God’s Purpose in a Love Story
The Book of Hosea
The First Story of the Minor Prophets
12 Books from the Bible to Inspire Our Faith Journey
Through God’s
Loving Kindness, Forgiveness, Redemption, Restoration and Hope
As we begin our study, we learn that the Minor Prophets lived approximately 740 years before Jesus came on the scene. Their culture, food, clothing, economics and daily standard of living was very different from ours today. Yet, according to Nathan Jones and Steve Howell, authors of 12 Faith Journeys of the Minor Prophets, the people of that time were full of heart – as human as we are today.
They had thoughts, emotions, dreams, desires and yearned to be loved and accepted. We are reminded that no matter where or when people may be found, they suffer pain, challenges and trials, even while trying to maintain their faith in God.
Let’s start our journey to strengthen our faith in God. By putting him first in all of our choices, we will maintain faith through heartache. I am so thankful for God’s patience and endless loving-kindness to me. He is the only way for us to live a life of faith and hope through all things. His love and forgiveness give me strength and peace to live a life of joy.
“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy.”
Colossians 1:11 NLT
In the book “Faith Journeys of The Minor Prophets,” the authors Nathan Jones and Steve Howell share that the heart of God wants to communicate to us and does so in ample ways throughout the Bible where He has communicated who He is to man.
We see how avenues of His communications are often shared through the speeches, writings and symbolic lives of Israel’s prophets, such as Hosea. Many times, the rebuking messages given to Israel were to help keep the people from making wrong choices, and even more often, to reveal the character of our God, Yahweh. As we read more and study more of God’s word, we learn to look through God’s eyes with a greater perspective, to understand how the messages to Israel are a way for Him to show that every person, in every land since, can know about the Creator.
I realize as I read through the Bible and, now, our study of the Minor prophets, that God is not just speaking to Hosea and the other prophets of the Hebrew Bible/the Old Testament, he is speaking to you and me so that we hear His voice, make the right choices for His good purposes, and know that, when we call out to Him, He hears us and will answer. This is a wonderful reminder that He loves us that much!
As we begin our journey in the first movement of Hosea, Chapters 1-3 of the Book of Hosea, we walk into a sad story of Hosea’s broken heart and hurt from the unfaithfulness of his wife, Gomer. The depth of this story is filled with rich metaphors and symbolism to teach us (and to warn us) not to let the ways of the world – the human desires of self-power, self-worthiness, pride and Godlessness – take hold of us. We learn how Yahweh, out of love for the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, issued, through His prophet, promises along with warnings. If they would repent of their faithlessness and return to their God, he would renew and restore them in their intimate covenant relationship with Him.
Yet, if they continued to live in their rebellious ways, destruction at the hands of the Assyrians would be inevitable.
As author Brian Simmons writes in the Passion Translation, Hosea’s introduction shows Hosea’s own reconciliation and illustrates Israel’s ultimate promise of restoration. (Hosea 1:1-3:5)
He adds how disintegration is the opposite of integrity. When one is integrated, he or she is not double-minded or conflicted on the inside. The first commandment, to have no other gods before God, is a call to individuals and communities to live and be integrated in life and to avoid those things (symbolized and illustrated by idols in the Bible) that create disintegration within us. Disintegration is spiritually fatal. It can be fatal to an entire civilization. For Israel, an integrated existence consisted of keeping the first commandment, avoiding idols, and living in accordance with the covenant— an existence they failed to maintain. (Hosea 3:1, 4:7).
We see how disintegration from God can send us on the wrong path of life which includes a list of other sins mentioned by Hosea that violate the covenant. They include injustice, (Hosea 12:7) violence (Hosea 4:2, 6:9) rebellion and more. Yet, as we read more, we see that the theme of hope is scattered throughout the Book of Hosea.
This hope is called out to anyone who is willing to listen throughout the ages to this very moment. Hope is deeply rooted in God’s plan for total redemption, of the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Do we have the faith in Hosea to believe in God’s word and calling? As we navigate through our journey in the book of Hosea, we see how God gave us His only begotten son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins so that we may live a redemptive and restored life, sin-free, filled with the hope and faithful love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior the Messiah.
We can have eternal renewal and restoration by choosing to trust in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross for us in order to take away all the sins of the world, yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s love is the ultimate and most faithful love we will ever experience.
The prophet Hosea, who loved an unfaithful woman, demonstrates the depth of Jesus’ faith and love for us.
It seems almost too simple to grasp the richness of the story of Hosea. At first, it was a bit hard to comprehend why God would call his prophet to marry a harlot woman. Yet as I continued to search for God’s message to us in this book, I realized that, with so many things going on throughout our daily lives, we can be easily distracted from God’s direction for us, especially if we do not stay true to our faith by keeping a pure heart for Him through all things.
My heart felt as though it was ignited by God’s love. I became even more excited about the book of Hosea, knowing that through the eyes of faith, we see the marriage of Hosea to Gomer as a parallel to Jesus and the church. Hosea still loves Gomer and, despite her sin, sacrificially brings her back.
As it says in Romans 5:8:
But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!
It was time to put my study away for a little while. Just before I closed my Bible and the layers of books around me, my eye caught this last reference about Hosea’s name.
It is so interesting to see how God masterfully weaves everything together for His good purposes. Nothing is done by accident with our God our Yahweh. Let us walk in hope to know He is with us ALWAYS! And let us encourage one another to walk with integrity and loving hearts to see the hope he has promised us for a life of joy through all seasons.
I feel such comfort and peace in knowing that our God always keeps His
promises.
“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and
remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of
every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:16.
DIRECTIVES
“You can find beauty in everything when you have faith in God’s compassionate love, for our Faith in God is more than just a belief.”
- Ssusan Forte O’Neill
1) Are you putting God first in all the things you do? When you are faced with a choice, does God help you decide?
2) In what areas of your life do you need to grow your faith?
