If we ever wanted to know what the love of God looks like, we can always refer to the book of Hosea. God used Hosea and his marriage to Gomer as a perfect example of how He loves us, even in our mess.
Hosea 1:2
When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”
God gives Hosea specific instructions, He tells Him to go and marry a prostitute. You read right, God told Him to marry a prostitute. Someone He knew could not be faithful. Someone who would run off with other men, and sell her body to them, even though she had a husband at home that would not make her pay for it. She had someone at home who would love her for everything she is and not use her for everything she has. But the twist in this, is that Gomer represents Israel, and Hosea represents Him. How Israel turned to other gods so often, and could not remain faithful. But God has always been there, He does not stop loving them. And to take that a bit further, we are Gomer, we are the ones that cannot stay faithful.
Hosea was in for a world of pain and heartbreak when he married Gomer. He was marrying someone who could not love Him in the way he loved her. She was too occupied with her life, too occupied with the lifestyle she was leading before she met Hosea. Hosea had to deal with the fact that His wife was not only out there sleeping with other men but she was somewhere sleeping with other men, for money. Hosea knew that she was worth so much more, but Gomer didn’t know her worth. That must have been heartbreaking. I wonder how he felt, having to go get his wife from those forbidden places where she was being used by so many different men.
This is what we do to God when we choose to sin, when we choose to be unfaithful or live a life outside of His will. We are allowing our spirit to be used and corrupted by so many different things and God has to come and clean us off every time. He does it because His love for us is so strong. God loves us so much and that will never change, but can we imagine how heartbroken He is when we decide to turn away from Him. We may not be a prostitute, like Gomer, but we all have our form of prostitution. When we knowingly engage in sin, we are being unfaithful to God. When we walk away from Him and His word, we are breaking His heart. God knows our worth in the same way Hosea knew Gomer’s worth. How heartbreaking it must be for Him to watch us throw away our potential, and walk around as if we are worthless.
Hosea 3: 1-2
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.” So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.
The most beautiful part about it all is that God can be angry at us, but He will always look at us and say, “But I love you.” He loves us so much.
God tells Hosea to go love His unfaithful wife. Go find her eventhough she is committing adultery with another man, love her. God doesn’t say leave her, He says love her. And it will be a symbol of how he stills loves israel even though they have turned to different gods. God is not into giving up on His people, even when we deserve to be left out in the desert. He says I will never leave you but I will forever love you.
Hosea then goes and buys his own wife. He goes down to the place where a man of God should not have been. Hosea was a prophet, and the place where Gomer was, was not a place a prophet should be. He had to go to some pretty low and dirty place to get his wife back, and not only that, he had to pay for her. His own wife, he had to pay for to release her from the hands of the men who only wanted her for sex.
God did the same thing for us, when we are in the unclean and dirty places. He will walk that path to find us and bring us home. Not only will He do that but He was and is willing to pay the price to cut the ties. He paid the price so that we would not be bound by where we once were. God sent His son, He sent Jesus down into these places of sin so that we could be delivered. Jesus came and found us, and paid the highest price for our soul, His life, He gave his life for us.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.
God loves us so much that He sent His son in pursuit of our hearts. The very hearts that turned away from Him, He came seeking them. Jesus walked in places the religious people refused to go, but one of His own was in that dark place. Hosea went down to that place because his wife was down there and He had to go get her. Jesus ate with sinners, and walked into the homes of sinners, but there was a soul that needed to be saved.
Reflection
- Can you recall a time in your life where you have been like Gomer?
Prayer Time
Allow you answer to the above question guide your prayer. Take to time today to reflect on the passages today, and read through the full chapters. If there is anything in you that is causing you to turn away from God, bring it to Him. Confess, and repent and allow God to give you a new heart. Talk to God today, whatever it may be talk to Him. this is between you and God, no one else, let Him work on you.
I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 113!
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