NOTES for Hos 2:20
In the yahviste, and later Jewish tradition, the relationship between God and the people of God were rather often likened to the family, conjugal relationship. At first sight such an approach can seem too free, almost without respect: as if we reduce God to the human level, almost at the level of the everyday life. But if we think about it, it is in particular only how we can keep the union-covenant concluded on Sinai. Indeed, the relationships between God and an individual, quite as between God and the people of God, can be complete only in case they will be informal and unconditional. Certainly, in the conjugal relationships there is a place for the legal formalities, marriage contracts are also known of antique Israel.
But, as is known, marriage contract is all the same concluded rather in the case of the regulation of the patrimonial formalities and the other legal formalities in case of divorce. When the relationships between the spouses in the marriage are normal, it comes to the head of nobody to ask one or the other the observation of a certain contract: everything is solved by love and mutual consent. The same applies to the union between God and His people, which spreads on everyone, who is part of these people: the Decalogue is of course the condition of the union, the conscious violation of any commandment of the Ten Commandments means its break.
But the Decalogue is not just a moral code, it is the description of the way leading to God or (in case of the violation of commandments contain therein) leading away from God. And as the Torah in general, it becomes actual, as says the apostle Paul, in particular when man sins, goes away from God, breaks the relationships with Him. According to the words of the apostle, by the Torah is the knowledge of sin. Thus it turns out that in the relationships between God and man, the law becomes actual when everything goes to the break of the relationships. When the relationships are normal, the Torah turns out inside organic to man, is not perceived as something limiting man from the outside.
And Hosea speaks about these relationships between God and His people, which remind the relationships inside a solid family, not requiring formal regulations. In this, by the way, was for the people the only chance to salvation, for God to accept them: because the union-covenant, if we speak about the period of Hosea, was already violated more than once, and now only remained to hope that God will forgive His people, quite as forgives the husband who loves the unfaithful woman, without divorcing with her, although he has for divorce all rights and all the reasons.
But forgiveness is possible only in case the relationships of the people with God will be renewed and will find a new spiritual quality. Just going back, in what was before, is also impossible, as it is impossible to glue the shards of the broken dishes. And in this hope there is already a presentiment of the Kingdom: because entering the Kingdom, man doesn’t return to the state that was proper to him before the fall, but obtain something new and bigger. Obtain the fullness of life, surpassing any sin committed before.