Last Warning, Gospel Hope - HOSEA STARTS

The prophet Hosea is the last voice of God's warning to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. There were no righteous kings in the North, but there were still some seasons of prosperity. Hosea's minister begins on the heels of one such season. The people of Israel were worshipping idols and doing detestable things, and perhaps they assumed they could get away with it. 

Not so. 

To capture this nation's attention for the final time, the Lord asks Hosea to do the unthinkable. 

Hosea 1:2–3 (ESV) When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

The initial command to Hosea was to illustrate through his own family the spiritual condition of Israel, who whored after the false gods of other nations. God often asked His prophets to illustrate in drastic terms to get the attention of those who heard their message. 

What's impressive about these men is how obedient they were to God's requests. 

Through the children born to Hosea, the Lord preaches a message. 

Hosea 1:4–5 (ESV) And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Jehu was the Lord's servant who was asked to bring an end to the house of Ahab. But in his zeal he slew far more people than the Lord commanded. Because of this, Jehu, God's servant, was held to account, having his dynasty end in the fourth generation. God was bringing judgment on the sins of Jehu for going too far in determining who should die and who should live. 

Hosea 1:6–7 (ESV) She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

The daughter born to Hosea and his wife is a picture of God's coming wrath. For 300 years, Israel had wandered, and His long-suffering mercy was coming to an end. Judah would stand for about 80-90 more years, but God was cutting down their military ability for self-preservation.

Finally, one more son is born:

Hosea 1:8–9 (ESV) When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

Three names, all pronouncing judgment on the land. All were born in rapid succession to illustrate the swift end coming upon the nation. 

So this prophetic book opens with very dark overtones, right? But God's ultimate plan breaks through the last two verses in hopeful redemption. 

Hosea 1:10 (ESV) Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”

Now this chapter may indeed confuse us. How can God, in only a few verses, declare such terror on the house of Israel and, by the end of the text, come to redeem them, putting them back in right standing with Himself? The answer is only found in the Gospel. The Gospel makes dead people come alive. Those who were under judgment receive unexpected and inexplicable mercy. This is not fair; this is grace. It is a picture for us who believe in Christ. We deserved death, but we have been made alive. We were unloved, without a family, and facing judgment. But God, rich in mercy, has raised us up, adopted us, and forgiven our sins. 

The book of Hosea offers hope in dark times that, though judgment is coming, the Lord is still saving.