The Book of Hosea was written around 785 B.C., prior to Israel’s ten northern tribes being destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. It was a severe judgment from the Lord due to their apostasy.
The name Hosea means: God is salvation.
Hosea was a type of Christ, a picture of the Creator’s love for His people, despite their unfaithfulness. God promises to restore Israel upon their repentance and return to Him.
This article quotes Scripture of their future blessings.
Hosea 1
10 “Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.” 11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.”
Hosea 2
‘Restoration of Israel’
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. 15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor (north of Jericho – near the country of Ammon) as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali. 17 “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more. 18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky And the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety. 19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.
21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the LORD. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, 22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel. 23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’ “
See article: The Lord’s Deliverance of Judah and Jerusalem First – Part One
Hosea 3
4 “For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.”
Hosea 5
15 “I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
Hosea 6
‘The Response to God’s Rebuke’
1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. 2 “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. 3 “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.”
This scripture could very well be a prayer of the remnant hiding in the wilderness, during the Tribulation. Also of great significance is the raising up on the third day – “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
Hosea 13
Hosea 13:4-8 is describing what the tribulation will be like.
4 “Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. 5 I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. 6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me. 7 So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. 8 I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them.”
Of interest is the lion/leopard/bear reference. That also describes the Beast. “Then I saw a beast…and the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” – Revelation 13:1-2. Daniel’s vision of four beasts also applies. “The first was like a lion…another beast, a second one, resembling a bear…another one, like a leopard…a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet…and it had ten horns…another horn, a little one, came up among them…this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.” – Daniel 7:4-8.
Hosea 13
The Lord is promising to redeem them:
14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?
Hosea 14
‘Repentance to Bring Blessing’
‘Israel’s Future Blessing’
‘God’s Promise to restore Israel’
1 “Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we may present the fruit of our lips. 3 “Assyria will not save us, We will not ride on horses; Nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ To the work of our hands; For in You the orphan finds mercy.”
4 “I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. 6 His shoots will sprout, And his beauty will be like the olive tree And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. 7 Those who live in his shadow Will again raise grain, And they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 “O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; From Me comes your fruit.
9 “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.”
God keeps His promises.
“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” – Joshua 21:45
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23
Click here for: Book of Daniel – End Times Prophecy
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