1. Hosea

While only the first three chapters of the Book of Hosea are clearly autobiographical, his prophecies furnish a great deal of additional information about him. The story of Hosea and Gomer, of course, presents a tantalizing and ultimately insoluble puzzle. Did Hosea seek out a prostitute in order to dramatize his message? Did he marry a "good girl" who deceived him and eventually became a prostitute? Did he ... and so on?

The Four R's. Hosea, a man of God, acts very much like God toward the straying Gomer. He agonizes over her rebellion, is broken-hearted over her ruin, seeks and gladly accepts her repentance and grants her full restoration. The story parallels the Father's way with the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Hosea's name comes from the same root as Joshua and Jeshua/Jesus, meani…