Love Divine and Unfailing: The Gospel According to Hosea (Gospel according to the Old Testament)

by Michael Barrett

Publisher:

P&R

, 2008

Overview

After establishing the historical and theological backdrop for Hosea, Barrett focuses on the connection between Hosea’s marriage to Gomer and the Lord’s marriage to his people. Though many were deaf to Hosea’s preaching, even the dullest could see his grief, sympathize with his sorrow, and wonder at his persistent love. Hosea’s marriage was a living sermon: What Hosea did for Gomer, God did for Israel; What Gomer did to Hosea, Israel did to God. In Christ’s redemptive work, God’s love for his people and justice against their sin are reconciled. Christ is the divine bridegroom and we are his bride, whom he redeems from the filth of sin and restores to himself by incomprehensible love.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Compares Hosea’s marriage to Gomer with the Lord’s marriage to his people
• Provides a captivating vision of Christ as the divine bridegroom
• Explores what it means to be the bride of Christ

Contents

Top Highlights

“Understanding the theology of marriage as a biblical symbol and type of God’s relationship to His people and specifically of Christ’s relationship to His church is essential to grasping the significance of Hosea’s experience.” (Page xxi)

“First, the marriage analogy helps to put God’s jealousy in perspective.” (Page 66)

“Affluence, however, is seldom friendly to the gospel. It tends to breed carnal security and a self-confidence that cause the comfortable either to see no need for God or to interpret the ease of life as a token of God’s favor.” (Page 29)

“Convincing a sinner of his sin is always prerequisite to pointing him to the gospel solution to his sin. Hosea, obviously conscious of that logic in evangelism, focused much of his message on exposing the sin of the people. He was dealing with a people whose spiritual callousness, hardened by material riches, desensitized them to spiritual matters. The good life, thanks to Jeroboam, made Hosea’s job hard.” (Pages 29–30)

“God remains faithful to His covenant regardless of the gross unfaithfulness of Israel: although spurned, His love is constant. This is the heart of the gospel according to Hosea.” (Page 19)

Praise for the Print Edition

Love Divine is a clear, honest, panoramic treatment of the book of Hosea, poignantly showing how Hosea and Gomer’s treatment of each other reflected God and Israel’s treatment of each other. Dr. Barrett excels in unfolding his views logically on solid exegetical, hermeneutical, and theological grounds. The book is compelling in its Christ-centeredness and is a masterpiece in expounding God’s loving and gracious covenant in its internal and external dimensions. Love Divine is also true to the personal experience of covenantal grace in the lives of believers. All of this makes it a sheer delight to read. Every pastor should study Love Divine before preaching from the book of Hosea, and every Christian will find it enlightening and God-glorifying.

—Joel R. Beeke, is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Love Divine and Unfailing: The Gospel according to Hosea
• Author: Michael Barrett
• Series: The Gospel according to the Old Testament
• Publisher: P&R
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. Hosea › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9781596380752, 1596380756
• Resource ID: LLS:GSPLOTHOSEA
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T17:16:36Z

About Michael Barrett

Michael Paul Vernon Barrett (born September 18, 1949) is the author of Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament, God’s Unfailing Purpose: The Message of Daniel, and Complete in Him: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Gospel. He is academic dean and professor of Old Testament at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He is a minister in the Free Presbyterian Church of North America, and was formerly president of Geneva Reformed Seminary. Converted to Christianity as a child, he was called to ministry early in his college career at Bob Jones University. He earned his doctorate in Old Testament Text at BJU with a special focus on Semitic languages.