Like the Book of Amos, the Book of Hosea is addressed to the people of the northern kingdom—Israel. Its fourteen chapters contain both a warning concerning future events and an interpretation of these events’ meanings. Throughout the book, the prophet speaks to the people of Israel about the critical situation that developed during the years that immediately followed the death of Jeroboam II. When Amos prophesied the disaster that would befall the nation, he was promptly repudiated by those who were “at ease in Zion” and who were confident that no evil would ever come upon their land. However, when Hosea came on the scene only a few years later, these attitudes had changed. Events had occurred that shook the confidence of even the most optimistic persons. No longer was there a stable government on which the people could rely. The line of kings changed rapidly, and often the change was attended by violence. With invasion by the Assyrian armies imminent, Israel kept the peace only by paying an enormous tribute to the Assyrian rulers.
To raise this tribute, it was necessary to impose a policy of taxation that placed a difficult burden on the people, but there were always those who resented paying tribute to a foreign power. At times, this resentment led to open revolt. The Israelite king would be murdered and his assassin would take over the reins of government. The situation was chaotic, and no one seemed to know what to do. In their desperation, the priests increased the number of sacrifices, offered more prayers, and called more solemn assemblies, but none of these measures stemmed the downward tide. Under these strained and trying circumstances, Hosea performed his mission as a spokesman for Yahweh. The first part of Hosea records the tragic story of the prophet’s unhappy marital experiences. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, whom he married in good faith, proved to be an adulterous woman. Three children were born to her, but they were not Hosea’s. Because of Gomer’s unfaithfulness, the prophet divorced his wife and lived apart from her. Following her separation from the home, Gomer continued her adulterous life and eventually was scarcely different from an ordinary slave. But Hosea still loved her in spite of her unfaithfulness. To rescue her from her lovers, he sought her out and purchased her freedom.
Whether this story is to be regarded as a parable or as a record of actual experiences in Hosea’s home life is a question concerning which there are different opinions. The material found in the book’s third chapter suggests what Hosea regards as the meaning of his experiences in relation to Yahweh’s dealings with the people of Israel. Yahweh chose Israel and entered into a covenant relationship with it, but Israel has been unfaithful to the covenant; it has forsaken the one to whom its loyalty was pledged and now serves other gods. The licentious practices followed by the worshipers of the Canaanite Baal gods have become a part of the religious life of the Israelites, and even their professed worship of Yahweh has been contaminated with the ideas and ceremonial rites of Baal worship. Because of this unfaithfulness on the part of Israel, Yahweh will permit the Assyrians to overrun the land and carry the people into captivity. But unlike Amos, for whom the coming captivity would be final, Hosea views the captivity as a means for bringing the Israelites to their right senses: After they have learned their lesson, they will return to their own land, and a king who is like King David will reign over them.
As this lesson, which comes out of his own bitter marital experiences, becomes more clear to Hosea, he records it from the perspective of his later years. Understanding that his own relationship to Gomer parallels the relationship between Yahweh and Israel, he realizes that Yahweh used this lesson to communicate his will and purpose to those who claim to be his people. From this point of view, we can understand Hosea’s statement that Yahweh instructed him to marry an adulterous woman and later directed him to make provisions for her moral restoration.
The remainder of the Book of Hosea consists of a collection of miscellaneous statements expressing Hosea’s convictions concerning the character of Yahweh and Yahweh’s relation to the people of Israel. Hosea appears to have had the temperament of a poet; his thoughts are usually expressed in terms of strong analogies and striking figures of speech. But it is not always easy to understand what he is saying, for his statements are not arranged in chronological order, nor do they indicate the time or circumstances under which they were delivered. In spite of these difficulties, the materials contained in these chapters reveal some remarkable insights that contributed in no small way to the development of Israel’s religious ideals.
Anyone who reads the Book of Hosea will be impressed by Hosea’s conception of the deity. For Amos, as well as for most of his predecessors, Yahweh is conceived primarily as a god of justice. He gave laws for his people to obey, and disobedience of these laws must inevitably bring punishment sufficient to atone for the wrongdoing. But for Hosea, Yahweh is a god of love and mercy. Our best understanding of Yahweh’s nature can be grasped by means of analogies drawn from family relationships. The love of a husband for his wife and the love of a father for his children are appropriate symbols for indicating the character of the deity. Speaking for Yahweh, Hosea declares, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” And again, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.”
Punishment for wrongdoing is indeed necessary, but according to Hosea, the purpose of punishment is not to meet the demands of justice but rather to restore the ones who have done the wrong. This moral restoration is achieved by getting the wrongdoers themselves to recognize the error of their ways and then to repent in humility and turn from their evil paths. In other words, for Hosea, punishment is remedial rather than retributive, an expression of Yahweh’s love for his people. Punishment should be used as a last resort to teach lessons that people have refused to learn in any other way. Israel will surely go into captivity, but it will not be a final or complete destruction of the nation. Rather, it will be an opportunity for Israelites to gain a clearer understanding of the character of Yahweh so that when they return to their land as free people, they will know how to worship Yahweh in an appropriate manner.
