No matter how much society changes, the relationship between a man and a woman remains just as important as ever. The coming together of two people in marriage is, and has been, an occasion that defines two lives, along with their families and friends. The reverse is also tragically true. The dissolution of a marriage can lead people to feel as if that event defines them, which is one reason C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that divorce is more like amputating both legs than breaking a contract.
These highs and lows in human life are essential to understanding the book of Hosea and God’s message for us today. Hosea lived just after the prophet Amos and ministered in the same northern kingdom under the kingship of Jeroboam II (and afterward). The Israelites had forsaken the living God. The excitement of entering marriage and the inexpressible heartache of a broken marriage points to the central message of the book: The Israelites’ devotion to idols was spiritual adultery.
Unlike many of the other prophets, Hosea didn’t merely give signs; he was a sign. His life signified truth that God was speaking. The Lord commanded him to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). Unlike Jonah, Hosea obeyed immediately. In response to the Lord, he named his first child Jezreel, pointing to a momentous location where earlier Israelites had fought battles and where Jehu had annihilated the previous dynasty. Hosea named his second and third children “No Mercy” and “Not My People,” signifying the Lord’s response to His unfaithful people. He would no longer show them mercy, nor would He even consider them His people. The apparent ending of Hosea’s marriage reflects the tragic nature of Israel’s apostasy.
What do these chapters reveal about God? They first point us to the relationship of Christ and the Church. Paul and John both emphasize that the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-32, Rev. 21:9). This “marriage” is truly unbreakable. No one can separate Christ from His bride (Rom. 8:38–39). These chapters thus challenge us to love the Church since Christ loved the Church enough to give His life for her (Eph. 5:25). Second, these chapters warn us against committing spiritual adultery, which we as individuals can do (James 4:4). Hosea 2:2–13 tragically recount the ways in which Israel forsook the Lord.
In one of the most moving narratives in all the prophetic writings, Hosea actually has to buy his own wife back out of prostitution (Hosea 3:1–5). Hosea’s actions show us the character of God (2:14–23). These chapters call us to take great comfort in the fact that the Lord still embraces the repentant. God would again have mercy on “No Mercy,” and those who were “Not My People” would become His children (1:10, 2:23). Peter and Paul apply these passages to the way God treats people in Christ today (1 Peter 2:10, Rom. 9:25–26).
Marriage is worth celebrating, and the spiritual covenant between the Lord and His people is worth celebrating even more. Although spiritual adultery is more tragic than its human counterpart, Hosea’s life and message show that God’s love can still bring life after betrayal. When we feel as if God couldn’t be farther from us, He is still willing to accept us.
— Russell Freeman is dean of Curriculum and Instruction and Bible teacher at Greenville Classical Academy, a Christian school in Simpsonville.