Hosea 1-7

[wolfpurplemoon]

God is really mean to Hosea, he tells him to marry a prostitute and then gives all their children really sarky names.

God is going to destroy the crops because the people of Israel were using them to worship other gods instead of acknowledging that their good fortune at the harvest is due to God.

He will give everything back eventually, and he will also get rid of all the weapons of war.

Comments

[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Hosea was a prophet from between 782 and 716 BC (over 60 years). Both Israel and Judah were still kingdoms at this time (prior to the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests).

Hosea was given orders to marry and was given names for his children that indicated God's displeasure. It is not clear whether he actually gave them these names (unlikely) or if this is along the lines of epithets to make a point (more likely).
Israel will someday be numerous and be God's favorite, "Children of the Living God", but God is, for a time, disowning them due to their breaking of the covenant.

God says that Israel (especially its government) has been unfaithful and the children (Israelites) should encourage her to repent. God is going to reduce the plentiful harvests and other areas of prosperity in response to Israel's disobedience.
Eventually, however, Israel will return to God and God will once again bless the people and the nation.

Hosea is told to fall in love with a woman who is unfaithful and he does so to symbolize the relationship between God and Israel. Most likely, people would be engaged in conversation about this and Hosea would have had the opportunity to speak and explain why he did what he did.

The sins of Israel are listed, but specifically the priests (spiritual leaders of Israel) are singled out because they have not guided the people to keep to the covenant, and because they, themselves have started following the ways of the Baal religion and worshiped the idols.

The Israelite leaders have been ignoring their duties of justice and care of the people, and have offered sacrifices without the proper intent. Israel will be wiped out

Israel has turned to Egypt and Assyria for alliances and trade and have accepted their idols. They have ignored their own faith. Hosea 7:5 references to them slashing themselves, a common practice where people would cut themselves and offer the blood to a Baal idol for blessings on crops. This directly violates the covenant (Jews are not supposed to cut themselves in this fashion, nor are they supposed to handle blood, nor are they supposed to worship idols).

The northern kingdom worshiped idols from its creation. They adopted the religious practices of the Canaanites as well as those of their neighbors. Those practices included prostitution, bloodletting, deceitful trade, slavery and murder. They are receiving their warnings from Hosea.