I’m not much of a sports fan these days, although I used to be. I just don’t seem to have the time to stay engaged these days, so my interest in sports has dropped significantly. Not all the way, but still pretty far. The baseball team I root for doesn’t help things either. I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1970s and 1980s. So I was, and am, a Baltimore Orioles fan. Some would say that the 1960s were the heyday baseball in Baltimore. While that may be true, the 1970s into the early 1980s wasn’t that bad of a time either. The team was good, very good, back then, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1979 World Series before taking the title in 1983. The team was good and the players were good. Even the manager was fun to follow. But then, in the mid 80s, things took a turn for the worse. And it got bad, really bad. With a few years of reprieve (1989, 1992, 1996, and 1997), the team became one of the worst in baseball, even opening the 1988 season 0-21, before a turnaround earlier this decade that once again faltered. The Orioles are once again the laughingstock of baseball. Why do I share this? While it is rather cathartic, to talk about bandwagon fans. If you are not into sports, that term might be foreign to you. Basically, a bandwagon fan is one that jumps on, or off, the team bandwagon when it either is doing well or not so well. When the going gets tough, bandwagon fans get lost. When the going gets good, bandwagon fans cannot run fast enough to jump onboard. Most sports fans, especially long-suffering ones who have remained loyal to their teams, aren’t that keen on bandwagon fans. Their lack of loyalty is troubling. And that is the takeaway I want you to grasp—even if your eyes have glazed over reading about sports to this point. Even in an area as eternally unimportant as sports, people have this innate sense of recognizing the morality of loyalty—to faithfulness.

A Faithful Husband to an Unfaithful Wife

The plot of the Book of Hosea is summarized at the very start of the book:

2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him:

Go and marry a woman of promiscuity, and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord. (Hosea 1:2 CSB)

Hosea was to marry an unfaithful woman and remain faithful to her as a picture of what was going on between Israel and God. Hosea obeys and marries Gomer, who is unfaithful and leaves Hosea. Then we read one of the clearest pictures of selfless, sacrificial love in the Bible:

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and five bushels of barley. 3 I said to her, “You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.”

4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days. (Hosea 3:1-5 CSB)

Make no mistake of how painful this was for Hosea. While we need to keep this PG or G as we teach our kids, we, as adults, need to ponder this scandalous story fully. Hosea was not a superhero—he was a regular man. Can you imagine the pain it was for him to watch his wife, the woman he loved, be unfaithful? Can you imagine what it was like for God to give him this assignment of loving someone who did not love him back? As a husband, Hosea both encourages and convicts me. My wife loves me (for some mysterious reason), and yet, there are times I fail to love her the way I should. I really wish Hosea had written a marriage book! But, as we know, the Book of Hosea is not ultimately about marriage, it is about God.

A Faithful God to an Unfaithful People

As we have been tracing the big story of Scripture, we have seen God’s people rebel against Him and commit idolatry, often referred to as spiritual adultery, again and again. But we have also seen God extend grace and mercy again and again. God’s people cannot out-sin His grace. Neither can they out-run His grasp. God is relentless. His faithfulness endures. This is what He wanted His people, and us, to see in this book. We see it here, but we also see it through the rest of the book that we cannot cover in this session. Drink this in:

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 Israel called to the Egyptians even as Israel was leaving them. They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the hand, but they never knew that I healed them. 4 I led them with human cords, with ropes of love. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food. 5 Israel will not return to the land of Egypt and Assyria will be his king, because they refused to repent. 6 A sword will whirl through his cities; it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates, because of their schemes. 7 My people are bent on turning from me. Though they call to him on high, he will not exalt them at all. 8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred! 9 I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage. 10 They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. This is the Lord’s declaration.

12 Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones. (Hosea 11:1-12 CSB)

Such love should stir something within us that cries out one thing: “Glorious!” God is glorious. Just as it is natural to praise Hosea, not Gomer, it is absurd to praise ourselves—the church—in our relationship with God. All the praise and awe should be directed toward Him—the One who loves the unlovable. It was God’s glory and love that led to Him providing Jesus for us. It was not our glory or love. It was His goodness, not ours. We should never forget this; rather, it should drive us to humility day by day. In Christ we are fully righteous and forgiven. Indeed. But let us never lose sight of the love—God’s, not ours—that led to that transformation.

Jesus will join himself to an unfaithful wife—you and me—and make us his pure bride. He will go to the slave market of sin and buy us back at the cost of his own blood.” — Nancy Guthrie [1] 

Preschool Tip: The subject matter for this story is mature, so be sure to use language that you believe is best for your little ones. We strive to provide preschool-friendly language in the leader guide, but if you feel we have not gone far enough for your preschoolers, change it up for what is appropriate for your context. Kids Tip: This session, like all that concern family, requires us to be extra sensitive. Keep in mind that some of your kids may not see loving marriages between their parents. Many may be in broken homes. Many may see their parents fight all the time. Many might simply see apathy between their parents. If you know, or believe, that this might be a difficult topic, be sure to talk about God’s ideal in marriage with what we might experience. But all the more, get to the purpose of this Book—God’s faithful love for us no matter what. [1] Nancy Guthrie, “How Could God Ask That?” The Gospel Coalition, July 28, 2011, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-couldgod-ask-that. https://vimeo.com/344882743