In the book of Hosea, God calls the young man, Hosea, to be his prophet — telling him to marry a prostitute, (see “Hosea Shows Us God’s Unconditional Love”). This is one of God’s most scandalous directives.
What is intriguing is that God does not indicate which prostitute. The choice is left to Hosea! While he could have opted for the first one he saw, picked one at random, or altruistically selected the one who was most needy or deserving of being rescued, I suspect he did none of those.
Remember, Hosea is a guy; he most likely chose the most attractive, most alluring prostitute! If that is correct, the story becomes even more shocking.
But God does give us choices. When God tells us to do something, either through the Bible or the Holy Spirit, it is usually in bold strokes; he gives the big picture, such as feed the poor, care for the sick, or take care of orphans and widows. The details are left to us.
We determine how we comply. We can factor in our personality, our resources, our preferences, and, yes, even our passions in determining how we do what God tells us.
[See Hosea 1:2-3.]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
