Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Hosea 1-7
Hosea 1:1
The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Hosea is the first book of the section of the Bible called “the minor prophets.” That title is misleading, none of God’s prophets are minor, but these books are short. Consider Hosea, He was one of the longest serving prophets in the Bible. His tenure was at least 40 years long, from about 755 – 715 BC. This was prior to the first deportation of God’s people. For in 722, the Northern kingdom (called Israel) was defeated and carried by the Assyrians in 722 BC, therefore, Hosea prophesied of this event for around 33 years before it happened.
Not only was Hosea one of the longest serving spokesmen for God, he is quoted often in the New Testament. For its size, this book, Hosea, is quoted more than any other in the New Testament. In today’s readings you will read, or have already read Hosea 6:6. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. A portion of this was quoted by Jesus in Matthew 9:13. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Also, Hosea 2:23 is referred to in Romans 9:25.
This prophet’s messages are primarily to the northern kingdom which he refers to as “Ephraim.” The most memorable and remarkable aspect of Hosea’s story is God’s command that he Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms: (Hosea 1:2). Of all the strange ways that God used His prophets, this is perhaps the strangest. But remember, there was no written Word of God in Hosea’s day, not like we have today. The Lord had to grab the attention of an unbelieving world through real life and physical situations to show forth His message to them. As an example, remember that God told Ezekiel to lay on his left side for 390 days. Each day represented one year as a sign to Israel. He then was to lay on his right side for 40 days as a sign to Judah. (Ezekiel 4:4-6) Yes, God employed the strangest of things to startle His people, wake them up, and make them take notice of His message to them.
But Hosea’s is perhaps the strangest of all.
Dr. William T. Howe
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