The Lord said to me again, ‘Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine. And I said to her, ‘You must remain as mine for many days; you shall not play the whore, you shall not have intercourse with a man, nor I with you.’ For the Israelites shall remain many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterwards the Israelites shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; they shall come in awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3: 1-5)

Hosea is instructed to love Gomer. But he will not have sexual relations with her. This is a love - 'ahab - that is especially restrained.

It is an analogy for the relationship between the Israelites and God.

God does and will continue to love the Israelites. But certain gifts of love will be withdrawn until an authentic love for God has been renewed.

Love without sex is complicated, even more complicated than sex without love.

Sex can be a celebration - even a consecration - of human love. But the Israelites have been unfaithful and indiscriminate in their intimacy.

Rather than consecration they chose variation. Instead of love they chose self-indulgence.

Sensuality differs from loving intimacy. The Israelites have developed a fetish for raisin cakes. God seeks to replace the fetish with the wholeness of reciprocal affection and relationship.

Above is Intimacy by Vlad Gansovsky