When the Lord began to speak through
Hosea, the Lord said to
him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an
adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” So he
married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Hosea 1:2
The Lord said to
me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man
and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other
gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” Hosea 3:1
God
was not approving prostitution through this request. God was showing his disapproval towards the
people worshiping idols and other gods.
God
compared the people’s disobedience to Commandment #1 (No other gods before him)
as prostitution, saying it was spiritual adultery. So he asked Hosea to marry a prostitute who
would later be unfaithful to him. God
wanted the people to see how that played out before people’s eyes.
The
people probably questioned, “Why would Hosea marry a prostitute?” just as God
would say, “Why would the people love another god besides me?”
When
Gomer, the prostitute, got into debt and was sold to another master, Hosea bought
her out of prostitution, just as God saves us out of prostitution to other gods
by buying us back through the blood of Jesus.