This one is short and fun. God is basically cutting the people of Israel off for not respecting him. This is a good palette cleanser for whenever you're feeling like, "Man, do these people of Israel really deserve this merciful and just God?" Especially during the time of the Old Testament when it's strictly their God and you often wonder why he chooses them at all. But it's not like he chooses them without strings attached. They have to come to the table themselves or the deal is off.
I love the part where God tells Hosea to take a prostitute wife.
1:2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by forsaking the LORD."
He's sort of mocking them, as if to say, "You know what, just go and do exactly the thing you know you're not supposed to be doing but that I know you're going to do anyway. Yeah, go on ahead and do it."
And then tells him to call his daughter, "Not pitied"
1:6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, "Call her name Not pitied, for I will no more have pity on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.
And then to name his son, "Not my people"
1:8 When she had weaned Not pitied, she conceived and bore a son.
1:9 And the LORD said, "Call his name Not my people, for you are not my people and I am not your God."
I busted out laughing at this part. God keeps it real.