Hosea 1-2

“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea ... And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God” (1:10). The prophet Hosea was called by God to do something strange: he married a prostitute (1:2) to be a living demonstration of God’s relationship with Israel. God wanted Israel to understand that He was her Redeemer, and only through His mercy could they become “children of the living God”.

“I will betroth you to me forever” (2:19). God’s desire is not just that we obey laws, but that we know Him and belong to Him forever.