One of Hosea's most significant teachings is his stress on the necessity of the knowledge of God. Deploring the lack of this knowledge and the resulting errors rampant in northern Israel, the prophet cries, "There is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. . . . My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:1, 6). In Chapter 13 the Lord announces (verse 4), "I am the Lord thy God . . ., and thou shalt know no god but me."
While Hosea considered knowledge of God a fundamental requirement for the people of his day, it was the master Christian who, some eight centuries later, saw it as constituting the very essence of life, proclaiming in these ringing words, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3; cf . 8:32).
No one saw more clearly than Hosea the self-imposed dangers and limitations resulting from the failure of his people to abandon their rebellious and willful behavior. Being an astute observer of his country's affairs and policies, as well as a deep religious thinker, he gave his message a contemporary relevance which can still be traced throughout his book.
