Hosea's marriage is a divinely appointed picture of Israel's unfaithfulness and of her future restoration as the wife of Jehovah.
Les Feldick explains that Hosea was instructed to marry a prostitute and live out the lesson literally. The wife's departure to her lovers pictures Israel chasing after pagan gods, while her return pictures Israel's coming conversion and restoration. God will heal and bind up Israel after His chastening.
Hosea 1:2 — This verse records the divine command for Hosea to marry a woman of whoredoms, the starting point of the marriage object lesson.
Hosea 6:1 — This verse expresses the future restoration promised to Israel after God has torn and smitten them.
Scripture records that the Lord's word came to Hosea saying, “Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms,” because the land had committed great whoredom in departing from the LORD (Hosea 1:2). In the course of the book, Hosea's wife leaves her husband and goes back to her lovers, but at the end she returns to him and becomes the obedient wife and mother of his children. This literal marriage story is the scriptural illustration of Israel's relationship with God. Later, the prophet records Israel's future words: “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1). The verse shows that God's chastening of Israel will be followed by healing and restoration.
Les Feldick teaches that Hosea's marriage is a literal object lesson for the nation of Israel. God instructed Hosea to marry a woman of the street, a prostitute, and to live out this drama literally. The wife's unfaithfulness—leaving her husband to go back to her lovers—pictures Israel chasing after the pagan gods of the Canaanites. By the end of the book, she experiences a genuine conversion of heart and returns as an obedient wife, which pictures Israel's future restoration. Les also draws a clear distinction between Israel and the Church: the Church is the “virgin, pure bride of Christ,” while Israel is the “adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah.” He emphasizes that this is positional language, not bigamy or sexual imagery. He connects Hosea 6:1 to Israel's discipline and future healing, noting that God has torn and smitten Israel for almost two thousand years but will one day bind them up. Paul's quotation of Hosea in Romans 9:25 is also used by Les to show that God knew Israel would be blind to her Messiah.
Les Feldick says the entire account is a picture of the nation of Israel. The woman's unfaithfulness—leaving her husband for other lovers—pictures Israel chasing after the pagan gods of the Canaanites. Her return at the end of the book pictures Israel's future restoration and obedience (Clips 1, 3).
Les draws a contrast: the Church is the “virgin, pure bride of Christ,” while Israel is the “adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah.” He cautions that this is not bigamy or sexual language; it is a positional picture of two different relationships (Clip 3).
Hosea 6:1 records Israel saying, “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” Les explains that God had torn and smitten Israel through discipline and chastening, but the promise is that He will heal and bind them up. This is a future restoration for the nation (Clips 2, 4, 5).
Paul referred to the prophecy of Hosea because God knew Israel would be blind and would not recognize her Messiah. The quotation, “I will call them my people, which were not my people,” was used by Paul in the context of the controversy over his ministry to the Gentiles (Clip 6).
Is It Luck or God? Divine Sovereignty vs. Free Will
Here they have just met, and this servant explains to Isaac how miraculously this whole thing came together. There's no doubt, Isaac, but this is God's choice, for your help me. And so Isaac, of course, had no doubt whatsoever that this indeed was God's choice of a wife for himself.
A Picture of Israel
Les explains that Hosea married a prostitute who left him for other lovers and later returned, and that this entire story is a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to God and her coming restoration.
Promises of Healing
Les reads Hosea 6:1 as a promise that after God tears and smites Israel, He will heal and bind them up, connecting the verse to God's promises through the prophets.
Adulterous Wife vs. Pure Bride
Les contrasts Israel as the adulterous wife of Jehovah with the Church as the pure virgin bride of Christ, and stresses that Hosea was told to literally marry a street woman as an object lesson.
Hosea 6 Applied to Israel
Les points out that the pronouns in Hosea 6:1 refer to the nation of Israel, which has been torn and smitten but will be bound up.
Israel's Future Restoration
Les shows how Hosea 6:1 is prophetically being fulfilled as Israel begins to long for the Messiah and acknowledge their offense; God will heal and bind them up after chastening.
Paul's Use of Hosea
Les notes that Paul quoted the Hosea prophecy because God knew Israel would be blind to her Messiah; the quote speaks of those who were not My people becoming My people.
Abraham’s Test of Faith: Why God Asked for Isaac – Bible Study
And what does the Scripture say? They were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah because Esau had married Canaanite women. So keep all these things in your perspective of Scripture because now, you see, God is preparing everything for the covenant people of Israel, and He's just got them under His thumb. And that's the way I like to look at the nation of Israel today. They're there in unbelief.
Hosea 1:2: The 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.
This is the command that starts the entire marriage object lesson.
Hosea 6:1: Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
This verse expresses the future restoration of Israel after God's chastening.
Romans 9:25: As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
Paul applies the Hosea prophecy to Israel's unbelief and to those who were not God's people.
God used Hosea's literal marriage as an object lesson. Just as Hosea brought a woman of the street into his home, so God had joined Himself to Israel; and just as she went back to her lovers, Israel went after pagan gods. The restored ending pictures Israel's future conversion and return (Clips 1, 3).
No. Les Feldick teaches that the Church is the “virgin, pure bride of Christ” while Israel is the “adulterous, restored wife of Jehovah.” This is not bigamy or sexual language; it is a way of describing two different relationships and positions (Clip 3).
Hosea's wife finally experiences a genuine conversion of heart and comes back to become an obedient wife and mother. That pictures Israel's future restoration when, after being torn and smitten, God will heal and bind them up (Clips 1, 2, 5).
Watch the Teaching: Is It Luck or God? Divine Sovereignty vs. Free Will