Hosea: The Forgiving Husband

Hosea 3:1-3 

1 Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: 

3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

In our series "A Portrait of Christ," we now begin what is often the forgotten section of the Bible- the minor prophets. I would say that Hosea is the book that is turned to the second most times out of the minor prophets, behind only Jonah and it's second because people flip past Daniel and land right on Hosea. But there are some great truths about God that we can learn from this book. 

Hosea married a prostitute. Not a phrase you would often say of a prophet of God, or any of God's followers for that matter. But God had commanded Hosea to do this to illustrate something to Israel. When Hosea married his wife Gomer, she would constantly go back to her old way of life as a woman of the streets. Eventually, she was put on the market as a slave, available to the highest bidder. God commanded Hosea to go and get his wife, bring her back to him. This is a beautiful picture of God's love for Israel.

Gomer kept trying to leave Hosea for other men. Israel kept trying to leave God for other gods. But despite the times that Gomer and Israel left Hosea and God, they were welcomed back with open arms. They were loved. They were forgiven. 

And that God that forgave Israel is still that same forgiving God today. The Bible promises that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9)." Does this mean that we should constantly try to sin and run from God like Israel ran from Him or like Gomer ran from Hosea? Paul writes in Romans 6:1-2, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (emphasis added)" What it does mean is that no matter how many times we may stray, God will always forgive us. He will always welcome us home. 

Photo Credits:

1 http://s2.jcg.co/thumbs_small/prcas2037.jpg