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Join us as we study through Hosea 1 verse by verse. Our discussion questions, verse by verse commentary, and applications can help you or your small group get the most out of this book as you grow in understanding and obedience.

Hosea 1 Bible Study and Discussion Questions – God Commands Hosea to do the Inconceivable

Outline

I. The Word of the Lord to Hosea (1)
II. Hosea is commanded to marry a “wife of whoredom” (2-3)
III. Hosea and Gomer have children named by God (4-11)

I. The Word of the Lord to Hosea (1)

Discussion Questions

  • Why is it important that the book starts with the phrase, “The word of the Lord?”
  • When did the events of this book occur?
  • What was going on in Judah and Israel at the time?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. The word of the Lord – A number of prophets begin their books with this phrase (Joel, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi.) It is a reminder that the message is from God. It is authoritative and trustworthy. The opinions inside are not man’s, but are God’s.

2. In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, King of Israel. His ministry would have been from roughly 760-710 BC (Judah was conquered by Babylon in 587 BC.)

Jeroboam son of Joash – Jeroboam was a contemporary of Uzziah. He was the thirteenth king of Israel and reigned for forty-one years. Jeroboam was successful militarily in expanding the borders of Israel, but like all of his fathers before him, he was wicked and rebellious toward the Lord.

Uzziah – He reigned for 52 years. It is likely that Hosea’s ministry started at the tail end of his reign. Uzziah became king at 16 years old. His name means “Jehovah is strength.” Uzziah started off as a godly king and enjoyed much success. Finally, he became prideful and offered incense against the law in the temple, at which point he was struck with leprosy.

Jotham – He reigned for 16 years. Jotham was acknowledged as a good king (2 Chronicles 27). He followed the Lord faithfully, also learning from his father’s sin and therefore he did not go into the temple. But during his reign the people acted wickedly.

Ahaz – Ahaz was 20 when he became king. He reigned for 16 years. Ahaz was an evil king (2 Kings 16:2.) He engaged in idol worship and committed sacrilege against the temple. During the time of Ahaz Judah was attacked by Israel, and though it was not conquered, the war was very costly and more than 100,000 soldiers were killed.

Hezekiah – He reigned for 29 years. Hezekiah was the best king of Judah. He wholeheartedly followed the Lord (2 Kings 18:3). During his reign there were many challenges including multiple attacks by Assyria, but God delivered them. He became sick, but after praying he was granted 15 extra years of life. It was during that time that he showed off to Babylon and the seed was planted in that empire to come fight against Judah. Also, Hezekiah was followed by the most wicked king of all, his son King Manasseh.

II. Hosea is commanded to marry a “wife of whoredom” (2-3)

Discussion Questions

  •  Why would God command Hosea to take a “wife of whoredom?”
  •  How can we interpret this command in light of the fact that God is holy?
  •  What possible “solutions” are there to this interpretative dilemma?
  •  How was Hosea’s marriage going to be used to teach the people?
  •  Since his marriage was a picture of God’s relationship with Israel, who does Hosea represent?
  •  Who does Gomer represent?
  •  What lessons does this surprising command teach us about God? About people?

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 23:17-18 – None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.

Leviticus 21:14 – A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people

Proverbs 6:24-26 – To preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Take to yourself a wife of whoredom – Here is a phrase you will not often see. God commanded Hosea to marry a “wife of whoredom.” This phrase does not identify Gomer as a prostitute, but does highlight her unfaithfulness. If Gomer was already unfaithful at the time of the original marriage to Hosea, it would be more difficult to reconcile the moral implications of God commanding him to marry her. More likely, Gomer was faithful at first, and only later abandoned Hosea and demonstrated unfaithfulness.

Gomer would act as an allegory demonstrating the Israelites’ unfaithfulness as a nation against God, while Hosea represents God’s faithfulness and steadfast love. God looked forward in time and knew how many times Israel would rebel against Him, and yet still called them out of Egypt, extended the Mosaic covenant to them, and finally led them into the Promised Land. In a similar way, Hosea looked forward in time and knew that Gomer would betray him. Yet just like God, he still acted in love and fulfilled his own covenant obligations to Gomer.

Throughout the book we will see that God uses this relationship as a visible picture of his relationship to the nation of Israel. To properly illustrate this symbol, the prophet Hosea must act with love and commitment even when he knew what Gomer would become. Hosea must have unconditional love like God did or the object lesson would fail. And we will see that Hosea does just that.

Application – For the men, how would you as a single guy have felt if God had given such an instruction to you? What lessons do you learn from Hosea’s willingness to obey God in this?

2. We can see ourselves in this story – Although the story of Hosea and Gomer is a picture of God and Israel, it is also similar with God and us. Do you see yourself as Gomer or Hosea in this story? Actually, we can see ourselves in both:

Gomer – Like Gomer, we are undeserving of God’s love. We have proven ourselves to be unfaithful again and again. Even after salvation, we knowingly sin and break God’s law. Though His love is perfect, we still are from time to time enticed by the sins of the world. He took the initiative to love us first (1 John 4:19). And He still loves us and forgives us no matter how many times we disappoint him. When we think of the story in this way, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness and hopefully grow more thankful to Him.

Hosea – God calls us to love and forgive others, even though they don’t deserve it (Ephesians 4:32). Your friends, family, and spouse will let you down. Perhaps they will not betray you to the level Gomer did to Hosea, but they will sin against you. You will be tempted to react in the same manner. But God calls us to be holy as He is holy. He wants every believer to show the same love, commitment, grace, and forgiveness toward others that He did toward Israel. God is our ultimate standard. Hosea admirably gave us a model of a how a person who is committed to obeying God can, by His grace, do the same thing.

Application – We should be thankful for God’s love and forgiveness. And in turn, we should be motivated to show the same love and forgiveness to others. Is there someone who has sinned against you and hurt you whom you need to forgive? Are you willing to approach them this week and say those most difficult words, “I forgive you?”

III. Hosea and Gomer have children named by God (4-11)

Discussion Questions

  •  What was the significance of Hosea’s children’s names?
  •  Who chose his children’s names?
  •  What does even this fact teach us about the role of parents as stewards of their children?
  •  How might you have reacted if God commanded you to name your children these names?
  •  What are some challenging things you have to face as a parent who is raising children to serve God?
  •  Why should he name his first child “