The ‘spoiler alert’ of Salvation
Scripture References: Hosea 1:2-4, 6-8, 10-11. Jeremiah 3:20, Genesis 22:17-18, Numbers 13:16, Matthew 1:21
Introduction:
The Bible is full of ‘spoiler alerts’. I’ve used this analogy in past devotionals, but I just keep seeing it time and time again in my personal study and have grown to love Biblical spoiler alerts. If you’re not familiar, a ‘spoiler alert’ is that moment when someone starts talking about a newly released movie, show or book and begins to unravel the whole plot before you’ve had a chance to experience it yourself. We normally don’t like when an unexpected plot twist, or dramatic ending is given away and the element of surprise is now gone…so at times the person who is about to reveal these details may give a ‘spoiler alert’ warning…that’s usually a queue to leave the room, shut your ears or ask this person to refrain from sharing details until you’ve seen the movie/show or have read the book being discussed.
In the past, we’ve looked at passages like Genesis 3:15 as a Biblical ‘spoiler alert’. As the consequences of sin fall on Adam and Eve, we are given a glimpse into God’s greater plan of redemption. We are given hope that this is not the end. The ‘seed of the woman’ will crush the head of the ‘seed of the serpent’. There will be ultimate victory…but not before the consequences of sin are felt and dealt with.
As I wrapped up my study in Daniel and moved on to the book of Hosea, I came across a ‘spoiler alert’ right away in Hosea chapter 1…
Devotional:
Hosea was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel, prior to the Assyrian conquest of the land. He prophesied during the reign of King Jeroboam II, which interestingly enough was a time of great prosperity, peace, and stability in the nation.1 From the outside looking in, this seems like an odd time for a prophet to be speaking words of judgement to the people for their covenant unfaithfulness. Things seem to be going just fine! So…what’s the problem?
Hosea is given this surprising instruction from God:
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” –Hosea 1:2 ESV
Despite things looking good from the outside…despite apparent prosperity, peace and stability…there is something terribly wrong going on beneath the surface. Israel has a heart problem. Their heart problem is so severe that Hosea is instructed to take a wife of ‘whoredom’ as an image of God’s relationship to Israel. Back at Mount Sinai, the people had entered into a covenant with God…much like a marriage covenant. The Lord cared for his bride, provided for his bride, loved his bride. In return, Israel turns from the Lord and serves other gods. Like an unfaithful spouse, they rebel against their covenant with the Lord and go after other lovers. This is a common theme and common metaphor throughout the prophets:
Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord.’”
-Jeremiah 3:20 ESV
There is no sugar-coating how serious this is, and God uses some extreme imagery to show just how severe the situation has become. We see this imagery continued in the children that Hosea’s new wife, Gomer bears:
Child #1:
3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. –Hosea 1:3-4 ESV
Child #2:
6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. -Hosea 1:6 ESV
Child #3:
8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” -Hosea 1:8 ESV
The name of the 3rd child says it all. Israel has shifted their allegiance to other gods…therefore they have made the decision that the Lord is no longer their God. These names they were given carried symbolic meaning…pointing to what is coming for Israel. Judgement. They will reap the consequences of breaking covenant and will endure the pain of exile. But…
We are not even through with the first chapter in a 14 chapter book…when we get a ‘spoiler alert’!
SPOILER ALERT:
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children[e] of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. -Hosea 1:10-11 ESV
Despite the punishment that is to come upon Israel…God reminds Hosea that there is an ultimate purpose and an ultimate hope that goes beyond their exile. While Israel had been unfaithful and broken their promise to God…God has remained faithful to His promises…promises that go further back than Mount Sinai. Hear the words of Hosea 1:10 calling back to God’s promise to Abraham…
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” -Genesis 22:17-18 ESV
Hosea reminds us that even when we were unfaithful to God…God has remained faithful to us. Sin has consequences, but God has a plan of redemption that is laid out for us right in the opening chapter of Hosea. To top it all off…Hosea’s name itself is a spoiler!
The name ‘Hosea, Hoshea or Oshea’ in Hebrew means ‘Salvation’ or ‘Deliverer’. This is also the family name of Joshua, the son of Nun2
16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. -Numbers 13:16 ESV
God’s ultimate purpose in calling Hosea is not just to proclaim judgement, but to point to the deliverance and salvation God has planned for His people.
While the link between the names of Joshua and Hosea are interesting…it’s nothing compared to what these names ultimately point to:
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:21 ESV
Dr. Benjamin Gladd in an article for The Gospel Coalition shows that the name Jesus is a transliteration of the name Joshua…they are the same name, but written in different languages. He writes:
“One of my favorite seminary classes to teach is a survey of the four Gospels, where we work through Christ’s life from birth to resurrection. While students have several aha moments, none is bigger than when I broach the topic of the name Jesus. I explain to them that Jesus’s name is actually Joshua…The Hebrew name Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation…
Recall what the angel famously tells Joseph in Matthew 1:21: “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The angel explains to Joseph that the name Jesus (or Joshua) functions as a summary statement for his whole ministry. The English name Jesus is a transliteration from the Greek word Iēsous. Transliteration refers to converting a word from one alphabet to another. It’s the same word but in a different language or script…When it comes to the name Jesus, the New Testament authors substituted the Greek letters for the Hebrew letters for the name Jeshua, resulting in Iēsous.”3
Full link to the article is here for reference! In short, Biblical scholarship agrees that these are essentially the same name, just written in different languages!
What does this all mean? It means that Hosea 1…while it describes an inevitable judgement and punishment for Israel’s unfaithfulness…we have a faithful God who keeps His promises and has a plan of redemption. A plan of salvation to deliver His people! This promise we see in Hosea, points to our savior himself, Jesus!
We see Jesus all over the Old Testament…and this is just one of those examples!
Takeaways
As Pastor Chuck begins our preaching series on Exodus…we will be met with God’s deliverance and salvation almost right away!
The whole narrative arc of Scripture reminds us of God’s deliverance and salvation and is consistently giving us hope in the form of these Biblical ‘spoiler alerts’.
In addition to this hope, Hosea also presents us with a challenge. Although Israel seemed to be prospering on the outside, their hearts were far from God. Do we see this present in our own lives? Whether we are in a season of poverty or prosperity…be it financial, professional, relational etc…are our hearts and actions reflecting our faith and commitment to God?
We know that we cannot walk this road on our own…just like Israel couldn’t. One of our hymns this week offers an important reminder of who leads us through it all. Whether it is a time of plenty or a time of want…our words should always be: He Leadeth Me…
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden’s flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me
– He Leadeth Me
Amen.
Sean Wagner
- Barry, John D., et al., eds. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Logos Bible Software. ↩︎
- James Strong. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. “H1954.” ↩︎
- Benjamin L. Gladd, “Wait, His Name Isn’t Jesus?” The Gospel Coalition, n.d. Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/name-isnt-jesus/ ↩︎