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Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools
of apostasy before God. They broke
the covenant which their forefathers
made with God by violating the first
commandment, which states that you
shall have no other gods before me
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(Exodus 20:3). When they are called
adulterous, that means they have gone
astray. They are doing harlotry to their
husbands (Hos. 2:2-5).
Politically, the Israelites demanded to
have a king apart from God who was
the King of their nation (Hos. 8:4). This
Figure 6.1: Prophet Hosea with Gomer was the time of Israelites monarchies
(1 Sam. 8, Hos. 10:3-10). However,
The message and aim of the book of the monarchy was attained through
Prophet Hosea assassinations (10:7). Israel also sinned
The message of the book of Prophet against God by trusting alliances with
Hosea is to show God’s anger and the foreign powers rather instead of trusting
coming judgment of Israel. The prophet in God (Hos. 7:11).
also aimed to reveal God’s love and
mercy to his people. Socially, the book of Hosea explains
how the prophet’s ministry was tough
In his prophecy, Hosea wanted to because we see that the people’s
expose the foolishness of Israelites for weakness began at the house of the man
worshipping idols (nonliving gods), a of God, Hosea. Until then, according to
situation which he termed as committing Hosea 4 and 5, there was no fear of God’s
adultery. What the people were doing judgment among the children of Israel.
was apostasy, and the punishment was People became liars, assassinators,
imminent. Prophet Hosea illustrates the killers, infidels, and thieves; they lived
fallen state of Israel and God’s anger a dirty life.
through vivid metaphors.
Hosea’s marriage experience and its
The audience of the message of Prophet prophetic message
Hosea Hosea compared the relationship of
The prophecy of Hosea was addressed a loving father with his children to
to and touched the religious, political God’s relationship with the Israelites.
and other spheres of Israeli society. In He showed that the Israelites had
the religious realm, the people of Israel rejected God’s love, like his wife, who
forsook God by worshipping idols set was unfaithful and had rejected his
by King Jeroboam I. This was a sin
88 Form Five Student’s Book
