According To The Old Testament Book that bears his name, Hosea, whose name means "May the Lord save," prophesied around 2750 years ago, in the mid-700s, BC, during the reigns of Israel's last two kings. These were the twilight years of Hosea's homeland, the Northern kingdom of Israel, a time of rapid moral decline when the worship of false gods was mixed with the worship of the one, true God. The stage was being set for the invasion and destruction of Israel by the Assyrians and the subsequent captivity and exile of the Israelites.
Hosea's prophesies spoke of the desolations that would result from being unfaithful to God, and his own life became a metaphor for Israel and its relationship to God at the time. His wife, Gomer, forsook him and committed adultery with many lovers. In spite of this, Hosea continued to love her and was eventually able to free her from the slavery of prostitution.
Hosea's preaching drew on this example, describing Israel and Judah as having prostituted themselves spiritually with other gods. Yet just as he continued to love Gomer, God continued to love His people. As a result, the book ends on a positive note, even though it is filled with a strong rebuke and messages of judgment because of the nation's gross sins of idolatry and immorality. Hosea's writing indicates that he loved the people he was compelled to condemn. In tender language, he reminds the nation of God's undying love. In spite of their unfaithfulness, Hosea promises that God is determined to redeem the people of Israel and Judah and to restore them to their favored place as His chosen people.
