Text:
Hosea 3:1-2:
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:
Theme:
An Unconditional Love
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.
- Imagine the difficulty of this preacher’s, Hosea’s, commission à Unconditional Love
- 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.
Body:
- Let us take a closer look at the classroom marriage that Hosea had to experience to develop as God’s preacher:
- 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”
- Hosea 1:2 explains, “…. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms…”
- 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.”
- Even at marriage, Hosea could say the words from the old O’Jays song, “Your body’s here with me, but your mind is on the other side of town”
- Gomer got tired of being “The Preacher’s Wife”. She felt that there was more for her in the world.
- She felt that the grass is greener on the other side.
- She felt that she had lost her own individuality.
- She was tired of being identified as Hosea’s wife.
- She desired more material things and worldly activity than life with Hosea offered.
- Romans 8:7 explains this predicament for Gomer, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
- Gomer felt limited by the spiritual union with Hosea!!!
- She felt that the grass is greener on the other side.
- NOTE: Gomer never said that she didn’t love her husband or her children, she only had a problem with the life that they embodied.
- But the Bible says, in both Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
- But, yet, Hosea loved her with an Unconditional Love!
- 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 to provide for a wife…who wanted more than what he could give
- Hosea had to love a wife…who she was loving other men
- Hosea had to take care of children…that he did not conceive
- Hosea had to preach an undying Gospel…that his wife did not believe
- Hosea had to teach Godly principles…that his home did not exemplify
- Hosea had to show God’s joy and love on the outside…when he was hurting on the inside
- Hosea had to stand as a man…when others questioned his manhood
- Hosea had to believe in God…when God had given him the greatest pain of his life
- You see:
- When Gomer was out and about, Hosea was taking care of home.
- When the children needed, Hosea made sure that they had what they needed.
- When Gomer was with other men, Hosea was faithful to his wife and children
- When Gomer was brooding over the things and good times that she left, Hosea was thanking God for having someone to love and someone to love him
- Let me break it down to youè When Gomer was saying “NO” to Hosea, Hosea was prayerfully saying “YES” to his wife, his children, and his home.
- 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.”
- In all this, yet, Hosea loved her with an Unconditional Love!
- 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.
- The Prodigal Son was in a similar situation. He WASTED his money and resources seeking fun and worldly things and slowly but surely ended up eating with the swine!
- Jonah was in a similar situation. He kept going down, down, down, down.
- Went DOWN to the ship to go DOWN to Joppa
- Went DOWN to the bottom of the ship
- Was thrown DOWN to the bottom of the sea
- Was picked up, swallowed, and put DOWN in the belly of the big fish
- Hosea 9:1-2 explains this ordeal, “Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor. The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.”
- All that we value in this world shall pass away!
- Matthew 6:20, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”
- 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!
- Hosea 4:6-7 explains, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.”
- God reared His chosen king, David, right in the presence of Saul and a tormented Israeli nation.
- God let Gomer suffer the consequences for her actions and desires…the Auction Block!
- Psalms 37:1-2 consoles the believer, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
- In all this, yet, Hosea loved her with an Unconditional Love!
- 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 was bound by this UNCONDITIONAL LOVE of God for his wife.
- Hosea 3:1 explains for Hosea, “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.”
- Hosea did not have to love a woman who “loved” other men, but he did it.
- God does not have to love us folk who go whoring after idols gods of this world, but He does!
- NO MATTER WHAT, Love is there.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
- Unconditional Love still wants you to be better — Hosea yearned for Gomer to the love of God and him.
- 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.”
- 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.”
- Unconditional Love is not SETTLING Love
- Unconditional Love is not COMPLACENT Love
- Unconditional Love is not BLIND Love
- Hosea 3:1 explains for Hosea, “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.”
- Hosea was God-Called Preacher and had to take a wife of whoredom
Conclusion:
- Hosea bought Gomer back out of God’s Unconditional Love
- 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:”
- It had to be God because flesh would not have done it!
- Hosea looked at a battered and used woman…and still bought her back
- Hosea looked at the woman who cheated on him…and still bought her back
- Hosea looked at the one who put him through his worst pain…and still bought her back
- Buying Gomer back was not the act of an ignorant man but a SAVED MAN!
- Unconditional Love that is of God has a power greater than us!
- Sometimes others don’t understand…but we have to do it!
- Sometimes we don’t like it…but we have to do it!
- Sometimes it’s a thankless job…but we have to do it!
- Sometimes others don’t appreciate it…but we have to do it!
- Sometimes it takes our last…but we have to do it!
- Sometimes we don’t want to do it…but we have to do it!
- Unconditional Love that is of God has a power greater than us!
- As the old hymn says,
Have you that something, that burning desire?
Have you that something, that never doth tired?
Oh, if you have it – that Heavenly Fire!
Then let the world know there is something within.
Something within me that holdeth the reins,
Something within me that banishes pain;
Something within me I cannot explain,
All that I know there is something within
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