Hosea's Heart

There's been a common thread this past week, in several areas of my life. Whether it was my devotional study, a key thought in RU on Friday night, or something that always came up in conversations with friends throughout the week, the common thread in all of it was forgiveness.

I've been reading, or I should say "re-reading", the book of Hosea this week. I've always been fascinated by this little book, the 28th book of the Old Testament. In it, I find a beautiful story about love and forgiveness, which serves as a great lesson for all of us today.

We all know the story, right? Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel prior to its fall. The Lord told him one day to take a wife... not just any wife, but an adulterous wife. (For those who ever find themselves questioning God about His plans for your life, don't feel alone. I imagine Hosea scratched his head a few times on this one.) But just keep in mind, God did (and does) have a plan. And His purposes will be fulfilled!

So Hosea married a girl by the name of Gomer. She wasn't at all the kind of girl a guy would want to bring home for the folks to meet. In fact, the only reason a guy would bring her home at all, would be for "temporary pleasure", shall we say.

You may be wondering why God would tell Hosea to marry a girl like this. What possible good could come from such a union? I can imagine if Hosea mentioned to his family that he was marrying this "good-time girl", they more than likely tried to talk him out of it. They'd probably beg him to reconsider the sweet, young girl down the road, who was a "more suitable" choice for him. And I imagine it would be pretty hard for Hosea not to agree with them, considering.

However, Hosea obeyed God and married Gomer, whom he knew was anything BUT the picture of a virtuous woman. Not only that, Hosea took his marriage vows seriously. When he said, "I do", he meant it wholeheartedly. I think about the words "for better, or for worse", included in most marriage ceremonies today. I'd say Hosea must have dug his heels in and braced himself for the last part of that phrase... because "worse" was definitely coming!

Gomer must not have been satisfied, settled down to just one man. She apparently didn't appreciate that which she had been blessed with. (The fact that any decent man would want to marry her, knowing her lifestyle, was blessing in itself!) She, instead, chased after those who would give her the things she desired. And she would use her own body to obtain these things. I suppose when you're accustomed to getting whatever you want, and paying any price to get it, your craving for those things only increases.

Doesn't that remind you of the way it is today? We foolishly dive head-over-heels in debt, for things we "think" will make us happy, only to find out that by doing so, we're just increasing our craving for more. (Think about the high-interest rates we pay on credit cards, mortgages, auto loans... all because we want to have the best... and more... of everything.) We're willing to pay any price, not to mention our peace of mind, for temporal earthly things.

But anyway, back to Hosea and Gomer...

While Gomer is out "getting what she wants", apparently not caring at all about her husband and children back at home, Hosea has enough love and forgiveness in his heart to want her back. Think about that for a minute. It must have killed him inside, knowing that his wife was with other men. Gomer was his, yet she was being "enjoyed" by probably every man passing by. Who knows how many there were!

Here he is living for the Lord, following in obedience to the Lord's commands, while his wife is obviously causing him much heartache and humiliation. (Can you imagine what the family is saying now?) Yet despite all of that, he loves her enough to forgive her. He wants her to come back to him. What a beautiful picture of forgiveness!

But that's not the end of it. Apparently, Gomer has gotten herself into some trouble. (As if being a harlot isn't trouble enough!) She may have sold herself into slavery... possibly to afford the luxuries to which she'd grown accustomed. In any case, if Hosea truly wanted her back, he would have to buy her back. Poor Hosea!

I must say, being willing to forgive is one thing. But to actually have to purchase her back... that would have been a tough one to swallow, for anyone!

Yet, what love he showed, by doing so! He paid the price, no matter what it was, to have his wife return home with him... despite her unfaithfulness... regardless of what others may have said about him (or her). He loved his bride and he wanted nothing more than for her to come home to live with him forever. What a beautiful picture of love!

The story of Hosea and Gomer illustrates to us another love story... that God loves us, even when our sins have broken His heart. He sent His Son to pay the ultimate price for our sins. He longs to forgive us, and He wants us to spend eternity with Him. (It also depicts His love for the nation of Israel, and how He's promised to someday restore her to favor again.)

On a more personal note, I think about Gomer's life, and I must admit, I do see some of Gomer in me. Granted, I haven't been unfaithful to my husband, as she was. But I have made some pretty bad choices in my life. I've gone down many roads I should never have considered, much less traveled on. I've done more than my share of "living it up". I've acted (and reacted) in the flesh, following after my own will, rather than the Lord's Will, for a great portion of my life. I've sought to fulfill my own worldly lusts, getting head over heels in debt, to keep up with the Joneses. I've broken the hearts of those I love, while I "did what I wanted".

I think about these things, and I see how easy it is for one to fall into the traps of sin. I realize now (after-the-fact), that had I turned to Jesus (alot sooner than I did), He would have helped me to break free from that life of bondage a long time ago. Many a heartache would have been avoided. Many a mistake not made.

Yet, regardless of how long it took me to come to Him and acknowledge my sin, and ask for forgiveness, He was still willing... and He did.

I don't know how Gomer felt, after Hosea went and bought her back. But if I could imagine, I'd say she must have been pretty thankful that he loved her so much. That's the way I feel tonight... so very thankful that God loved someone like me, despite all my faults and failures. He loved me anyway! So much so, that He sent His only Son to pay the debt for my sins (which are many).

But He didn't love just me. He loves YOU that much, too! If you don't know Him personally, please email me and I'll be more than happy to share with you how you can come to know Him as your own personal Lord and Saviour. It isn't complicated. I won't pressure you. I simply want you to be blessed, as I have been.

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