How does hosea end

Hosea revealed little about his background, though his book of prophecy offers a few glimpses into his life. In Hosea , the prophet identified the kings that ruled during his prophetic ministry. This indicates that Hosea lived in the middle to late eighth century BC — BC , making him a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah and Micah.

Hosea directed the early portion of his prophetic warnings to Jeroboam II, a descendant of the house of Jehu whose son, Zechariah, would soon come to ruin Hosea ; 2 Kings — More than any other prophet, Hosea linked his message closely with his personal life.

This sequence plays itself out in the lives of real people, reminding us that the Scriptures are far from a mere collection of abstract statements with no relation to real life. No, they work their way into our day-to-day existence, commenting on issues that impact all our actions and relationships. Structured around five cycles of judgment and restoration, the book of Hosea makes clear its repetitious theme: though God will bring judgment on sin, He will always bring His people back to Himself.

But Israel's goodness is as evanescent "as a morning cloud and the dew that early passeth away"; it must therefore suffer dire punishment and divine wrath. Because it "sows the wind, it shall reap the whirlwind. Israel will yet repent and return to its God. Hosea's times were confused. Economically a great change had taken place in the reign of Jeroboam II B. The cities had grown in wealth and fostered a small class of rich landowners, merchants, and creditors.

However, the vast majority of the urban population was made up of poor artisans, craftsmen, and laborers who were frequently exploited or even enslaved by the rich. In the country indigent farmers were often compelled to sell their holdings to the rich and migrate to the cities. The upper classes were favored by the rulers and judges; they readily adopted the ways of their neighbors and worshiped their heathen gods in place of the God of Israel, who "demanded mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Politically, too, the times were turbulent. Tiglathpileser III threatened the Northern kingdom as well as other nations. Internally, vast dynastic changes were taking place, despite the external danger. Norwegian Norsk. Polish Polski. Swahili Kiswahili. Swedish Svenska. Northern Israel's continued rebellion threatens their covenant with God, but God sends Hosea to warn them of coming judgement and compel them to repent.

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