Introduction to Hosea

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 147:1-5
• Hymn — Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah (#57)
• Shorter Catechism — Questions 25 & 26 (Offices of Priest and King)
• Hymn — Jesus, Lover of My Soul
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — How Firm a Foundation (#94)
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: Introduction to Hosea

Scripture: Hosea 1:1

I. Prosperity — Israel's Wealth and Spiritual Complacency

A. Historical Background: The Divided Monarchy

1. United monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon split in 930 BC when Jeroboam set up golden calves at Dan and Bethel
2. Northern kingdom (Israel) had all wicked kings; southern kingdom (Judah) had mostly wicked kings, with some godly exceptions due to the Davidic line
3. Northern kingdom exiled by Assyria in 722 BC; southern kingdom (Judah) exiled by Babylon in 586 BC

B. Hosea: The Deathbed Prophet

1. Hosea is the last prophet to Israel before the Assyrian exile, earning him the title "the deathbed prophet"
2. His prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of four Judean kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah) and one northern king (Jeroboam II)
3. The lengthy span suggests Hosea may have prophesied both before and after the Assyrian exile

C. The Jehu Dynasty and Its Prosperity

1. The Jehu dynasty (842–753 BC) was the longest in the northern kingdom, ending with Jeroboam II
2. This era was marked by extreme prosperity in Israel, a context Amos also addresses as a contemporary of Hosea
3. Moral failure and spiritual adultery coincided with this prosperity

D. God's Warning Against Prosperity Leading to Idolatry

1. Deuteronomy 31:19-20 — God forewarned that when Israel grew fat in the land they would turn to other gods
2. God designed Israel's liturgical calendar to keep their hearts oriented toward the Giver rather than the gifts

E. Israel's Liturgical Life as a Guard Against Complacency

1. The first fruits offering (Leviticus 23:9-14) reminded Israel that the whole harvest belonged to God
2. Connects to 1 Corinthians 3:6 — God gives the growth; and to 1 Corinthians 15 — Christ as the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest
3. By Hosea's time, Israel's eyes were on the benefits, not the Benefactor

F. Application: The Liturgical Pattern of Your Life

1. Daily habits and routines shape and orient the heart — either toward God or away from Him
2. Opening your phone vs. opening your Bible; praying before meals; morning and evening prayer; gathering on the Lord's Day
3. Every habit is a liturgy forming the heart; good liturgies orient us toward the one true God

II. Prostitution — Israel's Spiritual Adultery

A. Hosea's Marriage to Gomer as Symbol

1. God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer to symbolize Israel's spiritual harlotry
2. The symbolism is double: Israel prostitutes herself to Baal, and Baal worship itself involved cult prostitution

B. Yahweh's Jealousy for His People

1. In Exodus 34:14, God calls His name "Jealous" — in the context of covenant renewal after Israel's idolatry with the golden calf (Exodus 32)
2. Numbers 5:11-31 — a husband's jealousy over an unfaithful wife is not condemned but commended; this is the kind of righteous jealousy Yahweh has for His covenant people
3. God's love for His people is intense and unwavering — not passive or indifferent

III. Promise — God's Gracious Restoration

A. The Prophet as Both Covenant Prosecutor and Mouthpiece of Yahweh

1. Prophets come to disobedient Israel with warnings and condemnation, not commendation
2. Israel's sins were truly heinous: child sacrifice, cult prostitution, oppression of the poor, unjust judgment — a pattern seen throughout Judges and beyond

B. Yet God Always Promises Covenant Faithfulness

1. Amid doom, Hosea contains some of the most beautiful and compassionate words in all of Scripture
2. Exodus 34:6-7 — Yahweh is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love; His mercy extends to the thousandth generation while His wrath extends only to the third and fourth
3. God's default setting is grace, not wrath — His steadfast love is greater than His judgment

C. Application: Hosea as Comfort for Sinners

1. When we understand the depth of Israel's sin and the extravagance of God's mercy toward them, we see how lavish His love is toward us
2. God brings harsh warnings to His covenant people to steer them away from idols and back to Himself
3. His love is intense, serious, and will carry His people all the way to glory