Hosea obeyed the Lord and married Gomer, a bad woman (with a memorable name). Hosea and Gomer lived happily ever after. The end. Nope. Sorry, wrong story. Their marriage was no fairy tale. It was a true story of two people whose marriage showed the truth about God’s relationship with Israel. Hosea married a woman who promised to love him, but then loved lots of other men instead. She was unfaithful to him, just like Israel was unfaithful to God by loving and serving all sorts of other things besides God.

Hosea and Gomer had three children: Jezreel, Lo-ruhama, and Lo-ammi. These are Hebrew names that mean God Sows (or God will Scatter), No Mercy, and Not My People. They are funny names, but what they represented was no laughing matter. Jezreel was named God Sows because Israel was going to reap rotten fruit from the sowing of her rotten deeds. There are consequences for sin! Lo-ruhama was named No Mercy, and Lo-ammi Not My People, because God’s people had been so disobedient—worshiping the false gods of the nations around them—that they didn’t deserve God’s mercy and they didn’t deserve to be called God’s people.

But did God stop loving them? He could have—they broke their promises to him. But he didn’t. He promised that one day after Israel was scattered, they would repent and call God their husband. Then he would renew their marriage. On that day, God says,

I will have mercy on No Mercy,

and I will say to Not My People, “You are my people”;

and he shall say, “You are my God.” (Hos. 2:23)

What incredible love!

What then was Hosea to do? He was to act out that incredible love. God asked him to find his promise-breaking wife (who was living with her new boyfriend), pay off whatever money she owed (she was a slave to her sin!), and renew his marriage with her. Imagine how hard that would be to do! Once again, the obedient prophet obeyed God’s word. And he once again showed, in his marriage, how God loves sinners and is willing to forgive us and make us his own.