Hosea...who are you?

Hosea was a prophet of God and was giving a very unusual task. God instructed Hosea to marry an adulterous wife; and so he did. Hosea went and married Gomer. (I can’t imagine that this was a task that Hosea was really excited about. He is a prophet of God and is being instructed to marry an adulterous woman.) Hosea and Gomer had three kids. After the kids were born, Gomer ran off and deserted Hosea. So what did God want now? God told Hosea to “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulterous (Hosea 3:1).”

What? Go and love her again…are you serious? And this is how I have historical over the years related to Hosea: I too have been scorned and rejected by those who I have cared about. I have felt as if I was deserted. But as I read over the book of Hosea last week, something finally dawned on me: I am not Hosea.

Throughout the book God is telling Hosea what he should share with the people of Israel. It’s not a pretty picture. It is a picture of rejection, scorn, betrayal, and pain. God has been betrayed by His people. They have turned their backs on Him and have committed adultery to idols and other gods. They have cheated on Him.

I have cheated on Him. I have rejected, scorned, and betrayed my God. I have committed adultery with other idols and other gods…ones that I have created. In this book, Gomer is Israel…but I am also Gomer. I have been the one who has cheated on my God.

And that sucks to admit. It hurts to admit that I have failed. It hurts to realize that I am Gomer. Throughout the book, God is telling Hosea what will happen to His people who have committed adultery to Him. Ouch.

But that is not the end of the picture…there is more.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt (Hosea 2: 14-15)

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord (Hosea 2:19-20).”

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them….How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes, declares the Lord (Hosea 11:1-4, 8-11).”

I am not Hosea…God is. His people have scorned and rejected Him…and I am one of those who have done this. But just as God called Hosea to reach out to Gomer in love, God is continually reaching for His children. God is reaching for me…because I am His. I am God’s love…I am His Gomer.