Tuhan memerintahkan Nabi Hosea menikahi Gomer – perempuan sundal. Hosea patuh. Mereka menikah dan memperoleh tiga anak. Tapi sang istri menyeleweng. Berulang kali. Kendati demikian, Tuhan mengharuskan lagi Hosea menikahi perempuan sundal itu. Tidak masuk akal. Sungguh – tidak masuk akal! Dan aneh, Hosea pasrah mematuhi perintah Allah. Inilah yang menggelitik kita. Menggungah kita s…
A wanton and adulterous woman repeteadly spurns the love of her youth; her betrayed and grieving husband offers forgiveness and seeks to restore the intimacy of their first love. With this bold imagery, Hosea tells the story of God and his people; and God calls him to embody this divine suffering and redeeming forgiveness in his own marriage. Yet this remarkable story sets the stage for Hosea's…
Here J. Andrew Dearman considers the historical context of the prophetic figure of Hosea, his roots in the prophetic activity and covenant traditions of ancient Israel, and the poetic and metaphorical aspects of the prophecy. This historical and theological commentary is a welcome addition to the NICOT series.
“Go and marry a prostitute.” These are the first words God spoke to his prophet Hosea. Why would he ask this of one of his spokesmen? Because he wanted to teach Hosea, the nation of Israel, and all of us today a lesson that we will not forget, a lesson that is painful yet joyous. Hosea’s somber portrait of the human condition is our lesson in pain. All of us have played the harlot by…