Hosea 4-5

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. The “minor” prophets are the most neglected books of the Hebrew Bible, but they are all major messengers from the Lord. This week, we are continuing our study of Hosea so be sure to read Hosea 4 -5 as part of our Bible Reading challenge.

Last week, we read the first three chapters of Hosea which told the story of Hosea’s marriage to the harlot Gomer. Hosea’s broken marriage was an extended metaphor, a visual aid, to demonstrate Israel’s abandonment of Yahweh.

In the remaining chapters of Hosea, the tone and style of the prophetic book completely changed as the prophet went from describing his marriage to giving his message. No longer was Hosea writing in autobiographical prose. He transformed to both activist and poet. Oddly, Hosea did not reference Gomer at any point in the rest of the book. Adultery as a symbol for Israel’s infidelity remained the undercurrent throughout his oracle, but the historical Gomer disappeared.

Hosea 4 began with a litany of accusations against Israel, like a lawyer in divorce court: summoning witnesses, identifying the guilty party, listing Israel’s offenses, and declaring her upcoming punishment. Micah 6 was written with a similar formula.