Hosea Recap

As we look back at the book of Hosea one thing seems to stick out above the rest. God's unfailing, unconditional love for His people.

We see in the opening of the book that God gives a command to the prophet Hosea to go and marry a wife of harlotry. The next thing we see is Hosea and Gomer married and conceiving a child, Jezreel. What we did not see was an argument, a plea, a whine or even a question from Hosea as to why the Lord would ask him to do such a thing. All we see is a command, and obedience.

Only a few short verses later we see that Gomer was indeed a woman of adultery and conceived 2 children out of adulterous affairs. Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi.

A parrallel picture running through the book of Hosea is not only the prophet's relationship with his wife but the Lord's relationship with Israel as well. Isreal was God's chosen people, long before this book was written. The Lord knew their hearts, he knew they would worship idols, they would abandon Him as Lord and they would worship those things that satisfied their fleshly desires. Even knowing all of this God still chose this nation as His people.

Chapter 3 of the book of Hosea paints a beautiful picture of redemption. The Lord speaks to Hosea again and tells him to go get his wife. Not only did He tell Hosea to get her, but he told him to love her even though she was being "loved" by another. So, again Hosea obeyed. No record of complaint or question, just obedience. But here is where it gets interesting. Hosea did not simply go to where Gomer was and pick her up and ride off happily ever after. Hosea had to purchase his own wife back!

Lets put this in context, Hosea was told to marry an adulterous woman, he did it and she committed adultery. Hosea was told to go get his wife after she left him, committed adultery, had other children and again, he did it. Not only did he do it, he went above and beyond and paid a price to get his own wife back! Hosea literally had to pay for something that was already his! Would you or I do that? Gomer was not necessarily someone that we would see as being valuable enough to pay a ransom for. She was unfaithful, she committed adultery, she turned her back on her husband and pursued a life of immoral living! She didn't deserve to be purchased back.

Neither did we...."For God so loved the world, that He gaveHis only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The Lord chose to rescue us back at the beginning when Adam and Eve sinned he immediately had a plan of redemption that was set in motion. Over the course of the next few thousand years His people were unfaithful, they worshipped idols and turned their back on Him. What was his response? He told his Son, go get them. But it will not be cheap, they must be bought back and the price will be death.

Jesus' death on the cross paid a ransom we did not deserve for sins that He did not commit.

In Hosea it never tells us what Gomer's response was when Hosea purchased her back. It does not say if they lived happily ever after. For us, however, the ending can be different. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been placed on the cross. How will you respond to the unconditional redeeming love of your Savior, Jesus Christ?