The book of Hosea is not your normal love story, nor is it
your typical book of prophecy: it’s both a love story and prophetic
proclamation. This beautiful story is a picture of God’s amazing love for His
people and the journey they (we) have to go through before we realize His great
love.
Gomer’s unfaithfulness is a reminder of our own wayward
hearts, as the hymnist writes, “prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave
the God I love.” We have a tendency to be blind to our own sins until we are
far too long. I don’t think Gomer said, “I want to see how badly I can hurt
Hosea.” No, I believe one little bad choice led to another, then another and
then another.
Sin is a traveling a road that pulls you farther and farther
until you end up in a destination that is unknown and unplanned. As the old
saying goes, “sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer
than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Sin is not to
be taken lightly, yet we don’t even realize our own sinfulness. Neither did the
nation of Israel:
Hosea 10:1-2
Israel is
a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. Their heart is false; now they
must bear their guilt. The Lord[a] will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.
Things were going really well for Israel. They were building
and improving. Everything seemed fine and they continued in their sins. “God just
wants us to be happy,” I am sure was a justification. But notice in their indulgence
God was patient until it was evident they wouldn’t repent unless disciplined.
He saw their hearts.
Hosea 10:9-10
From the
days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall
not the war against the unjust[a] overtake them in Gibeah? When I please, I will
discipline them, and nations shall be
gathered against them when they are bound
up for their double iniquity.
God sees our sins, but patiently waits for us to come to
repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The nation of Israel was not repentant, and Hosea
proclaimed that discipline was coming soon. God is love and full of mercy and
grace, but He is also just and holy and cannot overlook sin. In His time He will
discipline those He loves, but for what purpose?
Hosea 3:4-5
For the
children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or
prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod
or household gods. 5 Afterward the
children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and
they shall come in fear to the Lord and
to his goodness in the latter days.
Here we see the goal of discipline is to bring them back to
seeking the Lord their God. God uses discipline to bring His children back, to
help them grow, to remind them of who He is. He doesn’t simply punish His
children, but He disciplines them, which is always for their good.
Ultimately Israel (we) cannot overcome our own sin and the
punishment we receive will not pay for our offenses. But Christ came to bear
the ultimate punishment in our place. He died so that we might live. It is
because of His blood that we can ask for forgiveness. It is because of His
resurrection that we have hope of the new life. It is because He ascended on
high and sent His Spirit to live in us that we have the power to overcome sin.
Friend, you may be trapped in sin right now. You may not
even realize how strong a grip it has on you. There is a consequence to sin,
but you don’t have to bear it because Christ already paid for it. Acknowledge
your sin and confess it to God. Repent from it and seek the Lord your God
today. Repentance is a change of mind and heart that leads to a change of
action.
You will find God is waiting with open arms. He is quick to
forgive and His grace will never run out.
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