The second verse of the book of Hosea begins as follows.

“The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.”

As Robin in the 1960s Batman TV series would say, “Holy Smokes, Batman.” The “Boy Wonder” would often express his confusion with some variation of that phrase every time Batman said or did something he didn't understand. After which Batman would typically reply with an even more cryptic explanation, in the form of a pun, poem, or even a riddle. While the Bible is a detailed ancient account of God's history with Israel, and the 60’s Batman TV show was a fictional comedic satire, both media have one thing in common. If one is not up to date on the historical events and culture of their respective eras, they are unlikely to get the references.

Understanding the historical context in which Hosea prophesied is crucial for grasping his message. The first verse of Hosea identifies the kings who ruled the two Kingdoms of Israel. Yes, “Kingdoms” as in more than one Kingdom in Israel. When Hosea lived and prophesied, Israel was a divided kingdom: consisting of the Northern Kingdom, which retained the name Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, known as Judah. You can read more about the division in 1 Kings 11.

Understanding the literary style Hosea used in his writings is equally essential to grasping his message. Hosea was a poet, so naturally, nearly all of the book is poetry. Understanding poetic devices is key to unlocking the message of Hosea and much of the rest of the Bible. Approximately one-third of the Bible is poetry. It is also helpful to study the many poetic devices available to poets, especially figurative devices such as Metaphor, Simile, Hyperbole, and Symbolism. The Biblical poets seemed to be highly fond of Symbolism!

If someone flat-out tells us what Hosea means, all we would really know is that brother/sister/teacher/preacher “so in so” said Hosea means ABC. However, if we learn how to study the Bible for ourselves correctly, then we have a “pearl of great price.” To fully understand Hosea, a person needs an excellent working knowledge of the entire history of God's chosen people, as detailed in the Old Testament.

I was raised in church, attended Sunday School, listened to the best preachers I could, and read my Bible. I am thankful for all that opportunity, but I did not even begin to understand the Bible until I started purposefully studying it for myself. I want to encourage anyone I can to know the Bible like their own life, and someone else's life depends on it. Jesus said this about it: Luke 6:39 KJV And he spake a parable unto them, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.