Lesson from the Life of Hosea!

Hosea ministered as a prophet in a time of relative peace and prosperity but rampant wickedness.  God knew it would take a rude wake-up call to move this wayward nation of Israel to repentance.  God delivered the shock through the life of Hosea.  Every relationship has its own set of problems but marriage being the most sacred and intimate of all relationships, unfaithfulness in this relationship is most hurtful!  That is why God chose this relationship to teach the people of Israel an object lesson through the life of Hosea.   Just as Gomer dishonored the marriage covenant, the nation of Israel dishonored its covenant with God.  Gomer’s adultery and the names of her children (“not loved” and “not my people”) reveal the depth of Israel’s apostasy.  Hosea’s steadfast faithfulness and obedience depict the depth of God’s love.  We can see the heart of God in the relationship between Hosea and Gomer.  God loves us, and His heart longs for our undivided love! 

We must ask ourselves today whether our heart is dedicated to God alone?  Does money, entertainment, or pleasure compete for our affection?  Even when we–His people–are unfaithful, the Lord continues to love us.  He has loved us and came to the Cross to give His life for us and redeem us, not because we are pure and holy.  God knows that we are the very opposite.  He took us into covenant relationship with Himself not because we were good but to make us good.  God did not pay the price for our sins with His blood because we deserved it.  The Bible says,  “God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).  But we have departed from Him and grossly betrayed His trust even after experiencing His love.  Even after knowing that we are made worthy of heaven only by His blood, we have not given our undivided love to the Lord Jesus! 

My friend, freedom and prosperity bring the temptation to trust in the blessings rather than the one who blesses us.  The good news is that God still loves us, and that is the message we understand from the lives of Hosea and his wife, Gomer.  Let us return to Him, affirm our undivided commitment to God today, and surrender anything that may draw us away from the Lord Jesus at the Cross of Calvary.

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