RECONCILIATIONНамуна

Let us begin with a very interesting yet controversial story. The book of Hosea narrates the story of a prophet whom God told to marry an adulteress. No easy task for anyone nowadays. But the Lord was after something; He was sending a message to us—His bride. God’s people constantly went after other gods (idols), and in God's sight, this was the same as adultery. God wanted to send a very firm and strong message, so He got His prophet to live it out in the flesh just to make a loving point. Hosea, the story tells, had to redeem Gomer (his wife), by paying a ransom just to get her back.

In some Bibles, Hosea chapter 3 is titled “Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife.” Reconciliation is a key word for Christ’s ambassadors. We will see that in more detail in the coming days.

Reconciliation is the act of bringing back together again. In Hebrew, the word means to be covered, make atonement or propitiation on behalf of someone. In our legal terms, it’s what happens when someone pays your fine in court and sets you free. This is what God was proposing to do with His people. They didn’t know it yet, but plans were in motion to pay the ultimate fine, so we could return to God’s loving arms again—just like He was illustrating through the life of Hosea and Gomer. Of course, Hosea represents God, Gomer represents His people, and the ransom is represented in Christ.

We have many idols that we constantly place before God, but today, God is telling you that He’s made a way—a way for us to be reconciled back to Himself through a perfect sacrifice; the penalty paid for our sins on our behalf. If you only repent and throw away your idols, you are welcomed back to God through grace. As we dive deeper into what this means, we will look at different aspects of what it means to be a true ambassador, bringing people back to God.