Amazing Love from Time with God
Israels Wandering Eye
Have you ever considered the book of Hosea? While spending time with God a person has to realize this is not just a story about a prophet of God; it’s also a story of Jesus and the relationship between God and his people.
It is always best to honor your spouse and love them faithfully; however, what should a person do if they don’t do the same in return? While reading through the book of Hosea, we not only catch a glimpse of how we should love our spouse but more importantly how deeply God loves us.
Complacency
Hosea is a prophet chosen by God to deliver a message of repentance to Israel. The people, however, didn’t listen. During that time it seemed that all was well on the outside, but inside the people had become corrupt and complacent about God’s covenant with Israel. The people were financially prosperous; enemies were not threatening their borders. Peace existed throughout the land.
The people had strayed from God’s word, this peace with other lands led to complacency about God’s law; they had started practicing pagan rituals and began to give pagan gods credit for their success instead of the God of Israel. The people had broken their vow with God.
God’s Instruction
Hosea’s was instructed early in his ministry to take a woman of harlotry as a wife.
A Broken Heart
Let’s take a moment and talk about Hosea’s wife, Gomer. A beautiful woman with a wandering eye. The culture of the day Jewish law allowed a man to divorce a woman of such behavior. Although this is not clearly stated in the Bible, I am almost convinced that her actions hurt Hosea’s credibility with his ministry. Hosea was, however, true to God and faithful to Gomer, and he loved and honored her no matter what, just as God commanded.
Gomer’s adulterous behavior didn’t stop. Eventually, she left Hosea for a man with more money, a man who most likely promised her things, trinkets, social status as long as she pleased him.
Gomer broke Hosea’s heart. Hurt, alone, rejected and possibly wondering why God would put a faithful servant through such personal pain. There was even doubt that any of Hosea’s children were his children. The fact that Hosea cared for these children even though they may not have been his was a foreshadow of how Jesus would love all nations Jew and Gentile alike and adopt them as his own granting them grace and acceptance into God’s family.
Never Leave Never Forsake
Gomer was hurting Hosea just as the Israeli people were hurting God. The covenant made by Isreal in the time of Moses is held very near to God’s heart. The Israeli people had broken that covenant, but God’s mercy is shown in abundance to Isreal in that day and time. Gomer deserves to be stoned to death for adultery or at least divorced from Hosea. Israel deserved great punishment as well, but God said He would never leave you nor forsake you, and He didn’t.
Stripped Away
Gomer’s ability to hold her lover’s eye faded quickly. She put her trust and faith in shallow promises and shiny trinkets. False love failed her. She was to be sold as a slave: a harlot, a used woman of no value. In the end, her actions only gave her pain and loss; all she was given was stripped away, including her dignity.
Isreal also lost everything they had when the Assyrians invaded and destroyed their land as well. Israel was in an adulterous relationship with other gods of no value. Their people were also sold as slaves.
Gomer was to Hosea as Israel was to God
Israel put their faith in false gods and paid a very dear price.
Wait! But what about the promise!? “I will never leave nor forsake you.”
Redemption
God spoke again to Hosea and instructed him to “redeem” Gomer, to pay the price for his wife. The woman he loved deeply. I don’t know if I could have done this. She broke his trust along with every marriage vow but forgiveness wasn’t meant to be easy and it’s not for the weak.
Hosea was not a rich man. He paid fifteen shekels of silver and one and a half homers of barley for Gomer, virtually everything he had. A very expensive price to pay for an adulterous woman unworthy of such a price.
God paid a tremendous price also. He, Jesus Christ redeemed us all for our sin by enduring the humiliation, the torture, the degradation, the pain and His Earthly death on the cross. All for our unworthy souls. Every single one of us has fallen short of the glory of God, and the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the price; He paid all He had on this Earth; His Life.
Jesus is to us as Hosea is to Gomer
Amazing
This chapter is not about a “Doom and Gloom” prophesy. It is about the most amazing love shown by our Lord in Heaven. He gave His only Son on the cross to pay the debt of sin we committed.
Gomer was unworthy of the price Hosea paid.
We are unworthy of the price Jesus paid.
But He paid the price anyway because He loves us. Love Him back. Believe in God. Believe in the Risen Son of God. Grow your faith and be saved from condemnation and the slavery of Hell. God Bless, Amen
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God’s Amazing Love – Time with Hosea and Jesus
Amazing Love from Time with God
Israels Wandering Eye
Have you ever considered the book of Hosea? While spending time with God a person has to realize this is not just a story about a prophet of God; it’s also a story of Jesus and the relationship between God and his people.
It is always best to honor your spouse and love them faithfully; however, what should a person do if they don’t do the same in return? While reading through the book of Hosea, we not only catch a glimpse of how we should love our spouse but more importantly how deeply God loves us.
Complacency
Hosea is a prophet chosen by God to deliver a message of repentance to Israel. The people, however, didn’t listen. During that time it seemed that all was well on the outside, but inside the people had become corrupt and complacent about God’s covenant with Israel. The people were financially prosperous; enemies were not threatening their borders. Peace existed throughout the land.
The people had strayed from God’s word, this peace with other lands led to complacency about God’s law; they had started practicing pagan rituals and began to give pagan gods credit for their success instead of the God of Israel. The people had broken their vow with God.
God’s Instruction
Hosea’s was instructed early in his ministry to take a woman of harlotry as a wife.
A Broken Heart
Let’s take a moment and talk about Hosea’s wife, Gomer. A beautiful woman with a wandering eye. The culture of the day Jewish law allowed a man to divorce a woman of such behavior. Although this is not clearly stated in the Bible, I am almost convinced that her actions hurt Hosea’s credibility with his ministry. Hosea was, however, true to God and faithful to Gomer, and he loved and honored her no matter what, just as God commanded.
Gomer’s adulterous behavior didn’t stop. Eventually, she left Hosea for a man with more money, a man who most likely promised her things, trinkets, social status as long as she pleased him.
Gomer broke Hosea’s heart. Hurt, alone, rejected and possibly wondering why God would put a faithful servant through such personal pain. There was even doubt that any of Hosea’s children were his children. The fact that Hosea cared for these children even though they may not have been his was a foreshadow of how Jesus would love all nations Jew and Gentile alike and adopt them as his own granting them grace and acceptance into God’s family.
Never Leave Never Forsake
Gomer was hurting Hosea just as the Israeli people were hurting God. The covenant made by Isreal in the time of Moses is held very near to God’s heart. The Israeli people had broken that covenant, but God’s mercy is shown in abundance to Isreal in that day and time. Gomer deserves to be stoned to death for adultery or at least divorced from Hosea. Israel deserved great punishment as well, but God said He would never leave you nor forsake you, and He didn’t.
Stripped Away
Gomer’s ability to hold her lover’s eye faded quickly. She put her trust and faith in shallow promises and shiny trinkets. False love failed her. She was to be sold as a slave: a harlot, a used woman of no value. In the end, her actions only gave her pain and loss; all she was given was stripped away, including her dignity.
Isreal also lost everything they had when the Assyrians invaded and destroyed their land as well. Israel was in an adulterous relationship with other gods of no value. Their people were also sold as slaves.
Gomer was to Hosea as Israel was to God
Israel put their faith in false gods and paid a very dear price.
Wait! But what about the promise!? “I will never leave nor forsake you.”
Redemption
God spoke again to Hosea and instructed him to “redeem” Gomer, to pay the price for his wife. The woman he loved deeply. I don’t know if I could have done this. She broke his trust along with every marriage vow but forgiveness wasn’t meant to be easy and it’s not for the weak.
Hosea was not a rich man. He paid fifteen shekels of silver and one and a half homers of barley for Gomer, virtually everything he had. A very expensive price to pay for an adulterous woman unworthy of such a price.
God paid a tremendous price also. He, Jesus Christ redeemed us all for our sin by enduring the humiliation, the torture, the degradation, the pain and His Earthly death on the cross. All for our unworthy souls. Every single one of us has fallen short of the glory of God, and the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the price; He paid all He had on this Earth; His Life.
Jesus is to us as Hosea is to Gomer
Amazing
This chapter is not about a “Doom and Gloom” prophesy. It is about the most amazing love shown by our Lord in Heaven. He gave His only Son on the cross to pay the debt of sin we committed.
Gomer was unworthy of the price Hosea paid.
We are unworthy of the price Jesus paid.
But He paid the price anyway because He loves us. Love Him back. Believe in God. Believe in the Risen Son of God. Grow your faith and be saved from condemnation and the slavery of Hell. God Bless, Amen
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