Day 114: January 24, 2026 – Hosea 1-7

We get to a Scripture where God asks one of his prophets to be an object lesson. Hosea is called to marry a woman who is unfaithful and to remain married to her. We see this in chapter 1, but we also see in chapter 3 that not only is he to remain married to her, even in the midst of her unfaithfulness, but he is not to have any intimate relations with her until a time that will be disclosed later. I hadn’t noticed that part of this book of the Bible before, but this is fairly extreme, all in order to show the extremes to which Israel and Judah have been unfaithful to God.

That is the point of object lessons, isn’t it, to show us how we are that which God has asked to show through story or through an object lesson. That is the point of parables, that is the point of miracles and healings. They are all signs to either show the glory and faithfulness of God, or the wretchedness and sin of the people of God. He is able to do both here. Hosea remains faithful even in the face of abject depravity by his wife. And Israel/Judah continue to play the field in the face of that clear faithfulness. So it is with us and God.