I did it. I paid good money to get her back. It cost me the price of a slave. Then I told her, "From now on you’re living with me. No more whoring, no more sleeping around. You’re living with me and I’m living with you." Hosea 3:2-3 (TM)

You can’t understand the prophets until you understand metaphor. God is an artist and all artists use metaphor. A thing which represents something else without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. What you see is really just an expression of some other idea or emotion. Hosea was asked to marry a whore and take her back again and again because it was the perfect metaphor for God’s relationship, His marriage to Israel.

Hosea needs one heckuva big reward for being so obedient. Not only did he face the social consequences of marrying a whore, but then when she went back to her prostitution and promiscuity – Hosea paid good money to take her back! Now I know the reputation of our Jewish friends when it comes to money. Being a Dutchman, I know a thing or two about being tight-fisted. Wow! Can you imagine that he got a little flack about that down at the coffe shop by the city gate?

Technorati Tags: Hosea, Prophet, Israel, Unfaithfulness, Metaphor