What a sorry situation we find in Hosea 1 – 2!
What kind of husband was Hosea? Was he romantic? Was he affectionate? Was he funny?
Over forty years of ministry, I’ve heard all kinds of reasons for unfaithfulness on the part of both men and women. Frankly, when you want out of a marriage, any excuse will do and sometimes, folks just get to the point where they want something different. There are no perfect wives and no perfect husbands. In this allegory of God and Israel, you cannot even say God has been the perfect husband. If the perfect husband “fulfills you in every way,” God obviously isn’t giving Israel what she feels she needs. While God is loving Israel, she loves raisin cakes!
Gomer ends up where the unfaithful usually end up – in misery. Having sold herself to amorous pursuits, she ends up enslaved.
In chapter three, God instructs Hosea to “Go” and “love” again! Love her as God loves His people.
There is no bolder more plain statement of God’s love than this one. Despite all Israel’s unfaithfulness, God still loves her and is determined to be her husband. And that, really, is what love is about: a determination to be faithful regardless. When one spouse acts that way and the other doesn’t, that’s supreme love. When both act that way, that’s a marriage made in heaven.