“Then I told her,
‘You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.'”
Remember, this love Hosea is showing Gomer is “as the LORD loves the Israelites…” (3:1b)
Exodus 20:2&3 is a commandment.
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.”
As Gomer is to not be intimate with anyone, so Israel is not to worship anyone else.
And just as Hosea wants Gomer to be repentant, God doesn’t seem to just want the same old Israel back. He wants a people whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.
Has He disciplined you like this? Was the result a heart more fully devoted to Him? One that worships Him alone…not just because you “should” but because you know nothing else will satisfy?
But hey. Something else. Can I address some others who may be reading this? Especially if you feel like this isn’t your story. If you’ve been committed to Him without pride or legalism. If it hasn’t taken many hard lessons for you to be faithful. If, when you’re honest, you’ve wondered at those who seem to not have your steadiness.
I think He would want you to know you don’t have to feel bad about your story. Especially if your heart isn’t full of pride and your “goodness” isn’t what you trust in. But from a deep place within, He has always been enough and you haven’t been lured by the rest.
Can I say to you one more thing? The rest of us need you. Those of us who in our heart of hearts are trusting in our rightness before Him. And those of us who keep wandering off. Or those of us who swing from one to the other, depending on the day.
I truly believe God is doing something in our time on this planet. I think He is drawing the Good Ones back to a place where they’re just beggars in need of grace. And I think He is using His Bride to show those who feel so far from Him that they, too, can come near – because it’s not about what they’ve done but what He’s done.
We need you, Steady Ones. Can you help us? Can you love the lot of us?
The final part of this short but meaty chapter ends, once again, in a prophetic word:
“For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.”
Israel as a nation was to go into captivity. They would have no king, no government, no temple in which to sacrifice to Yahweh. But “afterward” they will return to Him. The mention of David refers to the coming Messiah from his royal line.
In other words? This final section is not ultimately about Israel as a kingdom. It is about those who will be drawn to the wonder and beauty of Jesus.
He is the Ultimate King. We come trembling before Him – not just because He can discipline and chastise, but because of His incredible mercy.
We’ve been bought back. All of us. Unlike the lowly slave price Hosea paid for Gomer, Jesus paid the highest, most costly price for us.
And when we see Him in His beauty, we don’t come before Him the same.
Beautiful! Such a shame that in our fallen world, we can think something else (anything else) could possibly satisfy us other than God. Isn’t that what every sin ultimately stems from?
Beautiful words Jamie!!