Hosea 1:1-5: a reflection

1The LORD’s word that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2When the LORD spoke at first by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking the LORD.” 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son. 4The LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease. 5It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

God calls Hosea to a hard and costly obedience, to take an unfaithful wife, so that the prophet's own marriage becomes a living picture of God's faithful love for a people who have been unfaithful to him. Go, take for yourself a wife of unfaithfulness, God tells Hosea, for the land commits great adultery, forsaking the LORD. Hosea's marriage was to be a living parable: as Hosea would love a wife who was unfaithful to him, so God had loved a people who had been unfaithful to him, forsaking him for other loves. The picture is a painful one, but it reveals something about God: that his love has remained even toward a people who have been unfaithful to him. This shows God's faithful love that remains even toward an unfaithful people. God's love remains even toward a people who have been unfaithful to him. God's faithfulness is pictured even in loving the unfaithful. God has loved his people despite their forsaking him. God's love is not extinguished by our unfaithfulness.

Notice what God's strange and painful command to Hosea reveals. God called Hosea to take an unfaithful wife, so that his marriage would picture God's own relationship with his people. It is a painful picture: the prophet bound in love to one who is unfaithful to him. But that is precisely the point, and the revelation. For God had loved his people, and his people had been unfaithful to him, forsaking him, going after other loves, committing spiritual adultery. And yet God's love had not simply ended; it remained, wounded but present, toward an unfaithful people. Hosea's costly obedience makes this visible. This reveals something about God's love that is both sobering and moving. God's love for his people is not a fragile thing, extinguished the moment they prove unfaithful; it is a love that remains, that continues, that grieves over unfaithfulness but does not simply abandon. This does not excuse or make light of unfaithfulness; the picture is painful, and the unfaithfulness is real and serious. But it shows a God whose love remains even toward those who have forsaken him, who does not cast off his people the moment they fail. There is hope in this for us who have been unfaithful in our own ways: that God's love is not so easily extinguished, that he loves even the unfaithful, and calls them back. We do well to be moved by the depth of a love that remains even toward the unfaithful, and to return to the God who has loved us so. God's love remains even toward those who have been unfaithful to him. God does not cast us off the moment we fail him. There is hope for the unfaithful in a love that does not simply end. Return to the God whose love has remained toward you.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's love remains even toward an unfaithful people, and there is hope in this for us who have failed him, as Hosea's marriage pictured God's faithful love for the unfaithful. We can imagine God's love ends the moment we prove unfaithful; but Hosea's costly obedience pictured a God whose love remained even toward a people who had forsaken him. Love remains. When you have been unfaithful in your own ways, do not imagine God's love is extinguished; return to the God whose love has remained toward you, who does not cast off his own the moment they fail. Be moved by the depth of God's love that remains even toward the unfaithful, and return to him who has loved you so, as God called Hosea to a hard and costly obedience, to take an unfaithful wife, so that the prophet's own marriage became a living picture of God's faithful love for a people who had been unfaithful to him, telling Hosea to take a wife of unfaithfulness since the land had committed great adultery in forsaking the LORD; for Hosea's marriage was to be a living parable, that as Hosea would love a wife unfaithful to him so God had loved a people unfaithful to him, a painful picture that reveals God's love has remained even toward those who forsook him, which is both sobering and moving, since God's love for his people is not a fragile thing extinguished the moment they prove unfaithful but a love that remains and grieves over unfaithfulness without simply abandoning, which does not excuse unfaithfulness, real and serious as it is, but shows a God whose love remains even toward those who have forsaken him and who does not cast off his people the moment they fail, so that there is hope for us who have been unfaithful in our own ways, that God loves even the unfaithful and calls them back, and we do well to be moved by so deep a love and return to the God who has loved us so.

Lord, you call Hosea to a hard and costly obedience, to take an unfaithful wife, so that the prophet's own marriage becomes a living picture of your faithful love for a people who have been unfaithful to you. Go, take for yourself a wife of unfaithfulness, you tell Hosea, for the land commits great adultery, forsaking the LORD. Hosea's marriage was to be a living parable: as Hosea would love a wife who was unfaithful to him, so you had loved a people who had been unfaithful to you, forsaking you for other loves. The picture is a painful one, but it reveals something about you: that your love has remained even toward a people who have been unfaithful to you. Show me what your strange and painful command to Hosea reveals. You called Hosea to take an unfaithful wife, so that his marriage would picture your own relationship with your people. It is a painful picture: the prophet bound in love to one who is unfaithful to him. But that is the point, and the revelation. For you had loved your people, and your people had been unfaithful to you, forsaking you, going after other loves. And yet your love had not simply ended; it remained, wounded but present, toward an unfaithful people. This reveals something about your love that is both sobering and moving. Your love for your people is not a fragile thing, extinguished the moment they prove unfaithful; it is a love that remains, that grieves over unfaithfulness but does not simply abandon. This does not excuse my unfaithfulness, real and serious as it is. But it shows a God whose love remains even toward those who have forsaken him. There is hope in this for me who have been unfaithful in my own ways: that your love is not so easily extinguished, that you love even the unfaithful, and call them back. Take that to my heart. When I have been unfaithful in my own ways, keep me from imagining your love is extinguished; help me be moved by the depth of a love that remains, Lord, and return to you, who have loved me so and do not cast me off the moment I fail.