Hosea was a prophet to the kingdom of Israel before it was destroyed. He would have lived at about the same time as Isaiah, but Isaiah was a prophet to Judah. Hosea is given a very difficult task. He is told to marry a prostitute who will bear children from her prostitution. Then he is told to give the children names to illustrate the relationship between God and Israel. God sees Israel’s rejection of God’s generosity in the same way a husband would view a wife’s unfaithfulness. God has come to the point where he no longer sees Israel as his.
It’s a scary thought that God views our rebellion from him in this way. God has given us so much, but we don’t always appreciate it. It becomes too easy to rely on God’s kindness and forgiveness and forget how deeply we disappoint him when we sin.