According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than yahweh, metaphorically comparing israels abandonment of yahweh to a. These messages came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. The word of the lord that came unto hosea, the son of beeri, in the days uzziah, jotham, ahaz, and hezekiah, kings of judah, and in the days of jeroboam the son of joash, king of israel. You cant help but study the book of hosea after reading this novel. How are people destroyed from a lack of knowledge hosea 4. Scholars consider these passages to be secondary, that is, additions by a later scribe. Recall the imprecatory psalm 7 which, like some verses in lamentations as well, denounces edom for this unneighborly behavior. Redeeming love, by francine rivers is a historical romance novel set in the 1850s gold rush in california. During the time of the minor prophets, the nation of israel had divided into two separate countries, each with its own government.
The book of hosea contains some verses that deal with the southern kingdom, judah. Bible based fiction the facts of the bible rounded out with imaginative detail to help us recognise the lives and feelings of real people. The theme of israels indifference to gods love is translated in. The book of hosea was written in the northern kingdom of israel in the eighth century bc, during the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc. The book of hosea stands first in the division of the bible called the book of the twelve in the apocrypha cf. Introduction hosea the prophet hosea was a prophet who lived and prophesied just before the destruction of israel in 722 bc. The story is inspired by the book of hosea from the bible. God gives the prophet hosea a command to marry a prostitute in order to show gods people. Its fourteen chapters contain both a warning concerning future events and an interpretation of these events meanings. Gomer is a prostitute and hosea is a godly man told to marry her. The book of hosea is one of the most passionate of the minor prophets. Chapters 1 and 3 are historical narrative of the life and times of hosea, while chapter 2 is poetry. This work of fiction was well researched and written.
Nov 01, 20 hoseas book is the first of the minor prophetsthe last 12 books of the old testament. Throughout the book, the prophet speaks to the people of israel about the critical situation that developed during the. After sixty years, the prophet s wife has finally been published. As we begin to look at the book of hosea, we discover hosea was a prophet who would bring salvation to israel.
The book is a retelling of the prophet hosea from the bible. When god had a message for the people, he gave his message through the prophets. Book of hosea overview insight for living ministries. The novel is a retelling of the biblical story of hosea, the prophet called by god to. However, in chapter 14, some of the most beautiful imagery in the entire bible is. The book motivated the reader to read the books of hosea,amos, micah and isaiah one more time.
As a result, in his view, all authority had evaporated. Thus, in the hebrew bible it comes immediately after ezekiel. Book of hosea bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Not all of them easy to date, the authors and editors of these books in the roll of the twelve prophets lived at times between the eighth century and second century bc. The prophet s name means salvation, likely a reference to hosea s position in israel as a beacon of hope to those who would repent and turn to god because of his message. Like the books of isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel, these twelve smaller books fit on one scroll. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, october 2012. The book contains a series of blessings and curses announced for israel by god through hosea. Francine rivers is a name that gets bandied around a lot, not just in the christian fiction groups, but also in the historical romance. Meet jacob and his children, king manasseh, gehazi, joseph of arimathea, elymas and many others as they recount their experiences for you. Often, we do not recognize the derivation of these bible names, but this prophets name would be joseph in english. A novel a redemptive, characterdriven, contemporary christian fiction. Lew wallacean american lawyer, soldier, politician and authorset out to write a novel set during the life and ministry of jesus, but knew that readers would be skeptical if jesus were the main character. Most of hoseas messages are announcements of gods anger with israel the northern of the two israelite kingdoms and gods impending judgment on this people.
Hosea s life and marriage were used in an analogous way to demonstrate the waywardness of israel and the steadfast, intimately personal love of yhwh. As you know, theyre not minor prophets because they are less important, but that they all fit on one scroll. The book is a prophecy against the nation of edom, south and east of judah, because they rejoiced at, and even participated in, babylons destruction of judah and jerusalem. Daniel is included in the small group of major prophets in christian canons, and its inclusion is based partly on its length and partly on its importance for christian eschatology. Hoseas life and marriage were used in an analogous way to demonstrate the waywardness of israel. Norma rosen a longlost novel by the author of as a driven leaf. According to the book, the apostasy of the people was rampant, having turned away from god in order to serve both the calves of jeroboam and baal, a canaanite god. And his name is related to the name joshua, which means salvation. Isaiahs daughter by mesu andrews is a biblical story of a warring divided nation ruled by an evil king who mocks king davids legacy and leaves those faithful to yahweh praying and clinging to him. Their order reflects the traditional view of each book s chronology. Israels adultery, chapters hosea and gomer god and israel. The book is a mixture of prose and poetry mostly poetry. Its their struggle she finds it hard to turn away from the life she has always known and basically born into.
This was the longest of the prophetic books written before the captivity. 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 1. Fiction favours the facts book 2 audiobook by mark. Book of hosea, the first of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, considered as one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. The book of hosea is a collection of prophetic messages delivered by the prophet hosea and narrative descriptions of hosea s marriage and the birth of his children 1. Most of hosea s messages are announcements of gods anger with israel the northern of the two israelite kingdoms and gods impending judgment on this people. Intro to hosea biblica the international bible society. The book of hosea is one of the books of the hebrew bible. Hosea, prophecies of definition and meaning bible dictionary. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Hosea was a young preacher in the nation of israel, the northern kingdom, and he was a contemporary of the prophets isaiah and amos. Minor prophets download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Book of hosea, also spelled osee, the first of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, considered as one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. As an account full of harsh judgment unfolds, we find in its midst a rare gem.
Hosea with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Affected by the war, ishma, meaning desolation, is an orphaned hebrew girl who is also a refugee after the war between judah and israel. Modern protestant canons include isaiah, jeremiah, lamentations, e. Ephraim was the largest tribe in israel and sometimes the whole nation was referred to as ephraim. By hoseas time the sense of crisis amos identified as below the surface had become apparent to everyone see ii kings 14. Andrew dearman considers the prophetic figures historical roots in the covenant traditions of ancient israel, includes his own translation of the biblical text, and masterfully unpacks hosea s poetic, metaphorical message of betrayal, judgment, and reconciliation. The book that started it allthe 1880 novel benhur is one of one of the bestselling books of all time. This book is part of the latter prophets ecclesiasticus 49. This book helped me understand and relate to them as not books written for another audience. Old testament prophets study guide flashcards quizlet.
Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Hosea his name meaning to save, salvation is the first of the socalled minor prophets. Hoseas story might offer you an answer, and get you thinking more about the patience of god. We can hardly read it without being gripped by the deep emotional and personal involvement of the prophet. Andrew dearman considers the prophetic figures historical roots in the covenant traditions of ancient israel, includes his own translation of the biblical text, and masterfully unpacks hoseas poetic, metaphorical message of. Hosea, joel,amos, obadiah, jonah, micah are included in this volume.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Not all of them easy to date, the authors and editors of these books in the roll of the twelve prophets lived at. Infidelity, faith, and power all come together in a gripping story of the prophet hosea and his wife, gomer. Love in a broken vessel is based off the book of hosea and helps explain why god had. The book of hosea relies heavily on word pictures to get its meaning across. This is one of the best biblical fiction books ive read.
Hosea revealed little about his background, though his book of prophecy offers a few glimpses into his life. According to the books narrative, the relationship between hosea and his unfaithful wife gomer is comparable. Hosea heard gods call to marry, what israel herself was, a prostitute. The californiabased author francine rivers doesnt travel for speaking. Why did god tell hosea to marry a prostitute hosea 1. Based on the book of hosea from the bible, where god told the prophet, hosea to marry the prostitute, gomer. As a result of these additions the message, originally meant for the north, became applicable in later times to the south as well. Hosea was a young preacher in the nation of israel, the northern kingdom, and he was a. Throughout the book you will see that he refers to israel and ephraim.
Why is the book of daniel considered major prophetic writing. The incredible scandal of gods perfect love found in hosea. The book of hosea always occupies the first place among the twelve prophets, and its general position varies with that of the latter. Whether hosea himself authored the book that preserves his prophecies is not known. According to the superscription, hosea began his prophetic activity during the reign of jeroboam ii c. The entire old testament could be said to be prophetic, but some books carry the names of twelve minor prophets a distinction based on their length. He lived, as we are told in the first verse, during the reigns of uzziah, jotham, ahaz, and hezekiah kings of judah, the southern kingdom, and during the reign of jeroboam, the son of joash, the king of israel. Like the book of amos, the book of hosea is addressed to the people of the northern kingdom israel. I never even considered before truly what god had asked of hosea and what it would have meant for him, a prophet of god to marry gomer, a prostitute.
The book reveals the personality of the prophet, an emotional man who in a moment could swing from violent anger to the deepest tenderness. The probable cause of the location of hosea may be the thoroughly national character of his oracles, their length, their earnest tone, and vivid representations. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Israel, the northern country consisting of ten tribes, and judah, the remaining two tribes in the south. Set in the days before the assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom of israel, the prophet s wife revolves around the life of hosea, one of the earliest literary prophets and the one about whose personal life we know the most. Oct 03, 20 hosea was the son of beeri and a prophet in israel in the 8th century bce. The book of hosea is a deeply personal and passionate love story, yet its a difficult story. The metaphor of gomer, her harlotry, and hoseas unconditional love are tangible representations of gods message. As we enter this book, which unlike other prophets who are often powerful untouchable voices, or mysterious and enigmatic figures speaking from the shadows, hosea is simple and straightforward, and most of all about faithful love. The book was originally written in hebrew, but the ancient greek translation known as the septuagint abbreviated lxx is also a very important witness to the text. So they became the collection of the prophets or just known over time as the minor prophets. Stephen cook asserts that the prophetic efforts of this book can be summed up in this passage i have been the.
He is one of the twelve prophets of the jewish hebrew bible, also known. He is one of the twelve prophets of the jewish hebrew bible, also known as the minor prophets of the christian old testament. It is, perhaps, the most unique marriage in history. This was the longest of the prophetic books written before the captivity hosea prophesied in a dark and melancholy period of israels. Each blessing or curse is based upon a corresponding type in the mosaic law. The holy bible book 28 hosea kjv dramatized audio duration. Upon reaching sacramento while looking for work she again meets joseph hochschild, who has built his new store, and she stays with him, knowing that. This indicates that hosea lived in the middle to late eighth century bc 755715 bc, making him a contemporary of the prophets isaiah and micah. In this solid theological commentary on the book of hosea, j. I read redeeming love based on my best friends constant suggestion to do so.
Hosea is the first book of the twelve minor prophets. Hosea prophesied during a dark and melancholic era of israels history, the period of the northern kingdoms decline and fall in the 8th century bc. Some tell of littleknown bible characters, while others concentrate on an incident in the life of one of the more famous bible characters. This retelling of the biblical story of gomer and hosea set during the time of the. Each microtale will give you something to think about. As we enter this book, which unlike other prophets who are often powerful untouchable voices, or mysterious and enigmatic figures speaking from the shadows, hosea is.
Hosea was the son of beeri and a prophet in israel in the 8th century bce. This book is based off the love story from the bible of hosea and gomer. Hosea, an oldtestament prophet, preached his own life message using his marriage as the sermon illustration. The prophet hosea, after all, marries a prostitute, and francine rivers. It is the first of the twelve, a grouping of minor prophets baba bathra 14b. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as scripture and subject indexes. According to the traditional order of most hebrew bibles, it is the first of the twelve minor prophets set around the fall of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of hosea denounces the worship of gods other than jehovah, metaphorically comparing israels abandonment of jehovah to a. The book of hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until zechariah tied it a couple centuries later. This book stands first in order among the minor prophets. Not only did many biblical fiction books give me a greater sense of. The book of hosea ranks among the latter prophets in the jewish scriptures. However, in chapter 14, some of the most beautiful imagery in the entire bible is used to bring hoseas prophecy to its culmination. The book of hosea is a collection of prophetic messages delivered by the prophet hosea and narrative descriptions of hoseas marriage and the birth of his children 1. Minor prophets i ebook 9781441238429 by elizabeth achtemeier.
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