Prophecy of Hosea: I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. Hosea 2:19

The Old Testament relates that Hosea preached before the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel at the hands of the Assyrian Empire, and more precisely during the time of Jeroboam II, king of Israel. The Book of Hosea relates that God ordered the prophet to take as his wife a woman of dubious morals, so that he might experience the problem of infidelity, just as God endured the infidelity of Israel. The prophet obeyed and married a woman named Gomer, and so the prophet had a daughter and a son.
This is why the prophet Hosea begins his book in an allegorical way, relating how God felt rejected by his beloved, Israel, who, as a woman of dubious morals, went to other lovers, that is, she worshipped other gods, the Baals. This is why the prophet concluded his accusation by saying that God would hold Israel accountable for every act of idolatry with these words: "I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked" Hosea 2:17. For Hosea, the idolatry of Israel, in particular the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, was clearly a form of infidelity to the God of Moses and Abraham.
But then the Book shifts its focus and reveals a merciful God willing to reclaim his beloved Israel, and it is here that Hosea entered the realm of prophecy. The prophet spoke of a new covenant that would take on universal dimensions (Hosea 2:18). It may be that here the prophet was referring to the new covenant made with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but this is one interpretation; Hosea's words are so general that they admit many interpretations. But one thing is certain: Hosea spoke of a time when men would live in God's love, and wisdom and men's inclination to error would have ceased, and he did so with these words: "I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the LORD" Hosea 2:19-20. Maybe, Hosea here was referring also to times that have not yet been fulfilled, but that must be fulfilled with the arrival of an apocalypse or a possible end of times.
Hosea's words have had a profound echo in the Christian faith, and his prophecies, more than two thousand years later, continue to amaze the readers of the Bible.

For more information, check out my profile, follow the link, and download my ebook.