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Israel and Unfaithful Wife
Israel and Unfaithful Wife
In the book of Hosea God illustrated His feelings towards His people by using Hosea's family relationship. Hosea took a wife and bore children. His wife was a wife became unfaithful to him. Yet he loved her and took her back. Anyone that has had to deal with unfaithful spouse situations can immediately identify with the pain and sorrow that is felt. It changes almost everything. Gone are the joy and innocence of the wedding day. Gone is the trust and companionship that was shared. Yet often in such situations there are the incongruous feelings of both love and anger. Such mixed feelings tear the heart and mind apart.
So Israel was unfaithful to God. As it is stated in Hosea: she "For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them [the children] has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’ (2:5). She "went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord" (2:12). "They have forsaken the LORD to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding… For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore" (4:10-12). Hosea speaks of this some 17 times in the book using the words 'whore' or 'whoredom'.
God was angry at their unfaithfulness and yet still loved them. As Hosea took his wife back (ch. 3), so God took Israel back. In this story the 'wife' becomes unfaithful time and time again. The depth of the love of God is shown in his long-suffering and forgiveness. The hard-heartedness of Israel is seen in the multiple times of forsaking her God.
As with marriage, faithfulness was not seen as sinless perfection in every aspect but it was a singleness of heart to the husband. God was an absolute faithful, caring, and loving 'husband' unto Israel. He provided everything that she needed. He was there every time she had any need. There was no fault found in God as the husband.
Israel was an unfaithful wife. It is no wonder that in describing such unfaithfulness that the words 'whore', 'harlot,' and 'lewdness' are used. It wasn't just 'an affair'. It was a willful and ungrateful affront to a faithful husband. She forsook her husband and pursued her lovers.
The amazing words of God in taking her back are striking. "I will allure her, and bring her back… and speak tenderly to her" (2:14). "And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord" (2:19-20). THEN she "shall call me 'My Husband'" (2:16).
Today we as the church are the 'bride of Christ'. We have been espoused unto the LORD. Christ has loved the church as a husband loves his wife. Christ has loved the 'wife' even to the extent of dying for her (Eph. 5:22-33). He asks in return that his people love him, be thankful, and to be faithful to him. We are to love him with all of our hearts. We are to let no other come between us. We are not to play the whore in our religious affection. We cannot love the world or the things of the world more than Him. We cannot love our earthly family more than him. We cannot even love ourselves more than we love Him.
What kind of spouse to the LORD are you?
