Hosea and the Mercy of God

In a stunning word picture, Hosea under command of God marries a woman of ill repute in order to give a picture to the people of Israel of their waywardness towards the Lord. Adulterous Israel deserves justice. Yet we find in this remarkable book God appeals to his lost people to return to him and so live. We see the mercy of God triumphing over justice. From this story, we then make the connection to the gospel message and realize that in Christ we too can find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.