3:3
This welcoming back of the wayward wife had obligations for her. She was to be faithful to her husband, and he would be faithful to her. In the same way, we are to trust only in God. Being “intimate” is equivalent to putting our faith in something. Trusting God is the most intimate thing that we can do. On the negative side, whenever we put our trust in something else it is a serious offence to God. However, let’s focus on the positive side. There is nothing that bring us closer to God, that brings us closer to His heart than our trusting in Him. There are times in life when trusting God is all we can do. We tend not to like those times, for it usually means that we are in deep trouble. But those are also the times when we can get to know God in a deeper way than ever before.
3:4,5
Hosea was going through this situation so as to imprint upon him the heart of God. God now reveals something of how this would work out for the nation as a whole. She would be stripped of everything, so she would not be able to rely on these idols. In practical terms this meant the Assyrian invasion for the northern kingdom, and the Babylonian conquest for Judah. So there would be a time of devastation. But afterwards she would return and seek the Lord. It says this will happen in the last days, and Romans 9-11, especially chapter 11, shed light on this. We should expect to see Israel put their faith in Christ in the last days.
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