Hosea

Hosea. By Alicia Messer

Most Christians have a couple of biblical books that are their go-to's. For me, they are 1 Peter, Ruth, and Ephesians. Lest you think I solely go for the shorties, Genesis is also in there…but in full transparency, just Gen. 1-10, at which point the names hit, and I traditionally pitter out on my New Year’s resolution. I  think my very favorite, however, is a little book tucked away toward the latter half of the Old Testament–Hosea.

Yes, it’s short too, but it is a powerhouse rivaled by few. It’s the story of Hosea, an upright man obedient to God for, it seems, the purpose of provocative parallelism. The Lord tells Hosea to
marry Gomer, a harlot. They have three children: the second of questionable paternity and the third clearly not Hosea’s. Gomer then abandons Hosea to pursue many “lovers” (Hos. 2:5). In spite of this, and in the midst of what must have been great humiliation, he provides for her in her poverty even though she credits other men for the provisions. She is then, after an unknown amount of time and after what can probably be assumed horrific treatment and abuses, put on auction at a slave market, naked, hopeless, destitute, and an utter outcast. In Hosea 3:1, the Lord calls Hosea to once more show love toward Gomer.

He goes to her publicly, reclaims her, covers her, and takes her home again as his wife.
Edward Welch, in his book When People are Big and God is Small, summarizes Hosea’s story
wonderfully:

None of us could imagine marrying someone like Gomer. There was nothing attractive about her
from beginning to end. Yet this was the way that Hosea would get a glimpse into the heart of
God, because God did marry someone like Gomer.

God was saying to Hosea, in effect, “You and I are both going to give our hearts completely to
someone who will utterly reject us. We will give all…in pursuit of them. By doing this, you,
Hosea, will understand my faithful love for you and your people. You see, I, myself, am the
husband. Your life will be about my love. Your pain will point to my own. And your faithfulness
will be a replica of mine” (pp. 172-173).

Hosea chapters 4-14 speak of the Lord’s deep sorrow and lovingkindness in a way I don’t see so overtly articulated anywhere else in Scripture. God’s words in Hosea 11 are particularly incredible. We see a father brokenhearted by his child’s shameless abandonment. He is lamenting, crying out, remembering how he nurtured his son, raised him, pulled him close, and embraced him in tenderness. The imagery is palpable and intimate. It is perhaps the most vivid picture of God, the God of the universe, vulnerable and grief-stricken.

11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt, I called my son.
2  But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3  It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4  I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them, I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,

and I bent down to feed them….
8  “How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused (NIV).

These are God’s words – his very heart. Read them again.

Spend time in Hosea’s story. Seek to really understand it. It is too easy to see the unbelieving world as Gomer, but we would be wise to reflect on how we are Gomer. Israel, God’s beloved, was not the “unchurched.” Israel was the chosen bride. If we consider ourselves Christians, we are the chosen bride.

In Hosea we see a sorrowful Lord respond in love and compassion to a rebellious people. We hear (in this order): the charge, “Return to Israel, to the Lord your God” (Hos. 14:1), the requirement to sincerely repent, “Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously that we may offer the fruit of our lips” (Hos. 14:2), and the promise, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them” (Hos. 14:4).
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Lord, we pray our hearts to be completely inclined toward you. We are sorry for when we forget or take for granted your faithfulness, your passion, your divine love, and your plan for your people. We seek the desire to be dependent on you. We ask that you bend our wills to answer and serve in obedience. Open our ears to hear you calling us home. If necessary, may we be humbled in order to see clearly. We repent of our unfaithfulness and continual role in your heartbreak. We thank you for your dogged pursuit of your people as seen in Hosea. Forgive us for when it is not reciprocated. All glory and thanksgiving to you, O God. Amen.