December 5

Hosea 1:1-3:5; 1 John 5:1-21: Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 29:5-8

Today we read about another tragic love story. As my mom put it in her November 12^th post about Ezekiel, it is a “sad, but beautiful, picture of marriage.” This time we see the Lord speak to the prophet Hosea and tell him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord” (Hos. 1:2). God is going to use the love story of Hosea and Gomer as an allegory for his love story with his people.

It really is a beautiful love story, and not just a tragic one either. This one has a happy ending. 

We see Hosea take Gomer as his wife, who then conceives three children whose names mean: "punishment is coming," "no mercy," and "not my people." Then, we see that their mother “has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink’” (Hos. 2:5).

Not a very good start to our love story. The mother is unfaithful and mistakenly pursues other lovers, men she thinks will better meet her needs. But here is where the good part starts.

Instead of Hosea casting her off, he pursues her. He woes her tenderly, he allures her (Hos. 2:14). He does not treat her as her sins deserve. He does not make her do the pursuing back to him even though she was the one who sinned. No, he goes and speaks gently to her, giving her gifts, and betrothing himself to her in love and compassion (Hos. 2:19). 

What a beautiful love story. We see that Hosea is faithful, patient, and forgiving, even when Homer is unfaithful. He woes her and buys her back, expecting that now she will be faithful to and intimate with him alone. How different our culture would look if more marriages adopted this model of forgiveness and pursuit.

Let’s go back to our allegory. This story reminds us of God’s great, great love for mankind. It reminds us of his pursuit of us no matter how many times we are unfaithful to him. In 1 John 5 we see that he also sends a child to remind us of something. But this child's name is not “no mercy" or "not my people,” but rather it is Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 Jn. 5:11). 

God’s child sends the message that we are forever pursued, forever loved, and forever redeemed from our lives of sin. Isn’t God so good to remind us of that in all these different ways in Scripture? Let us walk and live in that love story today.

- Mary Matthias

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