Hosea (2)
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. Hosea 1:2
Read Hosea 1
Faithfulness is promised in a marriage ceremony before God and His church. After the vows have been expressed, the nuptial contract is signed. In a similar way, God has entered a marriage covenant with His people. That contract is God’s Law. The Ten Commandments were regulations for His people in His marriage contract to them. This also holds true for you and me. These rules are the guidelines for our relationship to God. That is why the Old Testament employs strong language in describing the nation’s sin against God, calling it whoredom. The nation did not just somewhat slight the Lord, but the nation committed adultery. It denied the Lord and His love and shamefully abused His faithfulness by serving other gods. That is the greatest of all sins, namely, when people despise God’s love.
Hosea was a prophet who portrayed God’s relationship with His people in various ways. For one thing, he was commanded by the Lord to marry a prostitute. Through her, he received a number of children. God’s Word sharply resounded in all that happened in his marriage. Moreover, the images portrayed in this union, such as adultery, were also the subject of his preaching. Men, women, and children were all guilty of committing spiritual adultery by worshiping idols. This did not necessarily have to occur in a graphic way. It could also be committed in a religious, loveless way by which the nation was guilty of serving other gods. The Lord requires all of one’s life, both body and soul. He cares for every aspect of His people’s lives and has a right to their whole being. He has attached His name to our lives, and therefore He can expect complete consecration to Him.
Question: What difference is there between the sins of someone outside the covenant of grace and your sins?
Psalter 431:5,6 (based on Psalm 81) “O that to My voice Israel would hearken! Then they would rejoice, Walking in My ways, Bright and joyous days, Ne’er a foe would darken.” “Most abundant good, —If thou wouldst but prove Me,— E’en the choicest food, Honey from the comb, Wheat the finest known, I would pour upon thee.”