Big Idea: It’s easy to see God’s selfless, forgiving love—as illustrated by Hosea marrying a prostitute—as a fine story, but ultimately detached from the real world. The opening verses of this book, however, make it clear that this happened at a specific moment in history. God’s forgiveness is available to us today, even if we’ve made terrible mistakes in our past.
Bible Verse: Hosea 1:1-3
1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash[a] king of Israel:
Hosea’s Wife and Children
2 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.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
