By the eighth century BCE, Israel had divided into two kingdoms and the Northern Kingdom had fallen into idolatry, injustice and violence. Hosea was a prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom just before the Assyrians destroyed it and sent ten tribes into exile.

Hosea's life and prophecy was conducted through his marriage to a prostitute. In this, he mirrored God and His marriage to Israel. One can see God's heartbreak as the beloved Ephraim descended from the heights to which it had been raised after the Exodus.

The final straw in God's eyes was when the priests and leadership, the government of Israel, began to prey on the people. The rampant injustice was too much for God any longer to tolerate.

• Hosea 1-2 A Wife of Whoredom

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  Hosea prophesying as Israel's northern kingdom was about to go into exile. His message is that Ephraim had broken God's heart by lapsing into idolatry, injustice and violence.

• Hosea 3-4 No Knowledge of God in the Land

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  God's complaint against the leadership of Israel, the priests and the king. Ephriam has fallen into sin and violence and is about to be exiled. God blames this problem directly on a failure of the priests. It is their job to teach the people about God's laws and they have not done so. Hence God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

• Hosea 5-7 Princes Who Move the Landmark

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  A continuation of God's indictment of the leadership of Israel. The government is preying on the people.

• Hosea 8-9 Reap the Whirlwind

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  In their fear, the leadership of Israel cries out to God. God does not listen to their prayers.

• Hosea 10 Poisonous Weeds

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  Using the metaphor of agriculture, the prophet explains that the more physically fruitful Israel was, the more spiritually barren they became. The Golden Calf at Beth-aven (Beth-el) was to be uprooted and sent as spoil to the king of Assyria.

• Hosea 11-14 Ephraim Feeds on the Wind

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  The lure of idols lies in the human desire for works salvation. We think that the busier we become, the holier we get. False gods pander to that desire.