Introduction to: A Whoriffic Love For God
If it ever happened in today’s Christian church it would travel the gossip line right across the country. Today’s 21st century Pharisees would shake their heads in disgust and others who didn’t know the context of the tale would add false but juicy tid-bits as tongues wagged from East to West: PASTOR MARRIES PROSTITUTE.
This is the framework for the book of Hosea. God told Hosea that it was time to get married. And God said: “Hosea, I got just the girl picked out for you”. How good is that when the maker of the very first woman, who was custom made for Adam, picked out just the right mate for Hosea … so he thought. God told Hosea: “Her name is Gomer and she’s beautiful (Hosea’s heart is about to burst) and one more thing, she’s a prostitute, a call girl, a hussy, a harlot, a hooker, an unfaithful shady lady”. And Hosea quickly understood that God was using Hosea’s marriage and family as an object lesson for Hosea’s audience (read 1:1-9)
Hosea knew that it was customary in the ancient Hebrew world to use symbols to communicate lessons; and, Hosea also knew that names were very important for God often used names to teach Israel certain truths.
Hosea may have been heartbroken when he returned from his various preaching assignments and the whispers around town became very loud when word got around about Gomer’s daliences and pecadillos. Gomer went from man to man without discretion. Hosea’s heart was broken time and time again; and, then God spoke again (Chapter 3)
God Embraces Us With His Tough Love When He Exposes Our Sin(Chapters 1-7)
The story: God= Hosea as Gomer= the Israelites (and us)
Jezreel (1 Kings 21) means: “God scatters”
Lo-Ruhamah means: “Not pitied (loved)”
Lo-Ammi means: “Not my people”
Some of God’s pictures …
6:4 Our love can be like the “morning mist”
7:8 We may be like a “pancake” never turned
7:9 We may be oblivious to our condition
7:11 We may have divided allegiance to God
7:16 We may be as useless as a “faulty bow”
“Sin is not only the breaking of God’s laws it is the breaking of God’s heart” (Warren Wiersbe)
• Ask God to expose your sin. Yearn to recognize your sin
God Expresses His Tough Love When He Executes Discipline On Us (Chapters 8-10)
See 8:1, 5b, 8, 10-11, 14; 9:7, 12, 14, 15b; 10:6-7, 10
* Display Hebrews 12:4-6
God’s Tough Love Exists As A Part Of His Unfailing Love For Us (Chapters 11-14)
• Display Psalm 33:5
• Display Psalm 33:22
• Display Lamentations 3:32
• Display Hosea 10:12
Lessons for life …
• God wants all of us all of the time
• Spiritual adultery happens when we love something/anything more than we love God
• Your trauma, your pain, your agony right now MAY BE God’s tough love expressed as discipline because He wants you back
• God’s unfailing love loves you just the way you are but loves you too much to leave you that way
• Repentance is the way to show God you’re serious about being a committed follower
• There will be a day of final restoration: Cyrus? Jesus? 1948? Yes but not yet … Finally the
