Hosea, contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied during the darkest days of the “northern kingdom,” Israel. His ministry was not only with words, but like Isaiah’s, his family was a living message that demonstrated the heart of God (Hosea 1:2). Ahaz, king of Judah (Isaiah 7), had not listened to Isaiah’s  warning and had invited Assyria into the promised land to be allied with Judah It was an act of rebellion, but God allowed it as a lesson against unfaithfulness. The cost was the Assyrian captivity. But in wrath, God remembered mercy.

Hosea reminded Israel (Hosea 1:10) of God’s covenant: “The number of the sons of Israel will be like the sands of the sea (Gen. 22:17). God’s promises do not excuse us from his corrective judgment, but neither does his corrective judgement negate his mercy.