Hosea 1-4 captures Israel's unfaithfulness to serve the one true living God yet it also captures the redemptive quality of grace as God is found restoring his adulterous people. God uses the prophet Hosea to paint a picture of the spiritual adultery that was occuring between God and his people. Even the three children Hosea has with his unfaithful wife, Gomer, are given names that represent the unfaithfulness between God and Israel. Many today question the fact that God would literally call Hosea to marry a harlot or a prostitute such as Gomer. So there have been many interpretations of this account which include that of an allegorical or visionary nature. There are even some people who believe Gomer was a concubine or a cult prostitute. The important idea to take away from this passage is that our sin hurts God, yet Christ's faithfulness as a husband to the church (Ephesians 5:22-33) is what allows both your and my sins to be forgiven on a daily basis. If you think about it, we are all guilty of spiritual adultery. Take some time to thank God that He does not leave us every time we fail.
Revelation 1 begins by saying that those who read it are blessed (v. 3) and that it was written to show God's people what is to take place in the future (v. 1). This book makes it possible to expose the future because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ (v.1), the One "who is, who was, and who is to come" (v.4, 8). Jesus is the beginning and the end (v. 8) and John beholds a vision of Christ that I do not think you or I will ever be graced to see on this present earth (v. 9 -20). Does knowing that Jesus knows all that has happened or will ever happen in your life make you more trusting of Him?
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