Louise and Robert McEvoy

Hosea 3:1-3
The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

Reflection:
Hosea has the hardest assignment given to any prophet in the entire Old Testament.  The other prophets get off easy compared to him. Go up against Pharaoh, lead my people out of Egypt and part the Red Sea. No problem. Preach until you are blue in the face about the consequences of disobedience.  Got it. Need you to marry a person of ill-repute. Excuse me? What did you say, God? Come again? In Hosea 1:2, God instructs Hosea to go and marry a “promiscuous woman” (NIV)… “wife of harlotry” (NKJV)… “wife of whoredom” (NRSV)… “a prostitute” (CEB). You get the picture.

Hosea is an obedient, holy man and does what he is told (insert gossipy whispers). He marries Gomer, like God instructed, and they have several children. At this point in the story, outsiders can see that Gomer has EVERYTHING a woman at that time would want — a husband, male children, a home. Yet, after a few years she leaves him, the children, and the life they have together and returns to her former life of prostitution. As much as we may want to try to figure out why Gomer did it with our 21st Century minds, we will never know why she walked away from this seemingly perfect life. Why do any of us stray?

Remember that hard assignment I mentioned in the beginning? That was only Part I.  The hardest part of the assignment comes in Part 2 when God tells Hosea to love his adulterous wife again. That’s right — Hosea is asked to be as faithful and unwavering as God is, even with the most intimate of betrayals. As Hosea’s actions in redeeming his wife demonstrate, God’s loving-kindness is greater than whatever sin you have committed, greater than however far you have strayed, greater than how often or how badly you have shown absolute disobedience. God wants you, God loves you, and God is willing to enter into the covenant relationship with you once again. And actually, God never left – we are the ones who leave. God’s character is one of faithfulness and does not depend on our own personal righteousness. God is always faithful.

Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thanks for never breaking the covenant you made with Abraham.  You have never failed us.  You remain so very loyal and faithful. Even as we continue to break the covenant on our end, your steadfast love endures forever. Thank you for constantly being there for us. May this knowledge help us be more faithful to you. In Jesus’ powerful name we pray. Amen.