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The Blue Letter Bible

Dr. J. Vernon McGee :: Notes for Hosea

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HOSEA


WRITER: Hosea. All that is known of him is what he reveals in his prophecy.

TIME:

The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. (Hosea 1:1)

In spite of the fact that Hosea mentions the four kings of Judah first and the one king of Israel last, he was a prophet to the northern kingdom, as the content of the book reveals. He was contemporary with Amos, another prophet to Israel, and also contemporary with Micah and Isaiah, prophets to Judah. His ministry extended over half a century, and he lived to see the fulfillment of his prophecy in the captivity of Israel.

THEME: “Return unto the LORD.”

Come, and let us return unto the LORD; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)

“Return” occurs fifteen times.
“Ephraim” occurs thirty-six times.
“Backsliding” occurs three times. Hosea and Jeremiah are the two prophets who talk about backsliding and the cure for it.
What Jeremiah was to Judah at the time of the captivity of the southern kingdom, Hosea was to Israel, over a century before, at the time of the captivity of the northern kingdom. Both spoke out of a heartbreaking personal experience.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Hosea’s experience was in the home; Jeremiah’s was in the nation. Jeremiah was commanded not to marry; Hosea was commanded to marry a harlot or, as he brutally stated the case, “a wife of whoredoms” (Hosea 1:2, KJV). He married Gomer, and she bore him two sons and a daughter. Afterward she played the harlot again, and Hosea put her out of his home. But God commanded him to take again this unfaithful harlot, to bring her back into his home, and to love her again. In effect, God said to Hosea, “Now you are prepared to speak for Me to Israel — Israel has played the harlot, but I love her and will yet bring her back into her homeland.”

Minor Prophets ← Prior Section
Outline for Hosea Next Section →
Notes for Daniel ← Prior Book
Notes for Joel Next Book →
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