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The purpose of the book is to show a complacent Israel the true nature of their relationship with God and to call them back to the only One who truly loves them. He is the only One who can supply the very things for which they are petitioning their idols. The book is set up as a court case in which God, the aggrieved husband, brings charges against his faithless wife, Israel (see 4:1-3). The charges include idolatry, sorcery, empty ritualism, corruption, faithlessness, brutality, and injustice. Nor are these merely the aberrations of a few; these conditions extend from the highest political and religious leaders right down to the dregs of society.
It would seem plain that nothing but divorce proceedings could issue from such horrendous failures. However, to the reader’s surprise, that is not the case. Although the situation is dire, with all-but-inevitable consequences just ahead, still God does not want to dissolve his relationship with his beloved. Moreover, with prompt action, even those awful consequences could be averted. But if they are not, the coming disasters are not to be interpreted as expressions of God’s abandonment of his people. Rather, they should be taken as spurs to return to the only One who ever really loved them.
There is little agreement as to the overall structure of the book. Many would divide it into two segments: chs. 1-3 and chs. 4-14, but few agree on how to differentiate the content of the two sections. It is tempting to call chs. 1-3 the parable and chs. 4-14 the interpretation. However, ch. 2 is as much interpretation as is anything after ch. 3. From this uncertainty, the points of agreement become even fewer, for the materials in chs. 4-14 show no clear organizing principle. Therefore, the following suggestions should be taken as suggestions only.
Chs. 1-3 may be seen as an introduction, setting the stage for the rest of the book, both by means of Hosea’s experience and by means of an explanation of the parallels between Hosea and God. Then chs. 4-14 expand upon the basic points already made. This expansion does not seem to follow any particular order, as noted above. However, there are three points at which offers of restoration seem to coincide with the end of a previous discussion. These occur at 6:1-3; 11:8-11; and 14:1-9. On this basis, it may be possible to subdivide chs. 4-14 into three segments: 4:1-6:3; 6:4-11:11; 11:12-14:9. The first segment dwells on the causes of Israel’s sin: the corruption of the leaders; the second details the rebelliousness of Israel; and the third emphasizes their failure to learn the lessons of the past.