Probably the most compelling story for me, found in the Old Testament: the story of Hosea and Gomer. A tale of relentless love. Redemptive love. An aching, suffering, enduring, and one-sided love. Illustrative of God’s love for a wandering Israel, Hosea marries a woman of ill repute who will go on to put both of them through immense pain. It’s by far one of the most poignant stories in the Bible. What I find particularly compelling and interesting about the theme is in its contrast to the New Testament theme of being “equally yoked.”
This relationship of turmoil was about as "unequally
yoked" as it gets, but in its establishment, ordained by God, it happens
to serve a point, exposing how real love goes through great and painful
lengths to express itself. When you think of him, and the suffering he
went through, the last words that come to mind are “self-righteous”. His
character, and the story - reveal the ultimate expression of mercy.
Thematically, there are ties to the story of the Prodigal Son, although
the relationship here is different. Interestingly, later on, Jesus
references Hosea when he speaks about desiring mercy, not sacrifice. A
beautiful rendition of the story here.
