Today we look at the rather confronting words of God in Hosea 1:2-10.  A command to marry someone of a ‘harlotess’ nature, and name the resulting children respectively after a place of bloodshed (‘Jezreel’ -see 1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 9), ’no mercy’ and ’not my people’.   I encourage you to read the text before the sermon.  Ask why God needed to make his point to Israel in this way.  What point is he making to you in your life this day?  Where is Christ in this text?