[RCL] Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13 Hosea 1:2-10 Hosea, like the major prophets, performs prophetic sign acts to convey the Lord’s prophetic message, in addition to spoken or written words. These acts are grotesque in the literary sense: they are over the top and cannot be ignored; they are obtrusive, demanding…

Hosea 1:2-10 The opening verses of the book of Hosea can easily seem harsh and a bit bizarre. Hosea is told at the start of his prophetic ministry to take “a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom” because the land of Israel had forsaken the Lord. Hosea follows the instructions of God and…

Hosea 1:2-10 These verses from the first chapter of Hosea present an affronted YHWH who seems at once both vindictive and indecisive. Israel has betrayed God, the people of the divided kingdoms have broken their covenant promise to worship YHWH alone. Consequences will follow: God’s punishment is coming, God’s pity and forgiveness are ending, and…

Hosea 1:2-10 No one could accuse Hosea of “talking the talk” without “walking the walk.” In his work as a prophet, God has him act out his prophecies in ways that strike us as destructive and abusive. He marries a prostitute, Gomer, specifically to explicate the metaphor of Israel whoring herself out to other gods….