1 Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes to idols. ”2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.REFLECTIONSWritten by Vincent ChanToday’s section concludes chapters 1-3. It’s like a summary of the poetic events that have just passed. I found myself deeply moved by today’s passage. It contains three stories.The first is the story of Hosea and his adulterous wife. Despite her unfaithfulness, Hosea is called to “love her as the LORD loves the Israelites.” He is told to redeem her, even after all she has done. Why is Hosea asked to do this?That brings us to the second story—the story of Israel abandoning God. In her unfaithfulness, Israel turns away from Him and faces the judgment of exile. Yet, in the end, God’s faithfulness will overcome Israel’s unfaithfulness. When they return, He will welcome them with blessing (v. 5). Hosea’s story is a microcosm of the nation’s story.But these themes of unfaithfulness, judgment, and mercy point toward a third and greater story—the story of God’s unceasing faithfulness toward sinful humanity. Despite our sin and rebellion, God Himself came into our world as our Saviour.I was struck today by how little I sometimes grasp the seriousness of my sin. Our sin is like the unfaithfulness of Israel and of Hosea’s wife—it is not a small or light thing. And yet, even more wonderfully, I was moved again by the depth of God’s faithfulness—so much deeper and wider than I can ever comprehend.





























ABOUT THE AUTHORVinno is one of our Assistant Ministers.

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