A Teaching Outline for the Book of Hosea

As one of the largest of the Minor Prophets, Hosea stands as a monumental text beloved not only by believers today, but clearly by the New Testament authors as well. Even a quick read through the book reveals that it serves as the basis for much of New Testament thought. For example, the apostle Paul taught about the grafting in of Gentiles during this present Church Age by quoting directly from Hosea, saying, “As He says also in Hosea, ‘I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ and her who was not beloved, ‘beloved’’” (Rom. 9:25, cf. Hos. 1:10). Matthew explained the divine correspondence between Israel’s failure and Jesus’ success by quoting Hosea as follows: “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my Son.’” (Matt. 2:14-15, cf. Hos. 11:1). And Jesus utilized Hosea (among other prophets) when He revealed Himself to be the true vine that gives life, in contrast with the “luxuriant vine”—the lavishly blessed, yet apostate, northern kingdom that had rotted from the inside (cf. John 15:1, Hos. 10:1, Isa. 5:2, Jer. 2:21, et al.).

Perhaps just as much, Hosea is remembered for the surprising way in which he was commissioned. When called to prophesy (in a ministry that would span fifty to sixty years, much of which would be during the reign of Jeroboam II) the Lord told him to take for himself a wife who would one day leave him and become a harlot, a tragedy which would not only help Hosea identify with his message but also illustrate it to others (cf. Hos. 1:2). From a spiritual standpoint, the nation of Israel was like a young woman with whom God had entered into a marriage covenant. He had blessed and beautified her, and yet she used her beauty to become a harlot, joining herself to the false gods of the nations (cf. Hos. 2:3-5, Ezek. 16:6-22). Hosea’s marriage would suffer similar heartache.

In addition, Hosea was called to name his children in prophetic ways that would reveal God’s plans for Israel. His first child was to be named “Jezreel” (meaning “God will scatter”) for the coming scattering that God would do to the northern kingdom by the nation of Assyria. His second child was to be named “Lo-ruhamah,” (meaning “not pitied”) for the merciless disaster that would come upon the people. And his third child was to be named “Lo-ammi,” (meaning “not My people”) for the severed relationship with God that had occurred on account of Israel’s unfaithfulness.

In keeping with the prophetic names of his children, Hosea denounced Israel for several reasons over the course of several messages. Much of the subject matter resembled that of Amos, the prophet from Tekoa (a city in the southern kingdom of Judah), who was called to preach to the northern kingdom during the same reign of Jeroboam II. Although Israel was experiencing peace and prosperity at the time, the land was filled with “deception, murder, stealing, and adultery” rather than “faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land” (Hos. 4:1-2, cf. Amos 6:1-6). Yet, astonishingly, the people said, “My God, we of Israel know You!” (Hos. 8:2). Like many today, they were self-deceived in their half-hearted false religion (cf. 1 John 2:4). In fact, the northern kingdom was like a “cake not turned” (Hos. 7:8): burned on one side and raw on the other, reminiscent of lukewarm churches (cf. Rev. 3:16). Sadly, their hypocrisy was not only tolerated by the religious leaders of the day but encouraged! After all, the more sins that were committed, the more sacrifices the people would bring, and the more sacrifices that were brought, the more money the priests made (cf. Hos. 4:7-8). The people were content in their paganism, and the priests were content in their profit (cf. Hos. 4:6). It was a perfect storm of religious fakery.

And in fact, a storm was coming—from God. “For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7). The hurricane of God’s wrath was coming upon this nation of sinners: Hosea warned that God was going tear them to pieces, carry them away, burn down their cities, bereave them of their children, send a sword against them, demolish their gates, and plunder their treasures. Since their loyalty to God was like the morning dew, there one moment and gone the next, the nation would be like the morning dew—there one moment and gone the next (Hos. 6:4, 13:3). Assyria, the very nation that Israel leveraged for their own peace and prosperity, would be the means of their downfall.

Comparing the nation to its patriarch Jacob, God explained that the nation should have tenaciously pursued His blessing the way their ancestor did (cf. Hos. 12:3-6). After all, God had loved and provided for the nation, sending them prophets over the years to restore them (cf. Hos. 12:10, 13), just as Jacob loved and pursued Rachel to be his wife, working for years to have her (cf. Gen. 29:18-20). But because they continued provoking God to anger, they would be justly punished (cf. Hos. 12:14).

At the same time, there was much hope offered. During his ministry, Hosea was commanded by God to go again and love his former wife (cf. Hos. 3:1). Buying her back from the market for the price of a slave (fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley being the equivalent of the 30 shekels called for in Mosaic Law, cf. Exod. 21:32), Hosea’s redemption of his wife provides a breathtaking picture of God’s love for, and faithfulness to, the nation of Israel. Although Israel is still “Lo-ammi” at this time, there will come a day when they will again be called the “sons of the living God” (Hos 1:10). To that end, Hosea pleaded with those in the northern kingdom to repent of their sins with genuine confession: “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (Hos. 14:2). In His amazing grace, God promised that He would be like the morning dew to them: showering them with the water of His blessings so that they could truly bear the kind of spiritual fruit for which they were made (cf. Hos. 6:3, 14:5-8).

Of course, this won’t happen until the sons of Israel “return and seek the Lord their God and David their king” (Hos. 3:5). They won’t become a fruitful vine until they trust in the one true vine (cf. John 15:5). Although individual Jews today have come to faith in Christ, the nation of Israel as a whole has not. But according to the unsearchable judgments and unfathomable ways of God’s redemptive program, there will indeed come a day when national Israel will return to God in humble faith. Until that time, let those of us in the Church proclaim the Son of David as the only hope for people of every nation. Though we have sown the wind, God so kindly sent His own Son to reap the whirlwind for all who trust in Him. “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them” (Hos. 14:9). May God bless you with fruitful growth as you deliver this book verse by verse to others. The following outline is offered to help.

The Word of the Lord to Hosea (Hosea 1:1-11)

Prophetic Commission (Hos. 1:1-2)

Prophetic Conception (Hos. 1:3-9)

Prophetic Compassion (Hos. 1:10-11)

Message: Contend with Your Mother (Hosea 2:1-23)

The Reason for Judgment (Hos. 2:1-5)

The Reason for Sorrow (Hos. 2:6-13)

The Reason for Hope (Hos. 2:14-23)

The Love of the Lord in Hosea (Hosea 3:1-5)

Restoration of Gomer (Hos. 3:1-3)

Restoration of Israel (Hos. 3:4-5)

Message: A Lack of Knowledge (Hosea 4:1-19)

The People (Hos. 4:1-3)

The Priests (Hos. 4:4-10)

The Worship (Hos. 4:11-14)

The Nation (Hos. 4:15-19)

Message: A Spirit of Harlotry (Hosea 5:1-7)

The Sinners Exposed (Hos. 5:1-3)

The Sin Examined (Hos. 5:4-5)

The Sentence Executed (Hos. 5:6-7)

Message: Wrath Like Water (Hosea 5:8-15)

Judgment Declared (Hos. 5:8-9)

Judgment Deserved (Hos. 5:10-11)

Judgment Described (Hos. 5:12-15)

Message: Loyalty Rather Than Sacrifice (Hosea 6:1-11)

A Model of True Faith (Hos. 6:1-3)

A People of False Faith (Hos. 6:4-11)

Message: They Deal Falsely (Hosea 7:1-16)

A Hot Oven (Hos. 7:1-7)

An Unturned Cake (Hos. 7:8-10)

A Silly Dove (Hos. 7:11-15)

A Deceitful Bow (Hos. 7:16)

Message: Reap the Whirlwind (Hosea 8:1-14)

False Devotion (Hos. 8:1-3)

False Leaders (Hos. 8:4a)

False Gods (Hos. 8:4b-7)

False Alliances (Hos. 8:8-10)

False Religion (Hos. 8:11-14)

Message: On the Day of the Appointed Festival (Hosea 9:1-17)

Rejoicing Like the Nations (Hos. 9:1-6)

Relying on False Prophets (Hos. 9:7-9)

Repeating Their Folly (Hos. 9:10-14)

Rebelling Against God (Hos. 9:15-17)

Message: A Luxuriant Vine (Hosea 10:1-15)

Misused Blessing (Hos. 10:1-3)

Misleading Speech (Hos. 10:4)

Misplaced Affection (Hos. 10:5-8)

Misunderstood Purpose (Hos. 10:9-12)

Misguided Trust (Hos. 10:13-15)

Message: Out of Egypt I Called My Son (Hosea 11:1-11)

Israel’s Past (Hos. 11:1-4)

Israel’s Present (Hos. 11:5-7)

Israel’s Future (Hos. 11:8-11)

Message: Wait for Your God Continually (Hosea 11:12-12:14)

The Nation Jacob’s Payback for Its Betrayal (Hos. 11:12-12:2)

The Person Jacob’s Persistence for His Blessing (Hos. 12:3-6)

The Nation Jacob’s Punishment for Its Behavior (Hos. 12:7-9)

The Person Jacob’s Provision for His Bride (Hos. 12:10-14)

Message: Through Baal He Did Wrong (Hosea 13:1-16)

Turning to Idols (Hos. 13:1-3)

Turning from the Only Savior (Hos. 13:4-8)

Turning from the True King (Hos. 13:9-14)

Turning from the One God (Hos. 13:15-16)

Message: Take Words with You (Hosea 14:1-9)

A Call to Repent (Hos. 14:1-3)

A Promise to Restore (Hos. 14:4-8)

A Truth to Remember (Hos. 14:9)