The prophet Hosea lived through the tumultuous final decades of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The assassinations and usurpations within Israel and the instability from the re-invigorated Assyrians culminated eventually in the destruction of Samaria, the ending of the Northern Kingdom, and the exile of many of its people. Hosea's prophetic work took place in the midst of those years, calling the people to faith in God through warnings of judgement and promises of hope. He exposed the infidelity of the people as they turned to other nations, to their own counsels, or to other gods for their...