Marriages are easy to break; mending them is difficult, especially when adultery is involved. Chapter 3 tells the story of how Hosea has to learn to love his wife again, despite her unfaithfulness.

Hosea is told by God to ″Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress″ (Hosea 3:1). Notice that:

• Hosea is to ″go″. He must take the initiative and make the first move, even though he is the wronged party.
• Hosea is to go ″again″. Despite Gomer's infidelities and constant extramarital affairs, Hosea must persist in his love towards her. God literally says, ″Love your wife″; it is a command. Perhaps by this stage Hosea no longer feels any love for her, but reconciling love is a love that goes again and again, in spite of feelings.
• Hosea is to love Gomer even though she doesn't love him. Look at the second part of verse 1: ″Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes″. God knows they don't love Him. He knows they prefer the other gods and the little delicacies (the raisin cakes) they eat at the festivals to Baal.

Moreover, Hosea has to buy his own wife back. ″So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley″ (Hosea 2:2). It looks like Gomer had run up debts and was forced to sell herself into slavery. Hosea swallows his injured pride, pays the debts, and opens his arms to Gomer again. Love pays the price.

Hosea's love for Gomer is a reflection of God's astonishing love for you and me. God has taken the initiative to seek out and save us. He offers forgiveness despite our unfaithfulness, and He paid a huge cost to redeem us even though He knows how fickle our love for Him is.

The apostle Peter writes: ″For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect″ (1 Peter 1:18-19). God knows forgiveness is never cheap. If He is ever to have us as His people, He has to pay the price. Thank God, He has.

Thank you, dear Father, that we were not redeemed with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Help us to see that cost and to be ever thankful, amen.