Saturday Prophets Series Hosea: Faithful Love in a Faithless Land
- Ken Kalis
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
I know of nothing more heartbreaking than a wife's sexual betrayal of her husband.
.
For this sin, Jesus approved divorce; Moses ordered death by stoning
Yet the LORD commanded Hosea to marry and then remarry a whore who betrayed him.
God's people have so betrayed Him by prostituting themselves to others.
And yet, Jesus pardons the woman caught in adultery and says: Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. - John 8:11
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Last week, we stood with Daniel in exile—faithful in a foreign court, steady under pressure, trusting the LORD in visions and long obedience. Daniel showed us what faithfulness looks like when God’s people are far from home.
Today we move back in time and across borders—from Babylon to Israel, from royal courts to broken homes. We come to Hosea.
Daniel reveals faithfulness in captivity. Hosea reveals faithfulness in betrayal.
A Prophet Whose Life Became the Message
Hosea ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel during its final decades before destruction. The nation was outwardly prosperous but inwardly corrupt—idolatrous, self-confident, and spiritually unfaithful.
God’s call to Hosea was unlike any other.
Instead of beginning with visions or sermons, the LORD commanded Hosea to live the message:
“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)
Hosea’s marriage to Gomer becomes a living parable. Her unfaithfulness mirrors Israel’s. Hosea’s steadfast love mirrors God’s.
This is not symbolic drama. It is costly obedience.
The Story of Hosea and Gomer — What Happened
Hosea married Gomer, a woman whose unfaithfulness would soon become evident. Scripture does not linger on courtship or romance; the emphasis is on obedience. Hosea entered the marriage knowing it would be costly.
At first, they lived as husband and wife, and children were born. Three are named, each by divine instruction, and each name carries a message of judgment to Israel:
Jezreel — foretelling coming judgment
Lo-ruhamah (“Not pitied”) — mercy withdrawn
Lo-ammi (“Not my people”) — covenant broken
Whether all the children were Hosea’s biologically is left deliberately unclear. The ambiguity itself reflects the pain of betrayal.
Gomer did not remain faithful. She left Hosea and returned to a life of immorality, abandoning her home and family. Her choices led her downward—into shame, poverty, and ultimately bondage.
Then the LORD spoke again.
“Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress.” (Hosea 3:1)
Hosea went and redeemed his own wife, paying the price to buy her back from slavery. He restored her—not as a servant, but as his wife.
The prophet who had been publicly shamed now publicly redeems.
This was not indulgence. It was covenant love.
Judgment Spoken, Love Revealed
Hosea does not soften Israel’s sin. The language is sharp and painful because the betrayal is real. God’s people have forgotten Him, trusted idols, and broken covenant again and again.
Yet judgment is never God’s final word.
Again and again, Hosea returns to the aching heart of God:
“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel?” (Hosea 11:8)
This is not distant wrath. This is wounded love.
God disciplines because He loves. He judges because He refuses to abandon His people to destruction.
From Law to Love
Hosea’s most quoted line reaches to the very center of true faith:
“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)
God is not seeking ritual without repentance, or religion without relationship. He desires hearts that return to Him.
This is why Hosea still speaks so powerfully today.
A Modern Echo: Redeeming Love
For many modern readers, Hosea’s message has come alive through the novel Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Inspired by the biblical account of Hosea, Rivers retells the story in a different setting, translating the same truth into a narrative that many have found deeply moving.
The book does not replace Scripture, but it reflects it—illustrating in human terms the same faithful, pursuing love that Hosea lived and proclaimed. As with Hosea, the story confronts brokenness honestly while holding out the hope of redemption.
Many believers have been blessed by this retelling because it helps us feel what Hosea teaches us to know: that God’s love is steadfast, personal, and unwilling to let go.
Why Hosea Matters Now
Hosea speaks to every age of divided hearts.
We live in a time rich in religious language but poor in repentance. Hosea reminds us that God is not impressed by appearances. He calls us back to Himself—not with indifference, but with persistent love.
If Daniel teaches us how to remain faithful when the world presses in, Hosea teaches us who God is when we wander away.
And the message is this: God’s love redeems. God’s love restores. God’s love remains faithful—even when His people are not.
Such love, such wondrous love,
Such love (such love), such wondrous love,
That God should love a sinner such as I,
How wonderful is love like this!
That for a willful outcast such as I,
The Father planned, the Savior bled and died;
Redemption for a worthless slave to buy,
Who long had law and grace defied.
Refrain
And now He takes me to His heart—a son,
He asks me not to fill a servant’s place;
The Far off country wand’rings are all done,
Wide open are His arms of grace.
Refrain
Words: C. Bishop, 1929.
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