God as a Devoted Spouse
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, God used the metaphor of marriage as a lens through which Israel could understand his loving commitment to them. Marriage also helped explain how God felt when Israel was unfaithful to the covenant he made with them. Hosea was a devoted husband, who was married to Gomer, a prostitute and disloyal wife. Their marriage was a picture of God’s relationship with Israel. In the New Testament, we are told that the marriage of Spirit-filled people is a picture of Christ’s relationship with the church, husband and wife living out loving loyalty. This changes the way we think about God and about marriage. (Scripture: Hosea 2:14-20)
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