Majoring on the minors – Part 1

Hosea: I’d like you to marry . . .

Thomas Kock

The final 12 books of the Old Testament are called “the minor prophets”—minor because of their length, not because of their importance. These minor books are full of major truths. In this series, we will major on the minors! Let’s start with Hosea.

Our unfaithfulness

I never, ever thought about praying for what we’re about to discuss.

My wife and I have been blessed with four children. Knowing that a spouse has a major impact on a person’s life, I began praying when my kids were young for their future spouses. I prayed that God would guide and guard them. I prayed that God would work strong faith in their hearts. I prayed that their parents would stay married, that they might have a good role model for marriage.

But I never, ever thought about praying like this: “The LORD said to [Hosea], ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife’ ” (Hosea 1:2).

Can you imagine Hosea’s reaction? “You want me to do . . . what?!?” Yes, God wanted him to marry an adulterous wife. I never, ever prayed for something like that for my children! Why would God do this?

At God’s command, Hosea married Gomer, and they had three children. But there’s big trouble! We read: “The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley” (Hosea 3:1,2). Can you imagine? He had to BUY his wife back! Had she married another man? Perhaps so.

God’s faithful love

But did you hear the key point? “Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites.” God often describes his relation to his people as a marriage—God is the husband; the church is the bride. Whenever the church fails to love God with all her heart, whenever the church gives her love to other “gods” (money, fame, work, recreation, etc.), the church is committing spiritual adultery. In Hosea’s day, many of the Israelites were giving their

love to other gods. And so God decided to work through Hosea to paint this concrete picture of what God’s love is all about. Although Gomer was unfaithful, Hosea was to love her faithfully, just as God would continue to love his people.

February is the month of love because of Valentine’s Day. Do you look forward to this month or dread it? Unfortunately, too many people have experienced faithless love and have been hurt by those who ought to show them love. But far more terrible, each of us has shown lack of faithfulness—lack of love—to the One who is love itself.

Yet God continues to love us faithfully, no matter how often we have failed to love him.

And he always will.

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Contributing editor Thomas Kock, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin, is a member at Atonement, Milwaukee.

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This is the first article in a 12-part series on the minor prophets.

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Hosea

Background: Hosea was the son of Beeri and a prophet during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel, c. 755-720 B.C.

His family: Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. They had three children: Jezreel, whose means “the LORD plants and sows”; Lo-Ruhamah, whose name means “no pity”; and Lo-Ammi, whose name means “not my people.”

The book’s major truth: God’s faithful love.

Interesting fact: The New Testament quotes Hosea 30 times! Of the prophets, only Isaiah is quoted more!

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Author: Thomas Kock
Volume 105, Number 2
Issue: February 2018

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