TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Prophets in the Old Testament frequently used symbols to emphasize the messages they brought to the people on behalf of God. And, in the Bible, the prophet Hosea used one of the most unusual symbols of all as God instructed him to marry an unfaithful woman to symbolize how the nation of Judah had been unfaithful to the Lord.
So, as you read the scripture below, remember that God has loved you and has taken you as His own. But the question is, “Have you been loyal to Him, or by following sin, other gods, and other priorities, are you guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord?”
(Hosea 1) 1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: 2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”
3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”