RETURN – The Minor Prophets: Hosea
September 13, 2020
Verses from Hosea
In the 8th century BC as the northern kingdom of Israel continues to chase after pagan gods, the Lord raises up the prophet Hosea to call the people to repentance. God chooses to use not only Hosea’s powerful and poetic words, but also his marriage, as a picture of Israel’s sin and God’s redeeming love. Astonishingly, God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute, whose physical adultery illustrates Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness to God. Even when Gomer repeatedly commits adultery against Hosea, God tells his prophet to love her again and to redeem her from her immorality. In this act of costly love, Hosea mirrors the faithful, forgiving, restoring love of God for adulterous Israel…
