Hosea is more of the same, (promising doom and gloom to the children of Israel) and the 'whore' metaphor is carried one step further in this book. God asks Hosea to marry a prostitute. He is then faithful to her, and her to him, but only for a while. She eventually returns to her old lifestyle. This is an accurate picture of how God sees his people, who have prostituted themselves by worshipping other gods. This common theme in the books of the prophets is repeated over and over.
But, as with the other prophets, Hosea gives a message of hope also, in that there is restoration when the people repent and turn back to the God of their fathers and obey his commandments.
Impressions: Faithfulness and staying true are of utmost importance in God's list of priorities. The prophets were asked to do some strange things, but all in the hope that the people they were preaching to would catch on. These object lessons were often difficult for the prophet, but they (the prophets) were so in tune with God and obviously were convinced that God was speaking to them, that they did not hesitate to carry out orders. On occasion, they asked for a sign, that this was indeed what God wanted them to do, and God always provided one for them.
Readability: 2 1/2 stars
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