Messages of the Prophets 2 (Hosea)

What were the main messages of the prophets? I started with Amos. Now on to Hosea.

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Chapters 1-3 In these chapters, Hosea is given the object lesson of an unfaithful spouse to illustrate Israel's infidelity to God. (other gods)

• However, this unfaithfulness has manifested itself in concrete ways. First, there is the violence that Jehu committed when he obliterated all the relatives of King Ahaz (1:4).
• Chapter 4 also indicates that this faithlessness to Yahweh shows itself in murder, stealing, and adultery (violence)
• Turning to other gods includes daughters turning to prostitution and adultery (4:13).
• Involves turning to wooden idols (4:12; other gods). 

5:3 -- Israel is corrupt

5:4 -- prostituting with other gods, turned to outside nations like Assyria (5:13)

6:6 -- I desire mercy, not sacrifice 

6:8-9 -- violence

7:1 -- thieving going on, stealing going on (violence)

7:11 -- turn to outside nations

7:14 -- self-cutting part of engagement with other gods

8:1 -- people have rebelled against God's law (not serving God)

8:4 -- overthrowing their kings

8:4 -- serving idols (other gods)

8:10 -- oppression will come from their dancing with Assyria

8:13 -- they offer sacrifices (who cares?)

9:1 -- they have been unfaithful to God (not serving God)

9:9 -- corruption

9:17 -- have not kept God's law (not serving God)

10:2 -- served other gods

10:4 -- kings making agreements with other nations

11:2 -- went after other gods

12:1 -- violence

13:1 -- serve Ba'al (other gods)

14:1 -- Israel's sins (not serving God)

Summary

Clearly, the dominant theme of Hosea is that Israel has been cheating on God with other gods and other nations like Egypt and Assyria. Intertwined with this "prostitution" are other indicators of the chaotic and pathetic state of Israel. It is a place of violence. It is a place of stealing. It is a place where daughters get pulled into the prostitution associated with serving other gods like Ba'al.

Hosea may allude to Adam. It may allude to the exodus (11:1-2). It may allude to the golden calf story. It clearly refers to God's law. It may allude to the story of Israel asking for a king. It has pretty clear rhetoric about idols and thus implies the aniconic nature of the worship of Yahweh. These seem to imply awareness of significant parts of Scripture in the 700s BC.