Healed by God—Not Another
Hosea's verses on healing
Background: Who Was Hosea?
As we reach the book of Hosea (a minor prophet) we begin to similar themes on healing occur. Hosea was a prophet of God in the 8th century B.C., called to minister to the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity, spiritual decay, and looming destruction. His message was both personal and prophetic. God directed Hosea’s own life, and his marriage to an unfaithful wife, as a living parable of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Throughout the book, Hosea’s words echo God’s broken heart over His people’s waywardness, but also God’s longing to heal, restore, and love them back to Himself.
Verses on healing are found in Chapters 5, 6, 7, 11 and 14.
Scripture Readings (NASB):
Hosea 5:13
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb. But he is unable to heal you, or to cure you of your wound.”
Hosea 6:1
“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.”
Hosea 7:1
“When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, for they deal falsely; The thief enters in, Bandits raid outside,”
Hosea 11:3
“Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them.”
Hosea 14:4
“I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them.”
Reflection: Healing in Hosea—A Tale of Contrast
Hosea’s prophecies weave together a striking pattern around the word “heal.” Sometimes healing is earnestly desired, sometimes missed, sometimes flatly denied by the substitutes Israel chases instead of God.
In Hosea 5:13, the people realize their brokenness, but instead of turning to God, they hope Assyria can heal them. It’s a sobering image: the world’s best solutions cannot touch our deepest wounds. Are political allies healers?
Hosea 6:1 is a turning point—a cry to return to God, recognizing that only He, who wounds and disciplines in love, can also heal and restore.
In Hosea 7:1, God expresses His desire and readiness to heal, but Israel’s sin keeps getting in the way. God is not the obstacle to healing; often, we are.
Hosea 11:3 is a tender reminder of God’s healing through all of Israel’s past, unrecognized and unrewarded. God’s care, His “healing” of our lives, often goes unnoticed.
Finally, in Hosea 14:4, God’s heart shines through brightest: “I will heal their apostasy.” God promises not only to heal our hurts, but even to heal our wandering, our spiritual unfaithfulness.
Throughout Hosea, God is the only true healer, opposed to false remedies and quick fixes. Our stubbornness, denial, or idolatry blocks the way, but God’s mercy always seeks us out.
Application: How God’s Healing Shapes Our Walk
Where do you go when you’re hurting—do you run to God, or to something or someone else first?
Like Israel, we’re tempted to trust in people, self-help, distractions, or even “spiritual” quick fixes. But only the Lord knows and can mend our deepest wounds.
Are you honest about what needs healing?
Sometimes God, in love, exposes both our pain and the cause—our sin—because He wants to heal us fully, not just superficially.
Do you recognize how God has healed you in the past?
We can overlook His faithful care and healing, crediting others or forgetting His goodness.
Are you sensitive to God’s invitation to return, in spite of failure or wandering?
God’s final word is always grace—He delights, not just in patching us up, but in restoring us completely, even healing our tendency to wander.
Prayer
Loving God,
You alone know the wounds I carry, those I caused and those I have received. Forgive me for trusting in lesser things to make me whole. Stir up in me a heart that seeks You first. Thank You for Your faithful healing—even when I don’t recognize it, even when I push You away. Heal not just my body and mind, but my heart, my attitudes, my wandering soul. Let me return to You today, confident that You freely love and heal. Amen.
Journal Prompts
In what areas of my life have I sought ‘healing’ from sources other than God? How did that turn out?
When has God healed me in ways I failed to recognize at the time?
Is there something broken in my heart or relationship with God that needs healing today? What would it look like to return to Him?
How can I make space to patiently receive God’s healing, rather than look for quick fixes?
What promise of healing in Hosea can I hold onto and pray today?
May you find in God not only a healer, but the One who loves you freely and brings you home.
