Hosea

Hosea 1  •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 8
Listen from:
Hosea 1:1-11
Hosea prophesied in the prospect of the breaking up of the kingdom of the ten tribes, and near the end of the house of Jehu. He is full of the thought of the ruin that was at hand; but he anticipates scenes of restoration and glory beyond it. As I may express it, the death and resurrection of Israel is contemplated by him, and announced under different figures, in a very abrupt and vivid style.
At the opening of the book, the prophet is directed by the Lord to take to him a wife and children. And he might say of them, as Isaiah did of his two sons, “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders” (Isa. 8:18).
The first child is “Jezreel”—the sign of the doom, both of the house of Jehu, and of the house of Israel. The second child is “Lo-ruhamah”—the sign that God would withdraw His mercy from the house of Israel. The third is “Lo-ammi”—the sign that He would disclaim Israel, so that they should be no more His people. But all this is, followed by a promise of final re-gathering, called “the day of Jezreel,” when the very same nation, now cast off, should be restored. The strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire, pass by to do their appointed service; but the still, small voice closes the history.