In The Word
Read Hosea 3
Hosea’s Second Symbolic Marriage
3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Gomer walked away from Hosea, but the Lord sent Hosea to redeem her where she was. Once he found her, Hosea was to pay the price to buy her back even though she had committed adultery.
The Lord despises unfaithfulness, but He loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to stay away even when we have turned away from Him. Once we accept His invitation to become His bride, He expects us to remain faithful to Him alone. Sadly, many times we begin to spend time with things that take God’s place: hobbies, toys, or anything that we put before Him. We pursue things that lead us away from our relationship with Him and our covenant promise.
God is a jealous God, and He will not share us. Are you having an affair with anything that takes His place? Are you honoring the covenant vow you made to Him when you promised to be faithful to Him alone forever? Gomer got a second chance. God can make a harlot into a virgin once again. He bought us with the price of His blood so that we are no longer our own. We are to stay faithful to Christ and no longer to be slaves to the things of the world. Don’t neglect so great a salvation. Come back willingly to His goodness. Never believe the lie of the enemy that the Lord doesn’t want you back. The Lord left the glory of Heaven to come where we are and pay the price for us. He watches and longs for us to be in His embrace (Luke 15:11-24).