"The word of the Lord that came to Hosea" Hosea 1:1
The word of the Lord came to Hosea. He listened and he obeyed. God asked Hosea to do something challenging and difficult. And yet Hosea said yes. He listens to the Word of the Lord, and then does that which he is to do.
Hosea is an amazing man - and he is faithful to the Lord's call. It was not convenient, it was not easy, it was not going to result in a good ending. Basically, he was to demonstrate God's unending love. His love is not measured in "I love you because" or "I will love you when" or even "I will love you if" - He just loves and loves.
Hosea was asked to be in a "mini-movie" about the love of God being long lasting, unconditional, faithful, generous, and undeserved. His role was to play the part of God, and demonstrate the amazing love of the Lord. There was another actor in this "mini-movie." Her name was Gomer (an interesting name for a woman if you ask me). Gomer played the part of the Nation of Israel. Her life was that of an adulterous woman, basically the life of prostitute. She would say she loved Hosea and then not follow through. She received gifts from Hosea, but she didn't acknowledge that as a gift from him. She says she wants to marry Hosea and she does get married to him. But she is unfaithful, she wanders and seeks other men for attention and pleasure. She is unfaithful.
Yet Hosea remains faithful - so faithful that eventually he finds his wife as a slave, and literally buys her back. He paid a ransom for that which was already His. Here are a couple of pondering questions for the day:
- Did you know that God loves you so much that He died and paid the ransom for your sin?
- If you ever wonder if He still loves you when you mess up - the answer is "YES, YES, YES"!
- Have you taken the time to thank the Lord for His faithful love for you?
