READ: 1 Kin. 18:30-37; 2 Kin. 14:23-27
“The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, 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. When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea…” – Hos. 1:1,2a
In this book, we do not read the words of a man, even if he is a prophet. It is the word of the LORD that He Himself conveys to Hosea as His speech. Hosea is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and what he says are the words of the LORD. This is strongly emphasized: it is mentioned twice. The many prophecies in this book are summarized in the singular as “the word” and “the speaking”: it is a coherent whole that originates from one Author.
All the alternating actions and prophecies with promises and threats together form one covenant-word of the God of the covenant, Yahweh. Many other books of the Bible begin in the same way. Therefore, we must see all of God’s Word as the one Word of the one God.
That word is from the LORD, from “I am who I am”: The faithful God who is always near to His people. Even when they stray from Him, He seeks out His people. This certainly applies to the time of Hosea.
But the LORD is also all-knowing. He speaks this word to us for our time as well (Rom. 4:23,24; 15:4)! Yes, especially for us, this is a word of instruction for improvement, education, correction, a word that makes us wise and leads to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15-17).
This book therefore requires from us faithful and attentive listening. This is even more urgent because our time bears a spiritual resemblance to that of Hosea. That time is indicated in verse 1 as the days of the kings of Judah and Israel, in which there is much apostasy. While Hosea mainly acts in Israel, the kings of Judah are mentioned first. The LORD has always been concerned about all His people.
Do you realize when reading the Bible that God Himself speaks?
Singing: Ps. 119:5