Hosea 1-3

Bible Fiber

Shabbat Shalom and Welcome to Bible Fiber where we are encountering the textures and shades of the prophetic tapestry in a year-long study of the twelve minor prophets, one prophet each month. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization devoted to sharing the story of the people of Israel, both ancient and modern.

The “minor” prophets are the most neglected books of the Hebrew Bible, but they are all major messengers from the Lord whose poetry and prose still ring true today.

This week, we start with the book of Hosea and its first three chapters. Please be sure to read the first three chapters on your own as part of the Bible Fiber weekly challenge. We are here to hold each other lovingly accountable to the discipline of scripture study as we dive deeper into God’s whole word.

The book of Hosea can be divided into two primary sections: Hosea’s Marriage and Hosea’s Message. The marriage of Hosea to Gomer constitutes the first three chapters of the book. The story in this section is written mostly as narrative, as opposed to the remaining 11 chapters which passed down to us as poetry.
The book of Hosea begins with a historical superscription: “The word of the LORD that came to 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.” Scholars believe Hosea’s prophetic career lasted around forty years. We know that Jeroboam II’s reign ended around 746 BCE, and Hosea’s ministry started sometime before Jeroboam’s death. Hosea says he was still prophesying at the time of Hezekiah, and we know Hezekiah’s reign began in 716 BCE. Judging from Hosea’s own historical timestamp, the prophet’s work took place between 746 BCE and 716 BCE.