Hosea 1:2b

Today we start the book of Hosea. This book tells an interesting story about the author, which serves as an analogy for Israel. Typically (refer to the Major prophets), the prophecies consist of serious accusations of idolatry and immorality against both Israel and Judah, followed by warnings of imminent disaster, followed by loving reinforcements of God’s grace and love in the form of assurance of future restoration. Hosea lived before the captivity of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, through the period of kings of which nearly none were any good.

God commands Hosea to take a wife, so that this analogy can take place. In fact, the words in my Bible read:

‘Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great harlotry
By departing from the LORD.’ (Hosea 1:2b)

Now, I have read this before, and had a little problem with it, because I just never thought that God could ask someone to marry someone that he knew was impure. Especially so, since later on in the book *spoiler alert*, Hosea rejects her for her harlotry. It is a bit odd then that he rejects her after marriage, rather than declining to marry her in the first place!

However, I think it is clear (and MaCarthur agrees), that in fact the woman was pure before marriage, and God referred to her future adultery (because God exists outside of time). This also makes more sense in the higher analogy.

Given this interpretation, you still have to wonder what is going through Hosea’s mind. He still hears the words “wife of harlotry”, so he can know what to expect. I’m sure he at least half cottoned-on to the analogy (and God makes it semi-clear in the above verse), but even so, he has to put himself through the emotional turmoil of marriage and unfaithfulness.

As I write I am beginning to get the feeling that perhaps God wants all of us to somewhat feel what He feels for us. Because it is true that He bought us with His blood, and we are now His bride, and yet how often are we unfaithful? And so often I think we can transform that thought into merely that – a thought. ‘Ah yes, we shouldn’t be unfaithful, we shouldn’t turn to anything else other than God, because God is the best thing for us always...’ and so the thoughts carry on. But what about what is going on in God’s heart? What is He actually feeling? I imagine a great deal more intense emotions than what we feel when we are rejected by those that we love. Yes, the thought is a ‘correct’ thought, but sometimes I think we have to remember that God loves us with a real love, a love that we experience with our minds and our hearts. Imagine the pain that God goes through when we sin against Him. This should be incentive enough not to sin, or find our pleasure in things other than God!