One of the most graphic instructions ever given in Scripture is when the Lord told the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute to reflect how God saw the sins of the nation. The people had coupled themselves with anyone or anything to satiate their desires. When Hosea had relations with his wife, an active and practicing prostitute, the Lord instructed Hosea to name each child with names that reflected their spiritual condition.

After the nation had willingly embraced unimagined sins, the Lord offered them restoration. In that desperate moment, after the people had finally come to their senses, they said, “He will bandage our wounds” (Hosea 6:1). 

What the people had forgotten as they embraced their sin was the heart of God. A trust had been broken. In that moment of recognition, the Lord said, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings” (vs. 6). Their restoration was knowing once again God’s pure love. Their restoration was re-establishing their trust in God’s love. 

“But like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust” (vs. 7). From the sin of Eden through all human history, the Lord has desired to redeem fallen people. His redemptive heart would be revealed to the utmost in the sacrifice of His son, Jesus.

The Lord desires faithful spouses.  Walking away from God is always a matter of a broken trust in Him and His love. Restoration is reestablishing that trust and choosing to walk away from those things that have prostituted our love for Him and realizing we have joined ourselves to false lovers.