Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

-Genesis 22:2, NIV

Is this advice all godly parents ought to follow, literally?

No.

I raise this absurd example to highlight how foolish it is to utilize some texts in the Bible as normative. They can even be passages teaching us about God’s relationship with us.

This example is about Abraham sacrificing his son as God, the Father, does Jesus.

Spoiler Alert:

God spares Isaac from a death by his father, Abraham.

That said, can you think of examples some Christians use as normative for faithful spouses? I immediately think of how the book of Hosea is used.

This Old Testament book is based on God telling the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, and redeem her even after she runs back to her life of ill-repute. It is allegory about how God responds to His people’s infidelity. God remains faithful and pursues His unfaithful people.

Does this then mean faithful spouse’s ought to pursue their cheater?

No. That is to commit the error highlighted at the start of this post. The prophetic act is limited to the prophet to whom it was given.

God does not demand of us to sacrifice our only child any more than He is ordering a faithful spouse to continue pursuing a cheater enduring their adulterous abuse. 

 But, Pastor David, this is about God and His Bride? Okay. Then you have to follow the full story.

I want every pastor who preaches this demand on the faithful spouse to show me where they tell their single people to find the most promiscuous partner possible to marry.

Also, when did the faithful spouse consent to such a relationship as Hosea did from the outset? That is part of the story, too.

Beware of poor biblical applications.

Don’t sacrifice your child as Abraham was about to do.

AND don’t behave like Hosea forever pursuing an abusive, adulterous spouse.