God's Bride

Understanding the key application from Hosea 2, 3 and 4 will change your life. The parallel application for the church and members in the church is crucial!

Mother presents the nation of Israel. The children represent individuals in that nation.


The mothers lovers are the idols of Baal, which Israel turned to worship.
Temple was down in Jerusalem. There was a political division that lasted for a few hundred years.
Temptation to abandon the law of Moses was driven by cultural offers of prosperity.

The Israelites were in conflict with a religion that taught you must go to the top of nearby hills to sacrifice to the idols there
because they could influence your harvests and enable you to do well. These idol centers had sexual rituals that required
the attender to hire a prostitute. They taught that the sexual act and the sacrifice induced the local gods to bless the lives and the farms of
Isrealites. The implication was that the God of Moses was far off, managing the larger affairs of the world and was not involved in the daily lives
of the Israelites. After all His Temple was far away, and the idol centers were right there.


1) Hosea 2:2 "Plead with your mother, plead-- for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband-- that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts;

What this is a reference to is Israel, the nation as a whole, has embraced what God considers adultery. It is adultery when a spouse cheats on their spouse with another person. Israel was 'married to God' in the covenant of Sinai.

ESV Hosea 2:5 For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'

Israel pursued idols because they believed they would bring them prosperity.

Yet God had promised prosperity for Israel if they remained faithful to Him and abandoned these idols.

ESV Deuteronomy 29:9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

The analogy of a human marriage: Prophetic symbolism acted out.

Again human marriage is meant to be a reflection of God and his bride. Here God teaches Israel how she should behave religiously.

Note the emotions of God. His love. His fire and desire for Israel.

ESV Hosea 3:1 ¶ And the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, "You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you." 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.

The three charges against the nation!


1) No faithfulness
2) No love
3) No acknowledgement of the true living God

These are absent and instead ther eis cursing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery, with boundaries broken on every level and bloodshed upon bloodshed. The environment is damaged! (Mankind is charged with managing the earth well).

Unholy exchange (Hosea 4:7 echoes in Romans 1:26-32 26 ¶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 ¶ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.


ESV Hosea 4:9 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. 12 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.

ESV Hosea 4:9 And it shall be like people, like priest;

Often people receive a spiritual leader which they deserve. Spiritual leaders who are not strongly in love with God become like the people they lead, rather than leading the people to become like them.

vs. 9 I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
God here is not mean spirited, but is intending to illuminate the hearts of His people, because their sins lead to corruption.

10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding.

The Israelites think that idols will give them satisfaction, life and insight on what they should do. Yet God demonstrates He is involved in their lives, but blocking these things from them.

Whoredom is the worship of idols. But 'who are you to say that another culture is wrong?' This is a great question. IF it is the voice of human beings in their own wisdom, then we may not have a case. However, if the God of Israel is actually who the Bible claims that He is, then we have a case.

See Hosea 2:6 ESV Hosea 2:6 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.


vs 4:12 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.

There are two dynamics going on with idol worship.

1) The idols are just pieces of wood. Walking staffs, sticks for divination, carved idols, none of these things can bring life to people. They literally have turned from the Creator, to created things.

2) There are spirits that use deception to destroy people. Not every spirit that is in the world is good. There are two kingdoms spiritually. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. This is NOT the same thing as the two powers of the 'force' in star wars. The Kingdom of God is not on the same level as the kingom of Satan. God's Kingdom will ultimately triumph over all of Satan's Kingdom. Yet there is great power in the kingdom of darkness, and people who give themselves to the ways of that kingdom can become trapped by it's power. Adultery is one of those powers. A spirit of adultery coupled with a spirit of prostitution leads to spiritual bondage. It blinds the eyes of people and darkens their understanding spiritually.

The idea of a spirit of whoredom could refer to an atmosphere where going to a religious prostitute to gain prosperity for ones crops was considered a fun time. But I believe this refers to a spiritual power that actually exists in the spirit realm. Paul discusses these powers in Ephesians 6.10-20.

ESV Ephesians 6:10 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.



3) Application

Christ is the husband. The church is the bride. We individually are the children. Religions that contradict the gospel of Christ and His exclusive claim for us, these religions are adulterous. He is NOT talking about the distinctions within legitimate Christian movements here. For example, the distinctions we make between Vineyard and Assemblies of God, or Baptists and Christian Churches. We are talking about the distinctions between Islam and real Christianity. The distinction between Christians and Hindus, Buddhists, and even between Christians who are pluralists. In reality pluralistic Christians have abandoned Christianity and embraced everything.

Please note that the children were called to 'plead' with Israel, not to brow beat Israel. The approach so many take is unloving. We are called to lovingly invite people from Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, pluralistic Christianity, and other religions, to turn away from their false religions and to put their trust in Jesus Christ alone.

ESV Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 5 ¶ And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." 9 ¶ Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."

Application KEY

Therefore, we ought to see that the Church is Christ's bride. We the congregation are lovingly viewed by Christ. We ought to be faithful to Him-not engaging in any other religions outside of Christianity, full of love in all of our relationships and towards Christ most of all, filled with the knowledge of
the cross, Christ Jesus Himself! So fix your attention fully on Christ who is our Lord, our life and the Lord of life!

See the Christ as our bridegroom!