We've reached the end of our love story. Was Hosea's marriage to Gomer ever fully restored? The prophet doesn't tell us. What we do know is that the greater love story that Hosea's marriage was supposed to reflect still goes on, for the God of Israel is the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, and He is determined to have a people for himself, whatever they've done.

Listen to His appeal: ″Return, Israel, to the LORD your God″ (Hosea 14:1), and hear His promise to those who come: ″I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them″ (v. 4). God is determined to love His people and if they're incapable of remaining faithful, His strength will supply their weakness. He ″will heal their waywardness″.

God's love will be the key to Israel finding new life. Like the dew, it will refresh them and enable them to blossom (v. 5). The nation, now broken, will once again stand tall (v. 6) and will prosper (v. 7) under God's care: ″your fruitfulness comes from me″ (v. 8).

However, after the Assyrian invasion, Israel was no more. Judah survived for a bit longer, but was later conquered by the Babylonians. Eventually, some survivors came back and resettled, but the nation was a shadow of what it had once been. Yet, the faithful clung to verses like these, believing that God's promises would come true one day.

And they did. In Jesus, God himself burst onto the scene and promised life in all its fullness for Israel and Judah, for Jew and Gentile. Life would come, but only as Jesus embraced death and turned the anger of God away from us. Three days later, when Jesus shattered the barrier of death and rose from the dead, He proved that nothing is as unconquerable as God's love. When He promises, ″[I will] love them freely″ (v. 4), He means it, whatever the cost.

Hosea ends with a postscript in verse 9. He doesn't want any of his words to go to waste. Therefore, be wise before God and be determined to act on what you've learned.

Heavenly Father, thank you for all that Hosea has taught me about your persistent, all-conquering, ″never giving up″ love. I know that love was costly. Help me to love you truly. For Jesus' sake, amen.