Hosea: The Passion of God

I have become a collector of commentaries ever since my seminary days in the 1990s. As such, I am only going to recommend the best overall commentary for each book of the Bible on this site. (Before each minor prophet recommendation, let me first say that every preacher/teacher should have a copy of James Montgomery Boice's two volume set on the Minor Prophets on his/her bookshelf. That's the starting point, in my opinion). As to Hosea itself, I like Chester. Honestly, part of that extends from the fact that I personally enjoy the way Chester writes in general. In my estimation, for instance, the best book in the solid 'God's Word for You Series' is Chester on Exodus. He is solid in his interpretation and in his ability to connect God's Word to people's lives. This definitely proves true in his commentary on Hosea, which serves as my favorite resource on that prophetic book.

I recently used this commentary alongside my Search the Scriptures bible study course to study Hosea. Tim Chester is an excellent writer and speaker. His work is thoughtful and challenging - again demonstrated in this publication. In each section he looks at the meaning of Hosea's message for its first audience. He then applies it to Jesus, and its application for the 21st century Christian. Written from a conservative evangelical standpoint. This is worth reading again and again.