God’s Faithful Love Redeems Us
I was reading in the minor prophets recently. They are not minor, as in less important, but rather shorter than the so-called major prophets, who are largely more familiar to us. I was struck anew by a truth as I read in Hosea. It’s a very short book, and it’s well worth taking a few minutes to reread.
It can be a hard read at times. Hosea the prophet is married to an adulterous wife, Gomer. It is implied that she left Him more than once, but at least once the text tells us that Hosea must redeem her out of the situation she has gotten herself into.
Imagine that! God tells Hosea that he must redeem this unfaithful, wandering woman.
And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” Hosea 3:1-3
Not only must he face the shame of a woman who wanders, but He must purchase her back. Ouch. That’s certainly contrary to what the world would say to do today. Our human forgiveness has limits. Would we do it?
Why would God make His servant do this?
It’s an object lesson for us. The nation of Israel was a nation of spiritual adulterers. They repeatedly turned from God and chased other gods. Still, God was faithful to His covenant.
We might look at Israel and shake our heads at their wicked ways and tendency to stray. We need to be careful of doing that because we are no different; even as believers, we often put God on a shelf and pursue other things as more important or valuable.
We too are a community of adulterous sheep who have gone astray. There is no reason for God to pursue us and bring us back repeatedly.
Well, that’s not strictly true. He buys us back because of His great love for us. He redeems us because of His covenant. He takes us back because God is by His very nature faithful.
Praise God for His faithfulness, even when we are not.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed
Kevin
SUMMARY
I’ve been reading through the minor prophets and was struck again by Hosea, where God commands him to buy back his unfaithful wife Gomer for silver and barley. It’s a picture of how God pursues and redeems His people even when we wander, because He is faithful by His very nature, not because we deserve it.
TAKEAWAYS
Hosea was called to redeem Gomer, his adulterous wife, mirroring how God pursued a wandering Israel.
Israel repeatedly chased other gods, yet God stayed faithful to His covenant with them.
We are no different than Israel; God keeps redeeming us again and again simply because He is faithful.