What is a difficult verse for you to fully understand?

I've never understood Hosea!

The entire story is completely against God's own commandments, to get a harlot for a wife, yet God commands that particular thing from Hosea.

That has always thrown me off, i've read commentaries on it and some like John Gill suggest its merely an allegory, but i dont know, the language seems too literal and precise to be taken as an allegory.

I knew they were Cherubims/Seraphims of some sort with their wings and all ministering near the Throne, but it was the imagery of wheels within wheels etc. that was throwing me for a loop.

i have not read Gill, but i believe Hosea literally did these things after being literally commanded to - and they were for a sign to Israel, and for us to read of, too, being an allegory of God 'marrying' the 'harlot' Israel

it's not actually forbidden in the law to marry a prostitute, AFAIK...?

it's not actually forbidden in the law to marry a prostitute, AFAIK...?

It is for priests, and all Christians are within a Royal Priesthood.

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. (Lev 21:7)

But seriously Nehemiah: What is your take on the Hosea incident then? Why did God ask him to do it?

“JESUS’ TRUE FAMILY - Matthew 12

46 While He (Christ) yet talked to the people (concerns the terrible Word He has just delivered concerning Israel’s present and future state), behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him (Jesus was probably in a particular house, with it being filled with people, with no more room for others to come in, hence His family not able to get to Him; their desire to speak with Him was not in a positive sense).

47 Then one said unto Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brethren stand without, desiring to speak with You (they had things to say to Him, but they little desired to hear what He had to say to them; thankfully, that would change after His Death and Resurrection).

48 But He answered and said unto him who told Him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren? (This totally refutes the claims later made by the Catholic Church.)

“49 And He stretched forth His Hand toward His Disciples (refers to the original Twelve, but is not limited to them, as it refers to any and all who follow Him, as the next Passage proclaims), and said, Behold My mother and My brethren!

50 For whosoever (increases the dimensions of His family to include all who follow Him) shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven (proclaims the qualifications for being a part of the Family of God), the same is My brother, and sister, and mother (places no significance on physical birth, but everything on spiritual birth).”

JSM

God used His prophets and their lives to graphically illustrate His relations with Israel. You could almost call it parabolic. And that is what we see in Hosea.

Sometimes the prophets had to do some very degrading things to show Israel how they had sinned against God. See Isaiah and Jeremiah. We know from the histories of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel that the Jews had gone into serious idolatry. And idolatry was spiritual whoredom -- "for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD" (1:2)

So the prophet -- through his own marriage and children -- would illustrate to Israel how God had (1) firstly judged Israel for their idolatry and (2) then redeemed Israel in spite of their idolatry. So this was an illustration of the holiness and severity of God as well as His mercy.

The names of Hosea's wife and children signify what God was saying to Israel.

Gomer (from gamar) = to come to an end = Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land

Jezreel = God sows or God will sow = and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Loruhamah = withour compassion = for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

Loammi = for ye are not my people

So Hosea was telling Israel that God would reject Israel and bring severe judgment upon them. At the same time He was telling them that eventually He would redeem a believing remnant, and bring their whoredoms to an end. See Ezekiel.

"I thirst"