Asking way too much?

The book of Hosea is astonishing to me. I really don't know what to do with it. In many ways it fits the words of the Great Teacher in answer to the question, "How many times should a person forgive another person?" His answer was 70X7. In Hosea, the analogy is given of a husband having to go get an adulterous wife 3 different times. Most of the book is a tirade of God against the northern kingdom of Israel. It is venomous and talks of how adulterous the chosen people have been against their Maker. However, in 3 sections that aren't really long, God tells how he will take back his chosen people. That's astonishing, and I don't really know what to make of it. Humans don't really work at that level of forgiveness naturally. And, maybe it's a statement just about the Creator and not meant for humans to try to copy. Unless, of course, one couples it with Jesus' words about forgiveness. Then, it's for everybody to do. I'm still pondering the application.