Hosea 1:1 Meet the Man

Meet the man Hosea who was chosen by God to call the nation of Israel back to Himself. He will minister shortly before the fall of the Northern Kingdom.

I know. Choosing only one verse to focus on sounds pretty silly, but my bible divides this single verse from the rest. So, let’s meet the man God called. 

Hosea doesn’t tell us which tribe he was from but his words tell us that his work was done in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The names of the kings he listed take him very close to the time of Israel’s fall. I have a chart that shows which prophet ministered during which time and for which kingdom. The chart has Hosea’s ministry ending at the time that he shared a name with Israel’s king; Hosea. I’m curious why he names off the kings of Judah and only lists one king for Israel. As his ministry was in the Northern Kingdom, I would expect it to be the other way around. The Jeroboam he cites was the second one in Israel’s history. 

Hosea will have an unusual ministry. It was unlike any other in that he had to act out and live out Israel’s sins in his own household. Not out of personal choice, but out of an obedient heart to God. Talk about commitment! Hosea’s actions will demonstrate Israel’s infidelity and God’s enduring love. 

Check out his story from GotQuestions.org. It gives a FAST overview of what we will be learning about this man of God. And tomorrow we will meet the family.

Father God, thank You for showing Your love SO BOLDLY. I don’t think I could live the example Hosea did. Then again, I’m a woman so my role would have been his wife’s. NO THANK YOU. Let me show my commitment to You in other ways!