Hosea 10–14

Bible Fiber

We stopped in Hosea 9 last week but that was an artificial stop point. Really, the prophet’s judgement speech goes from 6:4 to 11:7 without pausing for a breath. We continue to gain insight in these last chapters into the purpose of God’s retribution. While Hosea is the prophet most sensitive to Israel’s inner spiritual life, he by no means ignores Israel’s more obvious signs of rebellion. Hosea is very specific about the public actions of the people that Yahweh finds most repulsive. Also, his similes and metaphors endure throughout the last chapters, springing back and forth from judgement to mercy so often that you cannot help but worry he will not land on a compassionate note. Only at the end, in an attempt towards resolution, do his previously used symbols for Israel’s current sins get craftily reinvented to represent Israel’s future redemption.

Idolatry, desperate military alliances, and illegitimate kings are the most frequently mentioned outer transgressions committed by Israel. Because these acts are so specific to this people, living at this place and at this exact time, I want to pause and give a miniature history lesson. I believe one of the reasons these prophetic texts are so little read is because it is hard in a 45-minute sermon to try and close the gap in time and culture between the ancient and modern.