hosea

Today we are going to be looking at the story of Hosea and Gomer.  

The relationship between Hosea and Gomer are a representation of our relationship with our Lord and Savior.

1.  Hosea was sent to Gomer

Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. 

I want us to realize that at this point, Gomer did not know who Hosea was.  She was not looking for Hosea,  she was not searching for a savior, but He was looking for her.

The story of Hosea and Gomer is a love story, it is a one sided love story.  Hosea gives and gives.  He
sacrifices his good name, He sacrifices his pride, He sacrifices comfort.  He gives all of this to rescue, to save, to give to Gomer a life she could never get by her own work and hands.

This is also the story of Jesus in relationship to you and I.

1 John  4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

1 John  4:19  We love him, because he first loved us. 

Jesus sought us ought when we didn't even know who He was.  You may say, well I was raised in church and I have known who Jesus is since I was a child.  Maybe that is so.  But there are more than one kind of knowing.

I know who the President is.
I know who my wife is.

Now my relationship with my wife is extremely different than it is with the President.

Churches are full of people who know who Jesus is, yet they have never known Him.
They know him like the teenage  girl knows the rock star, or the teenage boy knows the athlete.

Gomer, now we don't know much about Gomer.  But what we seem to know is that she is happy where she is.

Here is the truth that we find in this passage.  God comes to where you are!

Just like Hosea went to Gomer!
Just like God went to Moses in the burning bush!
Just like Abraham went to Lot while he was in Sodom and Gomorrah!
Just like Jesus went to the disciples!
Just like Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus!

I have heard on several occasions, after I get things straightened out I will get right with the Lord.  No, you can't and no, you won't!  The amazing truth is that God knows more about you than you know yourself and He wants you just like you are.  He then will begin the cleaning and restoring process!

           2.  Gomer rejects Hosea

 Hosea  3:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of herfriend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. 2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: 

It is not coincidence that the value of the items that Hosea paid to regain his own wife added up to thirty shekels (cf. Zech. 11:12, 13; Matt. 26:15). The Complete Word Study Old Testament.

Matthew  26:15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 

Hosea must now go and purchase that which he already owns.  Now think about that a moment.

Why is Gomer happy where she is?
We are happy in our sins!  We have a sin problem and our problem with sin is that we are too familiar with it and too comfortable with it.

We are all God's children, we are all made in His image, in His likeness.  In a sense we are already His.  Yet we rebel.  And He that has created us must now purchase us.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 
 
1 Corinthians 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 

1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received  by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 

       3.  There is judgment

Hosea 2:6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. 7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them:then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. 

God's judgment has a purpose!  The Lord wanted Gomer to return.

I look at this a little like I look at how I am with my kids sometimes.  Some of the harshest moments I have with my kids is when we are in a parking lot. I pull up in the van and all doors are thrown open and my kids bail out and run for their lives.  They are not paying attention to the dangers, they do not realize that there are cars driving all around.  It is when they are closest to danger that I am harshest with them.  Just maybe that is how God is with us!  When we are closest to danger He is
harshest with judgment, judgment with a purpose!

      4.  The book ends with a promise of restoration!

Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon
horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. 5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive asthe corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. 8 Ephraimshall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heardhim, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. 9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. 

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 

God ends this book and our world on a note of redemption and restoration.  God can restore you!  No matter how filthy or dirty you may be.  You do not need to clean yourself to come to
God!  He has sent His only Son into this world to die for you, to die for your
sins, and to offer to you forgiveness and restoration and redemption!