Hosea 3 - Love That Redeems
Hosea buys back his unfaithful wife, mirroring God's redeeming love for Israel.
After exposing Israel's unfaithfulness in Hosea 2, this short chapter has Hosea buy back his own wife for fifteen pieces of silver and a measure of barley.
And the Lord said to me, Give your love again to a woman who has a lover and is false to her husband, even as the Lord has love for the children of Israel, though they are turned to other gods and are lovers of grape-cakes.
So I got her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley;
And I said to her, You are to be mine for a long space of time; you are not to be false to me, and no other man is to have you for his wife; and so will I be to you.
For the children of Israel will for a long time be without king and without ruler, without offerings and without pillars, and without ephod or images.
And after that, the children of Israel will come back and go in search of the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come in fear to the Lord and to his mercies in the days to come.