The last six kings that followed—from Zechariah to Hoshea— did not fare any better either. Four were murdered by their successors and one was taken captive to Assyria. As the nation buckled under the weight of external political pressure and its own spiritual stupor, Hosea spoke out against the northern kingdom's root problem—unfaithfulness to God—and pleaded with the adulterous nation to repent and return to the One who was both faithful and forgiving.
God is portrayed as a spouse that was spurned by the very people He redeemed and loved, who yet pleaded earnestly for them to change their ways before it was too late. Arrogance and disobedience ultimately sealed their doom and led to the dispersion of the nation under the dire leadership of Ephraim, just as Hosea prophesied:
8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
But God is a faithful Lover who will not give up easily. In the imagery of Hosea's broken marriage, God firmly expressed His love to His wayward people after He is done disciplining them out of righteous anger:
14:4 I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
OUTLINE OF HOSEA
1. Hosea and Gomer—A Personal Tragedy (1:1-3:5)
a. Broken Marriage (1:1-9)
Harlot for a Wife | Children and their Names
b. Restored Marriage (1:10-3:5)
Future Hope | Present Hurt
Prosperity Removed | Privilege Restored
Gomer Redeemed | Israel Reformed
2. God and Israel—A National Tragedy (4:1-14:9)
a. Spiritual Adultery (4:1-6:3)
Sins—Unfaithfulness | Idolatry
Severance—Rebuke | Enmity | Separation
Salvation—Return | Revive | Refresh
b. Israel's Stubbornness (6:4-8:14)
Treachery | Obstinacy| Idolatry
c. God's Judgment (9:1-10:15)
Dispersion | Barrenness | Destruction
d. Israel's Restoration (11:1-14:9)
God's Love | Israel's Waywardness
God's Promise of Restoration
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