Hosea

Book excerpt: Uncovers the personal, deeply emotional nature of God's love We're all familiar with heartbreak. We know what it's like to be betrayed by someone we love. What we often forget--or may not even realize--is that God can relate to those feelings. Every time we betray Him, He endures intense heartbreak. Only in God's case, He doesn't act on paranoia, distrust, or smothering possessiveness, but rather a righteous jealousy, borne of our duty to reserve our highest devotion for Him alone. With her newest Bible study, Sue Edwards dives into Hosea's story. This prophet's life is a stunning illustration of how God's fierce love for us can manifest wonders. In Hosea's time, the nation of Israel needed that lesson--and God used the prophet as a teaching tool. This gifted preacher was commanded by God to marry a prostitute named Gomer, and to return to her again and again after she betrayed him in the most public ways. Hosea's fascinating story and sermons will revolutionize every reader's perspective on life's circumstances. His example shows how God sometimes responds to our betrayal with tough love that reorients our focus and wakes us up to return to intimate fellowship with Him. But even as Hosea's marriage demonstrates that the tough love of our heavenly Father can be grueling, it is always in our best interest--and it isn't His final move. Dig into Hosea and discover the truth of God's ferocious love and merciful purposes.