Hosea 1:1-6
Introduction
Hosea 1:1
(KJB)
The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of
Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in
the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
The word of the LORD came to Hosea but not all at one
time since he prophesied during the reigns of five kings four of them were in
Judah and one in the northern kingdom.
He was the son of Beeri, his name means “expounder or man of the well.”
Not much is known about him except that he was the father of Hosea.
Jeroboam II was king in the northern kingdom for 41
years from 825-784 B.C. He was the
son and successor of Joash and the fourteenth king of Israel.
2 Kings 14:23 (KJV) In the
fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of
Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
Uzziah was king of Judah from 809-756 B.C. and reigned
52 years. He was a wise and
virtuous ruler. He was much
influenced by Zechariah the prophet.
Jotham was the son of King Uzziah and reigned from
758-742 B.C sixteen years.
2 Kings 15:1 (KJV) In the twenty and
seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of
Judah to reign.
Ahaz was the son of Jotham and eleventh king of Judah
who reigned from 741-726 B.C. about 16 years.
He was a weak idolater and made his sons pass through the fire to Moloch.
2 Kings 16:3 (KJV) But he walked
in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the
fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from
before the children of Israel.
Hezekiah ascended the throne of Judah in 726-698 B.C.,
was the son of Ahaz and was known as one of the most perfect kings of Judah.
2 Kings 16:20 (KJV) And Ahaz slept
with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and
Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
So we see when looking at the total time frame of these
five kings we can see they add up to 127 years and it seemed Hosea prophesied
during a good portion of that time.
Hosea 1:2
(KJB)
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the
LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of
whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
When it speaks of the beginning of the word of the LORD,
it means when the words began to come to Hosea which would continue on for quite
a number of years. Now the LORD
gives Hosea a command to do something that no Israelite would normally do.
The LORD had commanded Hosea to take a wife who is a whore and that is
well-known to be one so there is no mistaking the picture that God is setting
up. She was also to have a whore
for a mother to show the greatness of the whoredom in her life.
God wants the whole land of Israel to see that they have committed a
great whoredom when they departed from the LORD and began to take up the worship
of the false gods like Ahaz when he sacrificed his son to Molech.
Hosea 1:3
(KJB)
So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which
conceived, and bare him a son.
So Hosea obeys God and took Gomer the daughter of
Diblaim. The name “Gomer” means
“completion” which in this case means the filling up of the measure of idolatry
which she represented coming from the northern kingdom of Israel.
The name “Diblaim” means “double layers of grape cake” which speaks of a
person totally given to sensuality.
It gives us insight as to why Gomer was the way she was with a father given over
to sensuality. Then Gomer bears a
son to Hosea.
Hosea 1:4
(KJB)
And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for
yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of
Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
The first son’s name is called Jezreel.
The name “Jezreel” means “God sows or scatters.”
The name may suggest that soon the northern kingdom would become
scattered into the hands of Assyria.
God had promised Jehu that his family would reign in the house of Israel
unto the fourth generation.
2 Kings 10:30 (KJV) And the LORD said
unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine
eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine
heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
The third generation was now in power which was Jeroboam II.
At this juncture we do not know how long the carrying out of the
vengeance because the reign of Jeroboam II began in 825 B.C. and ended in 784
B.C. but we do know that the northern kingdom ceased to exist in 721 B.C.
Hosea 1:5
(KJB)
And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break
the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
God gives a prophecy that at a certain time which will
come to pass, that he will break the bow.
The bow was a weapon of war but maybe God has in view here that he is
going to break the bow of the house of Jehu who had slain Jehoram with the bow
and usurped his throne.
2 Kings 9:24 (KJV) And Jehu drew a bow
with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went
out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
Jezreel was the chief city of the ten northern tribes which was situated
in a large valley known as the valley of Jezreel from the time of Joshua.
Joshua 17:16 (KJV) And the
children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites
that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of
Beth-shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.
Hosea 1:6
(KJB)
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God
said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the
house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.