover will take her back home, and leave the charge unpressed. ‘I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.’ (14:4)

In a context of violent political upheaval this gut-wrenching love story does two very powerful things. Firstly, it signals to Israel that her relationship with Yahweh is so much more than the simple power-plays of the Empires; it is a Covenant of the deepest kind. Secondly, it introduces a totally different kind of power from the military might of the Assyrians. Any army can wreak vengeance and destruction; it takes a special power to forgive. Yahweh’s grace towards Israel is a whole new ball-game, and it would provoke her to declare that this is an extraordinary kind of wisdom (14:9).

With Samaria sacked and her national identity consumed by the Assyrians, Hosea’s message endures with the hope that Yahweh will not abandon Israel, despite the breakdown of their Covenant. ‘For the Israelites will live for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterwards the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days’ (3:4-5). The promise of a return and of a second chance is the crucial message of restoration that carries Israel, even when she must face the full reality of her indiscretions.

Of all the life-changing aspects found in the Christian gospel, the alternative path to real power displayed by the suffering and submission of Jesus surely stands out as the starkest in a world of aggression, domination and revenge. For us then, Hosea’s story inspires us and points us to Jesus, taking on himself the sin of the world and overcoming its pain with a desperate and disarming love.

If only the Israelite world had been rocked by this unassuming, unswerving love… If only our world could be...

Questions for reflection:

1. Who has hurt you? Who do you feel bitter against? Who needs you to not give up on them?

2. What makes you feel nervous? What do you most desire to control? How will you let go of the need to control?

A Prayer:

Jesus, Servant,
Be my master.
Let me let go
Let me lose

Jesus, Friend
Be my partner
Let us give
Let us give up