Bible Seminar | Rev. Robert Setio, Ph.D.

The book of Hosea often causes moral anxiety for its readers. The life story of the prophet Hosea, who is asked by God to marry Gomer, a woman labeled as a prostitute, is not just a safe and comfortable metaphor, but a symbolic act that disturbs ethical and religious feelings. Through the prophet's personal experience, God conveys a prophetic message about His relationship with Israel: a relationship tainted by unfaithfulness, manipulation, and the misuse of religion for other interests. It is this tension between faith, morality and socio-political realities that provides an entry point to read Hosea's critique, particularly in Hosea 7, which highlights the close intertwining of politics and religion.

 

Historical Background: Northern Israel in Political Crisis

To understand the message of the Book of Hosea, a reading of the historical background is imperative. The prophet Hosea prophesied in the Northern Kingdom of Israel with Samaria as its capital, in the 8th century BCE, from the reign of Jeroboam II (circa 787 & 747 BCE) to King Hosea (731 & 722 BCE), the last king of Northern Israel. After Solomon's death, the Kingdom of Greater Israel split into two: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Northern Israel experienced acute political instability, characterized by repeated coups, power struggles, and a rapid turnover of kings.

 

This situation was exacerbated by geopolitical pressure from the increasingly aggressive Assyrian empire. Israel was strategically positioned as a buffer zone between Assyria and Egypt. Fear of the Assyrian threat prompted Israel's leaders to adopt an opportunistic and inconsistent foreign policy: sometimes bowing to Assyria, sometimes hoping for Egyptian help. This panicked and miscalculated policy eventually led to the destruction of Samaria in 722/721 B.C. The setting of this crisis is the main context for Hosea's critique.

 

Hosea 7: A Prophetic Critique of Rotten Politics

Hosea 7:3-16 contains a sharp critique of Israel's political elite. The first picture that emerges is the behavior of the officials, "They please the king with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies" (v. 3). This criticism leads to the culture of Asal Bapak Senang (ABS): false reports that please the ruler, while the true reality is hidden. In such an atmosphere, truth is sacrificed in favor of pseudo-stability and self-interest.

 

Section 4 extends this critique to the realm of personal morals, with the metaphors of adultery and an ever-burning fire. Unbridled desires, whether sexual, power or material, characterize the leaders. Hosea does not separate personal moral decay from political decay; they reinforce each other. Verses 5-6 describe debauchery, drunkenness and palace intrigue: on the surface there is unity and loyalty, but underneath lies anger and coup plots.

This depiction culminates in the tragic statement, "All their kings are dead, not one of them cried out to me" (v. 7). Politics had become a completely closed arena for God. The struggle for power consumed the spiritual energy of the people; God was removed from the center of the nation's life.

 

International Politics and Spiritual Panic

In verses 8-11, Hosea uses a powerful metaphor: Israel is like "a round loaf of bread that is not turned over" and "an innocent, mindless dove." Israel loses sensitivity to its own reality, even as "foreigners eat up its strength" without realizing it. Politically, this points to dependence on foreign powers; theologically, it signifies a loss of faith orientation.

 

The attempt to ask Egypt for help or submit to Assyria was not simply a political strategy error, but an expression of inner restlessness and distrust in God. Collective panic led leaders to act recklessly, without deep reflection on the long-term consequences. Hosea insists that this crisis is inseparable from God's role: not as an instant helper, but as the one who "casts a net" for Israel to realize its mistakes (v. 12).

 

Religion Without Heart: Empty Worship

Visions 13-14 reveal Israel's religious irony. They still cried out to God, still performed religious rituals and practices, but they did not come from the heart. Worship became a formality, even a tool to pursue material gain. In crisis, it was not repentance that came first to mind, but "wheat and wine", a symbol of economic prosperity.

This is where Hosea shows a deep criticism of religion being co-opted by political and economic interests. Religion is no longer a space for repentance and honesty before God, but a cover to save face and maintain social status. Verses 15-16 close with a picture of inevitable destruction: long experience with God does not guarantee faithfulness, when the human heart is ruled by greed and fear.

Theological Reflections: Human Fragility and the Chosen People

One of the important theological lessons of Hosea 7 is the recognition that even the chosen people can fall and be destroyed. The fall of Israel was not an Old Testament anomaly, but a mirror of human frailty. Israel sinned not because they were "worse" than other nations, but because they were fragile human beings, prone to strife, power-hungry, greedy, reckless in panic, and often lacking in self-confidence.

This fragility is evident in the endless internal strife, both at court and within the community of faith. The desire for power and the need for recognition drove people to remove God from the center of life. Possessions and prestige became the measure of dignity, so corruption (in the broadest sense) became a temptation almost inseparable from politics and religion.

 

Contextual Relevance

A reading of Hosea 7 is particularly relevant in the Indonesian context. Political realities are not always rational; panic, emotions and short-term interests often dominate. Religion is easily dragged into power struggles because of its great mobilizing power. Religious people's resistance to material temptation is often weak, while the influence of foreign powers, both economic and political, is still strong.

 

Inter-group conflicts, both overt and covert, continue to occur and undermine national brotherhood. The fundamental question that Hosea asked is also a question for us: to what extent is God truly at the center of our life together? How much does our faith strengthen our brotherhood as fellow citizens, instead of being used as a tool to justify narrow interests?"

 

Closing: Hear the Prophetic Voice Again

The book of Hosea reminds us that political and religious corruption is not just a structural problem, but a matter of the human heart. When God is removed, religion loses its prophetic power and politics loses its moral direction. Hosea's voice invites people to pause in the midst of panic, reflect on their mistakes, and return to God with their hearts intact. In a world that continues to be rocked by crisis, this message remains urgent to be heard and lived out.