Faithful: A Study in Hoseaনমুনা

What does it say?

Hosea was instructed to love his adulterous wife as the Lord loved the Israelites.

What does it mean?

The freedom Gomer sought through promiscuity led her into the bondage of slavery. Although Hosea must have been deeply shamed and grieved, he purchased Gomer back, assuring her that he would be fully devoted to her as before. Hosea gained a fuller understanding of the depth of love the Lord had for His wayward, undeserving people through his marriage. Israel no longer appreciated God’s blessings, just as Gomer had taken Hosea’s love, provision, and protection for granted. Hosea’s reconciliation with his wife pictures the Lord’s future restoration of Israel, which His love and favor will mark.

How should I respond?

From Hosea’s time to today, the roots of idolatry have not changed. Our flesh drives us towards worshipping things other than the one true God. No generation has been immune to rampant idolatry. The licentiousness of modernity is very similar to the legalism of the past. However, the remedy for both is the same: repenting and returning to God’s loyal love. We have been given the glorious task of showing and sharing this incredible love - who can you show it to today? So many, like Gomer, live in the darkness of sinful idolatry. Take some time today to share the hope that God’s love also extends to them.