We continue Hosea, tough to read at times, using the graphic imagery of prostitution to make the point that God loves Israel despite her unfaithfulness. And he uses the prophet Hosea as a visual aid. He takes a wife in chapter 1, and she proves unfaithful in chapter 2. Here is the first part of (short) chapter 3:

And the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (Hosea 3.1 – 3, ESV)

“So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and…barley.” One note says “430 pounds of barley.” That’s a lot of barley! Hosea’s charge to the woman he bought back: “You shall not play the whore…” That is, “Don’t do that anymore!” Reminds us of Jesus’ encounter with the woman taken in adultery:

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8.10, 11, ESV)

The rest of Hosea 3 ends with a prophecy:

For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3.4 – 5, ESV)

“They shall come in fear to the LORD…in the latter days.” And, by implication, the LORD will accept them!

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3.21, 22, NLT, and a pastor friend of mine used to say, “…no matter who we are…or what we have done.”