SETUP
Have you ever given love and trust, or even made solemn covenants, and then been betrayed? Or have you ever been loved and trusted by someone but then, in weakness, betrayed that trust and damaged the relationship and thus know the yearning to be loved and trusted again?
Hosea describes God’s feelings toward those who have covenanted with Him and then betrayed the trust. Examine your own life for experiences that will help you understand Hosea’s message.
BACKGROUND
During the time of Hosea, the Israelites were influenced heavily by the worship and ways of the Canaanites. The sophistication of the city-based Canaanite farmers who surrounded them, the fertility of their flocks and fields attracted the Israelite farmers. The rites by which the people supplicated the gods of fertility were lewd, licentious, and immoral. Even though Israel had covenanted at Sinai to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto God, by the time of Hosea, God’s people had become deeply involved in the practices of their neighbors, whose way of life should have repelled them.
INTRODUCTION
Nephi said that to understand the writings of Isaiah, one has to understand the Jewish way of prophesying (see 2 Nephi 25:1). The same is true of Hosea because he, like Isaiah, made extensive use of metaphors and symbolism. Each chapter contains at least one metaphor, and all need to be seen against the background of Israel’s history and tradition to be understood.
One metaphor that is central to Hosea’s message is marriage. Throughout history every culture has prescribed ways to celebrate the covenants of marriage. Because most people had personal knowledge of marriage, they understood the Lord better when the prophets used marriage terms to describe symbolically the covenants God made with them and they with Him. The covenant relationship between Jehovah and His people Israel was likened to the relationship between a man and his wife.
In the symbolic marriage covenant, God is the husband and Israel, the covenant people, is the bride. God wed Israel in the covenant of Abraham (see Genesis 17). That covenant was renewed with Moses’ people at the foot of Mount Sinai..When Israel turned away from her husband to worship other gods, then she broke the covenants.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “In a spiritual sense, to
emphasize how serious it is, the damning sin of idolatry is called adultery.
When the Lord’s people forsake him and worship false gods, their infidelity to
Jehovah is described as whoredoms and adultery. By forsaking the Lord, his
people are unfaithful to their covenant vows, vows made to him who symbolically
is their Husband.”
The symbolism is central to Hosea’s message. He depicts Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord as that of a wife who has turned her back on a faithful husband to follow her lovers.
Why do you think Hosea and other prophets used comparisons? Comparing a
complicated or unfamiliar idea with one that is simpler or more
familiar makes it more understandable to the people who are being
taught. Comparisons also help provide a lot of detail in just a few
words.
Chapters 1-3
In the book of Hosea, the Lord’s relationship with Israel (and with the Church today) is compared to the relationship between a husband and wife.
In what way was ancient Israel comparable to Gomer, who is described as “a wife of whoredoms”? (v. 1:2–3; 2:5, 13)
Gomer had left her husband for her lovers; Israel had forgotten the Lord and become wicked.
*** What does this comparison teach us about the level of commitment and devotion the Lord expects from us?
Who or what were Israel’s “lovers”—the things that caused the people to turn away from the Lord?
Other gods, material goods, and the practices of the world.
What things may divert us from our dedication to following the Savior?
To whom did the adulterous wife give credit for her food and clothing? (v.2:5)
To whom did the Israelites attribute the fruitful land in which they lived? To their false gods or idols
***How do people today give credit to false gods for the blessings they receive?
Hosea's attitude at first toward his wife (v.2:6–13)
Hosea's attitude changed (v.2:14-23)
Even though the wife had been unfaithful, the husband still loved her and wanted her to come back to him. Likewise, the Lord still loves his people who have gone astray, and he wants them to turn again to him.
Elder Eyering Quote
What did the husband promise his wife if she would return to him? (v 2:19.)
What does the Lord promise his people if they will repent and return to him? (v. 2:20, 23.)
***Why is this promise important?
In Hosea 3:1–2, the husband purchased his wife from her lover In Old Testament cultures, women were often considered property and could be bought or sold.
What did the husband require of his wife after he purchased her? (v. 3:3.)
What did he promise her?
In what sense has Jesus Christ “bought” each of us? (see 1 Peter 1:18–19.)
What does Christ require of us in return?
Chapters 11,13-14
Using the imagery of a marriage, the Lord, through Hosea, taught His people that though they had been unfaithful to Him, ye He would still not divorce them (cast them off) if they would but turn back to Him. Though Hosea speaks of a nation, the same principle holds true for individuals. Even those who have been grossly unfaithful to God can reestablish their relationship with Him if they will but turn back to Him with full purpose of heart.
Throughout the book of Hosea, the Lord reproves the Israelites for their great sins. After the Lord, through Hosea, describes the captivity and destruction that will result from Israel’s wickedness, he again invites his people to repent and return to him.
What did the Israelites need to do to return to the Lord and receive deliverance? (v. 12:6; 14:2–3)
They needed to repent of their sins and renounce the other gods they had worshiped.
What did the Lord promise to do if they repented? (v. 14:4–7.)
What does the Lord promise he will do if we repent of our sins?
Conclusion
While the Lord’s blessings are reserved for those who keep his commandments, his love is constant and extended to all. Even when we turn away from him through sin, the Lord loves us and wants us to repent and return to him.
