Read | Hosea 1
The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him:Go and marry a woman of promiscuity,
and have children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the LORD.So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to him:
Name him Jezreel, for in a little while
I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel
on the house of Jehu
and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
On that day I will break the bow of Israel
in Jezreel Valley.She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to him:
Name her Lo-ruhamah,
for I will no longer have compassion
on the house of Israel.
I will certainly take them away.
But I will have compassion on the house of Judah,
and I will deliver them by the LORD their God.
I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war,
or by horses and cavalry.After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said:
Name him Lo-ammi,
for you are not my people,
and I will not be your God.
Yet the number of the Israelites
will be like the sand of the sea,
which cannot be measured or counted.
And in the place where they were told:
You are not my people,
they will be called: Sons of the living God.
And the Judeans and the Israelites
will be gathered together.
They will appoint for themselves a single ruler
and go up from the land.
For the day of Jezreel will be great.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
God used Hosea’s marriage to vividly illuminate Israel’s unfaithfulness. As you search your heart, what “lesser loves” or worldly idols are competing for your devotion to God?
How does the illuminating truth of God’s relentless, pursuing love for you expose the depth of your own spiritual wandering and draw you to genuine confession?
Focus
For further insight, read this devotional written by Kraig McNutt, M.Div.
I’m going with you!
based on Hosea 2 & 11
“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?…My heart is turned within me; my compassion is stirred.” —Hosea 11:8
Forty years ago, right after Lori said "yes" to my proposal, I told her: "That settles it. If you ever leave me...I'm going with you."
And that kind of commitment is at the heart of God’s hesed—covenant love for his own people. Through the life (marriage) and ministry of God’s prophet Hosea, the Lord wanted to teach his people that even when they were unfaithful covenant breakers, he would not betray them. Instead, the Lord would even pursue them!
Hosea preached to the Northern Kingdom in its final decades, before Assyria's coming judgment. It’s hard for us today to understand why God would command his own prophet to marry an unfaithful, promiscuous woman. Hosea marrying the unfaithful Gomer—at God’s very own command—was designed to teach the Northern Kingdom that marital betrayal is painful and has a cost. It always does—and for Hosea, it was personal.
Hosea 11:8 is the most intimate picture we see in the Old Testament of the interior life of God: “My heart is turned within me; my compassion is stirred." Where justice would demand judgment, God's compassion refuses to release.
As imagers, we are made for attachment, commitment, and faithfulness. And though we fail to live up to those standards, God says, “Hey, imager [insert your name here]...if you ever leave me, I’m going with you!”
After the judgment language in chapter 2, the Lord demonstrates this when he says, "Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her" (Hosea 2:14). What is he doing? He is pursuing his wayward bride to restore her to his covenant love.
Then, as we get close to the end of the chapter we read, "I will say to Lo-ammi [Not My People], 'You are my people,' and he will say, 'You are my God'" (Hosea 2:23). The meaning of the name Lo-ammi is reversed! Betrayal does not get the last word in God’s lexicon of love. It never does.
God’s presence, demonstrated in his pursuit of us even when we are worthy of judgment, can restore us as imagers to his always intended status—of being with us!
Pray
O Savior, help me. I am slow to learn and weak to climb, lingering in the foothills when I should be on the heights. Forgive my prayerless days, wasted hours, and worldly heart. Remove my blindness and grind away my unbelief. Make it my greatest joy to study You, sitting at Your feet like Mary. Give me progress in grace, vigor in purpose, and constancy in zeal. Keep me from making this world my home, that I may live victoriously with You as my King.
— Adapted from The Valley of Vision, “A Disciple’s Renewal”
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
