How should we understand the reference to David, when he was long dead at the time of Hosea's ministry?
At the time of Hosea’s ministry, David was of course long dead (1 Kings 2:10). Thus the anticipation that Israel will seek out David, their king, is very likely an allusion to the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:1–29). Similarly to Hosea 1:10–11 and Hosea 2:18, Israel’s future is assured by God’s covenantal commitment to his people, his promises.
The Davidic covenant signifies a few things:1
Reunification (Hosea 1:11)
Reversal of dynastic or political instability (Hosea 7:3–7; Hosea 8:4; Hosea 10:3)
Rejection of foreign alliances (Hosea 7:8–9, Hosea 7:11, Hosea 7:16).
Israel’s short-term discipline in exile
will be reversed in the future because of their long-term hope,
God’s fidelity toward them.2 However, Hosea does not merely remind them of the promises that God made to David and his line (1 Kings 11:13; 2 Samuel 7:1–29). Hwang3 notes a strikingly close identification between God and the David in this verse. He writes: Israel will venerate a descendant of David who is so closely identified with YHWH that he receives the honour usually reserved for God.
This sows important seeds for Israel’s messianic hope (Isaiah 9:6–7; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Ezekiel 34:23–31), which blossoms with Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
5 Après cela, les enfants d'Israël reviendront; ils chercheront l'Eternel, leur Dieu, et David, leur roi; et ils tressailliront à la vue de l'Eternel et de sa bonté, dans la suite des temps.