"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." (Hosea 1:1) We might think that Hosea was called to be a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah since the kings of Judah are mentioned first, but later in the book we will find Hosea referring to the king of the northern kingdom of Israel as "our king", so we know he was from the northern kingdom. Also he will make mention of Israel's capital, which was Samaria in those days, and this is another very strong clue that he was born and raised and lived his life within the area of the northern kingdom.
When the Lord calls Hosea to be a prophet, He makes an unusual request of him. "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.'" (Hosea 1:2)
I doubt that many people, if any, would deliberately choose to marry someone they know is going to be unfaithful to them. The only reason I can think of that someone might do this is to get monetary gain. For example, marrying a wealthy man who has a womanizing reputation in hopes that if he is unfaithful during the marriage the spouse can sue for divorce on grounds of infidelity and receive a hefty settlement of long term alimony. But most people would not choose to do such a thing and we have no reason to believe Hosea would have chosen a woman with a man-chasing reputation unless the Lord had told him to do so.
Why does the Lord command him to marry a woman from whom he cannot expect loyalty? It's so Hosea can relate to how the Lord feels about Israel's infidelity. If you've ever been betrayed in marriage you know that this is probably the worst type of betrayal a person can experience. It's hurtful and humiliating, especially when you've tried your best to be a good spouse. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you've done all the right things and have committed no acts worthy of being treated that way. The Lord has committed no acts worthy of being betrayed by Israel. Like a good husband, He has been faithful and has supplied the needs of Israel and has protected Israel. He has gone above and beyond, considering how many times and for how many generations the people have committed sins of idolatry. Time and time again He has extended mercy even though He does not have to. He is going to ask Hosea to do the same so Hosea can speak to the people with a heart that is broken like the Lord's heart. Hosea is going to have to forgive and take back a wayward wife.
To his credit, Hosea is obedient to the Lord even though he knows his heart is going to be broken. "So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son." (Hosea 1:3) The word translated into English as "promiscuous woman" is the same word translated as "harlot" or "prostitute" in other passages of the Bible. Many scholars believe Gomer wasn't just a woman with an insatiable lust for illicit relationships with other men but that she was actually working as a prostitute when Hosea met her and asked her to marry him. They believe she continued plying her trade after he married her.
If Hosea had not been obedient in this matter I don't think he could have relayed the Lord's message in the way the Lord wanted him to relay it. The Lord calls different people to do different things at different times. He doesn't ask all the prophets of the Bible to marry unfaithful women. Some of the prophets are married to good women. Some of the prophets (Jeremiah for example) was commanded to remain single. The Lord asks these men to do different things because of the different messages He wants them to deliver and because of the different people and/or time periods in which He calls them to minister. Just as in our day He doesn't call everyone to be a pastor or a missionary, in the Old Testament He didn't call everyone to go about their work for Him in the same ways.
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