The story of Hosea is a peculiar one. He is asked by God to take for wife a woman who was adulterous and to love her despite her unfaithfulness. Our first reaction is: why would a faithful God ask that of his servant? Doesn’t God promise to prosper us? Then what is it He wants us to learn from this?
God asks Hosea to take in an adulterous woman; He tells him to love her in her unfaithfulness just as God loves Israel despite hers (Hosea 3:1). Israel, which represents believers, has again and again been unfaithful to The Lord her God. Her love for The Lord is like the morning mist that only lasts a few hours then disappears (Hosea 6:4 NIV). The Lord who brought her out of slavery and fed her in the desert (Hosea 13:5, Exodus 20:2). She chose wickedness and idols and things she could make with her own hands, not what The Lord had appointed (Hosea 8:4). Do we not do that every day? Do we not exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve the works of our own hands —schools, jobs, devices and all the things that claim our hearts daily— rather than The Creator, who is forever praised (Romans 1:25 NIV)? Not that these things are bad or unnecessary, but what priority do they hold? We choose to make things of the world the center of our lives, forgetting that the world corrupts us and makes us wicked (1 John 2:15-16). We become arrogant because we think we have it all. We become so arrogant that even in wanting to return to God we rely on things we can do (Hosea 6:6). I can join the choir, I will give tithes, I will preach, but Israel—me and you— fell because she relied on her own strengths and forgot the Lord (Hosea 10:13-14, Hosea 13:6). We think we can hide behind good deeds like Ephraim who thought she could hide behind possession (Hosea 12:8) but no, we cannot hide.
"Israel, which represents believers, has again and again been unfaithful to The Lord her God...Do we not do that every day? Do we not exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve the works of our own hands —schools, jobs, devices and all the things that claim our hearts daily— rather than The Creator, who is forever praised (Roman 1:25 NIV)?
The consequences of our actions follow closely behind us. The wrath and judgement of God is after us for we have forsaken The Lord our God (Hosea 7:13); He who brought us out of slavery, who sacrificed His Son for us, who gave us all that we are and have. Where then shall we flee to? Under which mountains shall we hide? Underneath which hills shall we take refuge (Hosea 10:8, Luke 23:30)? For long has God yearned to save us, yet we did not listen (Hosea 11:2). We chose our own paths, determined to figure things out on our own, and now the consequences are upon us. What then shall save us from the just wrath of God?
Ironically, and mercifully for us, the very same God who stands ready to judge will also be our Savior (Hosea 13:4)! In Hosea 11 we get a glimpse of the boundless and incomparable love and faithfulness God has for us. Love not merely as a verb He performs, but as a steadfast noun that defines His very being. The eleventh chapter opens by recounting how much we have refused God’s call, and how consequences will surely come for us. Then unexpectedly, God says something truly powerful, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? … My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you” (Hosea 11:8-9 NIV). This was not because of anything Israel or Ephraim or me and you did, but because of who God is, incomparable in mercy and love.
What then shall we do in the face of this much love and compassion? Shall we continue in self-destruction? By no means (Romans 6:1-2)! Or shall we instead return to the loving hand extended towards us, the hand of mercy and grace (Romans 2:4)?
In the last chapter of Hosea, The Lord calls us to return to Him. To come humbly before Him, to cast away our sins and idols, and to seek His forgiveness with blessed assurance in His compassion. We will be healed and loved freely (Hosea 14:4)! He promises us that we will be betrothed to Him, and all names of idols will be removed from us (Hosea 2:16-17). Yes, He will betroth us to Himself in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and compassion, and in faithfulness forever (Hosea 2:19-20)!
"Ironically, and mercifully for us, the very same God who stands ready to judge will also be our Savior..."
Let’s pray; Dear God, Faithful and Loving Father, thank You that we are loved because of who You are, not because of what we’ve done or who we are. Give us the wisdom to realize how much we need Your compassion and the grace to turn from relying on our own strength. Give us the discernment to prioritize heavenly things amidst our everyday struggles and life. Open our eyes to Your righteous way. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
