Relating to God
Hosea 1:1-1:9
Hosea was a prophet who God called to marry an unfaithful prostitute. God reveals that this will "illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the Lord by worshiping other gods." Hosea's book contrasts idol worship (which applies to letting anything have priority over God) to the relationship God wants with people. This relationship includes intimacy, grace, discipline, freedom, faithfulness, and repentance, which is contrary to the perils that people experience without God.