So tonight we are starting a new series and we will, Lord willing, be working our way through the minor prophets. And tonight we are starting with the prophet Hosea. So tonight we'll be looking at Hosea chapter 1, verse 1 as an introduction to this book. If you're using your pew Bible, you can find this passage on page 953. We hear now the word of God. This is Hosea chapter 1, verse 1. The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, son of Bere, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. May the Lord bless the reading and also the preaching of his word. As we begin looking at this book, Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who ministered in the eighth century B.C. And his contemporaries were the prophet Jonah and Amos, who mainly ministered in the north, in the northern kingdom. and then also the prophets Micah and Isaiah, whose primary ministry was to the southern kingdom. As we consider this book, how it begins, just right at the start, the word of the Lord, right at the beginning, it's a reminder for us to keep in mind that as we approach this passage and all of scripture, it is God's word. and it is the word of the Lord. And so what the Lord spoke to his people through Hosea not only has impact for the original hearers and audience, but it has meaning and impact for us, and it is a call. Just a simple phrase. When we see that in scripture, the word of the Lord, it's a reminder for us to kind of stand up and listen, and to take heed to what's being said. This is the living word of God. And as we consider this first verse, it's a reminder for us to listen to this word of the Lord through Hosea, the son of Bere. Now as we consider that application, to heed the word of the Lord, to listen, we'll be looking at it in three points, the word of the Lord to Hosea, looking at the man Hosea in the context of this book, and then also looking at the historic setting. First of all, looking at the word of the Lord to Hosea in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel, and then thirdly, the word of the Lord to Hosea in the days of the kings of Judah. So first of all, the word of the Lord to Hosea. The name Hosea, it's another way to say it, or it could be written as Hosea, and it's the same name as Joshua, and it's actually what Joshua was called in Numbers chapter 13, verse eight, And we find out later in Numbers 13, verse 16, in that passage of Numbers, that's when the 12 spies were named out and what tribe they were from that Moses sent into the land to spy it out. And we know the story that Joshua and Caleb gave a good report, and then the other 10 made the people afraid. Well, in verse 16 of chapter 13, we see very specifically that although his name was Hosea, Moses called him Joshua. And so that's how we get the name Joshua. But it's also the same name as our Lord, Jesus. And it means Yahweh saves. God saves, the Lord saves. And so this Hosea, the message that this prophet was given is a message of repentance to the people of God as God is calling his people to turn from their sin. Yahweh saves. Now, the name, the son of Bere, it's simply to distinguish this Hosea from other Hoseas in the scriptures. There was a Hosea that was the last king of the northern kingdom, Israel, and this was to distinguish this Hosea from that Hosea. But as we consider this word of the Lord to this prophet, we need to ask ourselves, first of all, who is the hero of this book? As we consider the story, and especially in the verses immediately following, as we get a glimpse into the life of Hosea and his family, who is the hero of this book? Derek Kidner, I'll read a quote from his commentary here on this book. He writes that in this book we see things not in simplistic terms, where situations and people are uncomplicated and power is like a magic wand, Hosea introduces us to a family, which is a miniature of our world, or rather, the most enlightened part of the world of his own day. But it is a problem family. Then God compares his situation, not to that of an autocrat whose orders nobody dares question, nor of a father who rejoices in an adoring wife and children, but to that of a husband whose wife has left him, and a father whose children are like strangers in his own house, and are fast destroying themselves. This is the humbling setting of this book. It's a glimpse into the life of a family, but it's not just Hosea's family. The Lord is using Hosea's family to teach us spiritual truths. God is giving us a glimpse into his household, into his home. And as we consider how the story unfolds, and especially in the immediately following verses, as we're introduced to Jose's wife, Gomer, and their children, Gomer in this story is not the one to be pitied. She's not the one to be felt sorry for. In this story, it's Hosea. But Hosea, as he, pictures for us God. For God, through the life of his prophet, shows the state of his relationship with his people. His people, his wife, they're unfaithful. They're following after other gods. We read as our call to worship, God's introduction of his commandments, that he is the Lord our God who has delivered us from bondage, from the household of slavery. We are to have no other gods before him. And the history of God's people is that we are constantly, constantly pursuing other gods. And so as we consider this book, brothers and sisters, we should see ourselves as Gomer. We should see ourselves as their children. Even with names as not my people and not mercy. It is a sad state because this is who we are in and of ourselves. And this is who we are apart from the grace of God. It is God who is to be empathized with. He is the loving and devoted husband and father who is being rejected and who is being spurned. He is the one who is being slandered. He is the one who is being refused. It is his love and grace that is being turned away. We should be humbled when we consider this book. and the indictments that God will bring against his people. But it's not a place of darkness as we look at this book through the lens of the New Testament. You know, having now the full revelation of God and looking back at the finished work of Christ, we see how ultimately God fulfills the promises contained in this book. And although we should move to humility and being humble before our God in the sin that we have against him, There is also beautiful words of encouragement in this book. And in Hosea's actions that picture for us the actions that God has taken in bringing to himself and loving one who wasn't faithful to him and restoring her. This is a book that will bring challenges to us as we face our own sin, but it is also a book that brings us great comfort. as we see the love of God displayed. So as in all of scripture, brothers and sisters, God is the hero. And this is his word to us through his prophet, Hosea. The second point tonight, this is the word of the Lord in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel. Hosea sets the stage, he sets the historic context of when these prophecies came, of the days in which he ministered. And the last that is mentioned is in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. We read of this Jeroboam, Jeroboam II, in 2 Kings 14 verse 23. He's called Jeroboam the son of Joash to distinguish him from the first Jeroboam, Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was the one who took the ten tribes from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. He was the first king of the northern tribes of Israel, and he is the one who set up the practices, the pagan practice, or the false practices of worship in Samaria for the northern kingdom of Israel. And you see throughout the Book of Kings that whenever there's a king of Israel that comes and he does not do what is pleasing to the Lord, it is the same refrain that he followed in the footsteps of his father, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. This is not that Jeroboam. This is Jeroboam II. This is Jeroboam, the son of Joash. Hosea only mentions Jeroboam, the son of Joash. He doesn't mention the other kings of Israel. There are other kings of Israel that come after Jeroboam. So why doesn't he mention them? Well, Israel and Judah both, as Hosea begins his ministry, and in the days of Jeroboam II, and also in the days of Uzziah, that was the king of Judah at that time, at the beginning of Hosea's ministry, both kingdoms during this time were experiencing a state of prosperity and relative peace. In fact, God used Jeroboam II to bring some restoration, some level of restoration to the northern kingdoms of Israel. In 2 Kings chapter 14, verse 25 and following, we read how God used Jeroboam to build up Israel after some state of decline. So during the reign of Jeroboam II and also in Judah, during the reign of Uzziah, there was relative prosperity in the two kingdoms. But it still doesn't answer the question, why does Hosea not mention the other kings that came after Jeroboam? I mean, as we'll look at in the next point, the kings of Judah, Hosea was ministering during the reign of those kings that came after Jeroboam, so why doesn't he mention them? Well, it's most likely because Jeroboam is really the last king of significance in the kingdom of Israel. There were six other kings after him, but none of them had any real significance in their reign. Jeroboam's own son only reigned for six months, and someone rose up and killed him and took his spot. That king only reigned for a month, and then somebody rose up against him and killed him. That king reigned for about 10 years and then his son took over and only reigned for two years and was killed. And then another king, that man reigned in his stead and reigned for 20 years, which was the longest of these six kings, but then that king also was killed by one who rose up against him. And then that king, Hosea, reigned nine years, and then the exile came, and they were taken away to Assyria. Now, as we consider these kings that came, I'd like to turn to 2 Kings chapter 17, verses seven to 14. First of all, as you're turning there, something that came to mind as we sang that last psalm before the sermon, the promise to David that one would always sit on his throne. Now when we read through the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, we see that both kings of Judah and Israel were unfaithful in varying degrees. But one of the things that's still remarkable as we consider the two kingdoms is that God still displayed his love and grace to David, and that despite the unfaithfulness of the kings of Judah, each king was a descendant of David, and that line was preserved. We have a single line of a family in the kingdom of Judah, but the kingdom of Israel was not so. It changed families time and time again, all over the place. And as one rose up and usurped another. In 2 Kings chapter 17, in verse 7, this is after the fall of Israel. This was in the ninth year of King Hoshea, in the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria, captured Samaria and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halal and on the Hebor, the river of Gozen, and in the cities of the Medes. And then in verse 7, And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in their own towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and asherim on every high hill and under every green tree. And there they made offerings on all the high places as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger. And they served idols of which the Lord had said to them, you shall not do this. The Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer saying, turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes in accordance with all the law that I commanded your fathers and that I sent to you by my servants, the prophets. But they would not listen, but were stubborn as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. So after we are told that Israel is taken into exile, we are given by the author of the Kings the reason why. And it focused on that first commandment. and a rejection of that preface to the commandments that this is the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt and we are to have no other gods before him. But the people of God would set up their own gods and worship them repeatedly. We see back in our text this evening, Hosea chapter one, verse one, the word of the Lord that came to Hosea in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. This is God's word to the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. And God's word against Israel is a warning for us. It's a reminder to us that our hearts are idle factories. It is a call to hold fast to God alone, for he is our redeemer. He is the Lord. We are to have no other gods but him. And this brings us to the third point, the word of the Lord to Hosea in the days of the kings of Judah. So we read that this word of the Lord came to Hosea in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. This list of the kings of Judah through which during the time of Hosea's ministry shows us that Hosea didn't minister just in the reign of Jeroboam II in the kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam had died, and as Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned beyond him in the kingdom of Judah, it shows us that Hosea was ministering well after Jeroboam died. And it also is a reminder to us, as we consider the history of God's people, that the kingdom of Judah was watching as the kingdom of Israel collapsed and fell. They were watching as the Assyrians came in and ruined them and destroyed them and took them off into exile. But we also are reminded that as Hosea was sent as a prophet not only to the kingdom of Israel but to the kingdom of Judah, that Judah also shared in Israel's sins. There are accounts of Judah practicing what Israel practiced in its false worship, in its idolatry. And throughout this prophecy, God will indict both Israel and Judah. But what we see here is the punishment in this prophecy is brought down upon Israel. Now one of the things as we consider this book, Hezekiah, the last king named here of the kings of Judah. He is a king that is known for the reforms that he brought to Judah and the restorations that he made in the temple worship and bringing people back and the nation back to the proper worship of God. What's interesting, if we look back at the account in 2nd Kings of when Hezekiah came to power, he came to power in the third year of Hosea, king of Israel. final king of Israel. He came to power as the Assyrian army nation was gaining in strength. And as God was using them to bring Israel down and to fulfill the prophecies and the warnings of judgment that he had prophesied through his servants to the kingdom of Israel. And as we consider that, and we consider Hosea's own ministry during the time of Hezekiah, and this prophecy could have been kind of culminated and brought together during Hezekiah's reign. Could this have influenced King Hezekiah? As he heard the message of Hosea in his ministry, as he saw the judgment of God upon the northern kingdom, Could this have been used by God to direct the heart of the King of Judah, to bring reforms, to bring the people back to the proper worship of God? But we see and are reminded of, as Hosea was sent to both Judah and Israel, that the message that is given through this prophet is something that we also need to heed and to listen to. May we heed the word of the Lord through this prophet. And as we read through and as we look at, during the course of time, the indictments that the Lord brings against his people, as we look at the family and household of Hosea, as we consider the words that God gives through this prophet, may we be changed by its indictments. May we use these times to look at our own lives, in our own worship, and to seek God's direction and forgiveness where necessary. But may we also look at the wonderful promises that God gives in the midst of his pronouncement of judgment. The wonderful promises he gives of restoration and of comfort and of love that is confirmed even though his wife is unfaithful. May we find comfort in these wonderful promises, knowing that when we are faithless, is faithful and will never leave us or forsake us. And so, brothers and sisters, may we listen to and heed the word of the Lord that he has given through his servant, Hosea, the son of Berea. Amen. Our gracious God, we do Thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, for moving men of old by your Holy Spirit to give us your truth, to give us your word, and by the work of your Holy Spirit, preserving your word through the ages so that we can have it here, that we can read it, that we can meditate on it, that we can be molded and shaped by it, and that through your truth, we can know the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, for giving us your word, and may we at all times listen and heed the message. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.