October 4 Daily Devotional

God's Prophet Marries a Harlot

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

Hosea 1:

¹The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
²The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
³So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
⁴And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
⁵And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.
⁶And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
⁷But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
⁸Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
⁹Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
¹⁰Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
¹¹Then 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: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Devotional:

The book of Hosea, like the Song of Solomon, is a source of embarrassment to some of God's people. Elsewhere in Scripture we read, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery ... Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery' (Matthew 5:27,32). But in this book God actually commands His prophet Hosea to take for his wife a harlot! What are we to think about that?

Some would solve the problem by claiming that this was a dream or vision that Hosea had. They cannot accept it as a completely factual or historical account. But the straightforward way in which it is written makes that position untenable. It is very difficult to avoid the force of the facts as they come to us here.

Does this book not demonstrate again in a most effective manner God's use of imagery to teach sinful, ignorant human beings His truth? Here in the life story of one of His own prophets He demonstrates the high regard He has for marriage and His abhorrence of adultery. He is pre-eminently revealing to men then and now the Eternal Bridegroom who is so patient with His bride, even when she has played the harlot and departed from Him in unbelief.

'And I will betroth you to me for ever; Yea, I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord' (Hosea 2:19,20 NASB).

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.