September 30

Hosea 1
“Go take yourself a wife of harlotry.” Pardon me Lord, what did you say? You want me to marry a woman that You and I know will jump between the sheets with someone else? Lord, You want me to marry a woman by whom I can never be sure if her children are mine? Lord, do You know how that will reflect upon how I will be viewed as a prophet? You want me to name my children what? God sows, Not my people and No mercy? What? Do you want them to become professional wrestlers? You want me to have a marriage that is in constant turmoil, children that I don’t know for sure if they are mine, a career where everyone laughs behind my back?
My name is what? Why did my dad name me that? My mother does what? Why is she always doing that? Why don’t the ‘respectable’ people let me play with their kids? Why does everyone laugh at my dad? Why is he always going from city to city preaching? Why is he always so serious, so stern.
Yeah well, Judah told me that he bought a half hour with Gomer for a really cheap price, and Hosea calls himself a man of God. Well he certainly has a wife that is giving. She’s the gift that keeps on giving . . . to all the wrong people! With a wife like that, I certainly don’t want Hosea as my Rabbi.
Hosea is gone again on another preaching tour. He just doesn’t understand that I need a man to listen to me, to look after my needs, to hold me. . . Judah was really flirting with me the other day. Maybe I’ll just walk to the market place and see who is there. . . Hosea didn’t really leave me with any money to spend. You know Judah is really charming and he always has the money to have a good time. . . It felt so good to have his attention and he had plenty of money. . .

God designed Hosea and Gomer’s marriage to illustrate the relationship between Him and His people, Israel and Judah. Hosea is illustrative of Him. Gomer is illustrative of His people. Ultimately it illustrates how He feels about us. He loves us passionately. He demands holiness and loyalty out of us. He goes to great lengths to deliver us from our sin, but there is a limit to what He will do. He will deliver us back into bondage, if we choose that route. It brings great embarrassment upon Him in the realm that is watching the unholy drama. Ultimately, it will bring Him great glory as He redeems us and delivers us out of the slave pit of sin. Above were just some thoughts from four different perspectives of the situation. All of them could be launch pads for sin. But the Lord clearly designed this situation to teach us about our relationship with Him, our need for cleansing, His warning of coming judgment, and His undying love for us. There is no justification for sin. If I quit looking at my justifications for sin and look at His glorious judgment and love, embracing them, it becomes an overwhelming motivation for seeking Him to receive His power for living. Wow, what a loving God! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john