Text:
Hosea 3:1-3:
1 Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, 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:
3 And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for
another man: so will I also be for thee.
Theme:
A Conditional Relationship
Introduction:
- The Prophecies of Hosea is the first of the collection of books of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testaments. It is the longest of these books also being comprised of 14 chapters.
- The first 3 chapters depict the situation of Hosea’s ordained marriage to Gomer, woman of whoredom. God used this predicament to help Hosea to understand His (God’s) marriage to His children, Israel.
- Hosea 1:2 explains, “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.”
- Then, the last 11 chapters are comprised of discourses by Hosea to the people of Israel.
- As it says in Romans 5:3-5, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
- Hosea learned from His experience and preached to the people…now understanding the Divine Love that God felt toward His children. Hosea’s passion to lead the people to God was the same as his passion to buy back his wife, Gomer, from the auction block.
- The first 3 chapters depict the situation of Hosea’s ordained marriage to Gomer, woman of whoredom. God used this predicament to help Hosea to understand His (God’s) marriage to His children, Israel.
- Imagine the difficulty of this preacher’s, Hosea’s, commission à It took Unconditional Love to buy Gomer back
- Hosea was God-Called Preacher and had to take a wife of whoredom
- Hosea 1:2 explains, “…. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms…”
- “I don’t deserve this” – “I deserve better” – “Folks are gonna talk” – “This doesn’t seem like it is of God”
- BUT, Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
- First, our expectations are not always God’s Will.
- Second, we must do what thus “SAITH THE LORD”
- After Hosea took her from the streets of whoredom, Gomer still lived a whorish life
- Hosea 2:5, “For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.”
- Gomer got tired of being “The Preacher’s Wife”. She felt that there was more for her in the world.
- Hosea 2:5, “For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.”
- Hosea had to be preacher, husband, father and man while Gomer sought her own
- Hosea had submitted himself to God and the Divine ordination of his marriage, and Gomer had not:
- Romans 10:3, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
- Mark 8:34, “…Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
- Hosea had submitted himself to God and the Divine ordination of his marriage, and Gomer had not:
- Hosea’s wife, Gomer, is found on the Auction Block
- Gomer’s search for her individuality, material things, and fun ended up with her on the Auction Block being sold as a common slave.
- REMEMBER, God is still in control even in our wayward times!
- Hosea 13:10-11, “I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.”
- “I gave thee a king in mine anger”
- Keep bothering Him, and God will give you EXACTLY what you ask forJ.
- The children of Israel wanted a King, and God gave them old, crooked Saul.
- God let Gomer get what she was looking for in the world!
- “took him away in my wrath”
- When God gets tired, He will put a stop to our foolishness!
- “I gave thee a king in mine anger”
- Hosea 13:10-11, “I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.”
- Hosea 1:2 explains, “…. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms…”
- Hosea was God-Called Preacher and had to take a wife of whoredom
Hosea bought Gomer back
— With an unconditional love BUT to a CONDITIONAL RELATIONSHIP.
- Unconditional Love In Hosea 3:2
- “So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:”
- Conditional Relationship In Hosea 3:3
- “And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.”
Body:
- First, let us take note à Hosea 3:3 comes up AFTER the unconditional love has been shown and received.
- Hosea bought her back FIRST!!!
- Before he KNEW that she was even “converted”
- Before he even knew if she wanted to be in his life again
- Before he could get any guarantee that she would not hurt him again
- Then the big one…before he even explored other optionsJ
- Hosea establishes his position as Head of the Home!
- “And I said unto her”
- 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”
- Hosea gets the first word in his home!!
- “And I said unto her”
- Hosea has some conditions for her returning to his life and home!
- “Thou shalt abide for me many days”
- Genesis 2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
- “for me” à The woman was made for the man!
- “many days” à Marriage is for a lifetime and not a “trial”
- Genesis 2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
- “thou shalt not play the harlot”
- There is no more trying to be someone else!
- “thou shalt not be for another man”
- There is no more trying to be someone else’s!
- Hosea makes a promise to his wife!
- “so will I also be for thee”
- Love is a two way street! Hosea was ready to give to her the same as he was requiring of her!
- Colossians 3:18-19, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
- Marriage is a Covenant…it is Divinely established and maintained!
- Love is a two way street! Hosea was ready to give to her the same as he was requiring of her!
- “so will I also be for thee”
- “Thou shalt abide for me many days”
- Hosea bought her back FIRST!!!
- Second, let us understand à In the same way, our relationship with God came AFTER Salvation
- God ordained our salvation FIRST!!!
- Before we had a relationship with him
- Before we were born into sin
- Before we ever committed a sin
- 2 Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”
- God is the sovereign over our lives!
- Psalms 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
- Psalms 103:19, “The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
- God has some conditions for our returning to His Presence and Mercy!
- Deuteronomy 10:12, “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,”
- Micah 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
- Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
- Also, we can’t go before God just any kind of way
- It is true, “Just as I am without one plea”
- But, John 4:24 explains, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
- God ordained our salvation FIRST!!!
Conclusion:
- God has made promises to His children!
- Hosea 6:1-2 explains, “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
- “he will heal us”
- God will give immediate relief
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
- “he will bind us up”
- God will put us in the process of restoration in Him
- Ezekiel 34:16, “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick….”
- “After two days will he revive us”
- If we hang in there, He will rejuvenate, restore, and refurbish!
- Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- “in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight”
- On the first day, we are healed and our wounds are bound.
- On the second day, we are revived and rejuvenated.
- But, on the third day, he will raise us up!
- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”
- On the third day, we shall live in His sight!
- 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
- Revelation 22:4-5, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
- “he will heal us”
- Hosea 6:1-2 explains, “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
It’s conditional but the rewards are greater than anything that the world can give!!
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