Oseas

2. Hosea The Prophet of Love

An artist’s portrait of the Prophet Hosea

How do I love thee? How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

Love is patient (1 Corinthian 13)  Love

is patient, love is kind.  It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous,  it is not inflated,  it is not rude,  it does not seek its own interests,  it is not quick-tempered,  it does not brood over injury,  it does not rejoice over wrongdoing  but rejoices with the truth

What is love?  Two

important terms often used by Hosea 1)

hesed

“steadfast

2)

love”

da`at elohim

“knowledge

 [Two 1))

of God

important term used by Amos

Mishphat (justice) 2) Zedaqah (righteousness)

Can This be Love? The Hosea-Gomer love story A

Metaphor of God’s Love to Israel

Inaugurates

metaphor

(God/Jesus

 Hosea

the tradition of marriage

groom + Israel/Church bride

1 and 3

Hosea 1: Love at First Sight  The

first mission of the Prophet: “Go, take a harlot wife”

Artist’s sketch of Gomer of Diblaim, wife of Hosea

Note the symbolic names of their children  Jezreel

(=violence)  Lo-ruhamma (Walang Awa)  Lo-ammi (Di-Ko-Tao)

Love for the second time (chapter 3)  Again

(na naman) 3:1  Hosea sings: "Many

days you shall wait for me; you shall not play the harlot Or belong to any man; I in turn will wait for you.“ --Hosea 3:3

Re-naming of their children  Ammi

(Tao-ko)  Ruhama (May-Awa)

Infidelity of Israel (like an unfaithful spouse)  No

mercy (4:1)  No knowledge of God (4:1)  False swearing, lying, murder, stealing, violence  Their priests ignored the law of God (4:6)  The princes of Judah moved boundary lines (5:20)  Israel (Ephraim) is like a dove (7:11)

Summary of Israel’s unfaitfulness For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

Contrast to the Faithfulness of God “

I will speak to her heart in the desert” (2:16).  I will marry you forever in love and in mercy” (2:21).

Hosea’s Song: When Israel was a Child  When

Israel was a child I loved him,  out of Egypt I called my son.  The more I called them,  the farther they went from me,  Sacrificing to the Baals  and burning incense to idols.

 Yet

it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms;  I drew them with human cords,  with bands of love;  I fostered them like one  who raises an infant to his cheeks;  Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. Hosea 11:1-4

Song 2: How could I?  How

could I give you up, O Ephraim,  or deliver you up, O Israel?  How could I treat you as Admah,  or make you like Zeboiim?  My heart is overwhelmed,  my pity is stirred.

I will not give vent to my blazing anger,  I will not destroy Ephraim again;  For I am God and not man,  the Holy One present among you;  I will not let the flames consume you. Hosea 11:8-9 

Relevance of Hosea’s message  Love

= Faithfulness.  Human being, unfaithful; God, faithful.  Love makes hope possible.  In Amos and Hosea: God

is the God of Justice but also the God of Love.