Hosea is an intriguing book.
God commands this prophet to marry a prostitute. Little is known of Gomer, his wife, other
than she continues to be unfaithful to him.
We do not know her background or her past pain that led her into such a
lifestyle. Eventually Gomer ends up
enslaved as a prostitute again and Hosea purchases her freedom again. Hosea went after her time and time again.
God’s love is
relentless.
This story between Hosea and Gomer is the backdrop for the
prophecies of Hosea concerning the Nation of Israel. God’s people had been unfaithful to him by
committing idolatry (worshiping false gods) over and over again.
Our rebellion, in the
face of God’s love, is ridiculous.
In Hosea God declares, “I desire mercy not sacrifice and
acknowledgment of God more than burnt offerings.” The problem was that Yahweh’s people were
living as if they were being faithful to him by doing the religious acts he had
commanded of them, yet their lives were full of unfaithfulness.
Repentance and restoration to Himself was God’s desire. Yahweh wanted his people to live in right
relationship with him again. Repentance requires returning to God with
the right words for the right reasons.
Often we give the religious pretense that we are returning to God, but
we actually only regret the circumstances
our sin has caused. God desires to
change our character more than our circumstances.
Regret is
circumstantial. Repentance is
relational.
We must desire to return to the Lord. Our repentance is an outgrowth of love for
Christ. Our desire should be to know God
not to simply experience the benefits of God.
I encourage you to be relentless
in your response and return to God…and in your restoration
by God. Be relentless in your commitment
to know him deeply and personally. Be
relentless in walking in righteousness.
Do not allow one failure to cause many.
Be relentless in experiencing his restoration by making yourself fully and
completely available to God.
