Hosea

A prophet of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), tells about his wife Gomer, who was a prostitute. Hosea sees that Isreal has also acted like a prostitute, serving their "gods," yet God still loves the Jews, who will return to the Lord in the "last days" (Hosea 3:5). When the people believed in Baal or Baal-peor, Hosea said, "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind." (Hosea 8:7).

The book is divided into two parts. The first part (chaps. 1 - 3) tells the story of Hosea's marriage to an unfaithful wife. Hosea used this personal tragedy as a parable of the relationship between God and Israel. In the second part (chaps. 4 - 14) the theme of unfaithfulness is developed. The prophet rebukes corrupt leaders and priests and chastises the Israelites for their superstition and idolatry. Hosea was the first biblical writer to use the imagery of marriage as an illustration of the relationship between God and his people.
Outline
Hosea's unhappy marriage and its results (1-3)
Priests condone immorality (4)
Israel's sin will be punished unless she repents (5)
Israel's sin is thoroughgoing; her repentance half-hearted (6)
Inner depravity and outward decay (7)
Nearness of Judgment (8)
Impending calamity (9)
Israel's guilt and punishment (10)
God pursues Israel with Love (11)
Exhortation to repentance, with promised restoration (12-14)