So as many of you know, for the past week I have been reading the novel “Redeeming Love”
It is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read, but interestingly enough, there’s another story that’s just a tad better. ..
Last night I was talking with my husband about the book Redeeming Love as it was coming to an end, sharing with him my thoughts—he mentioned a story in the Bible of the similar underlying theme, so early the next morning I woke up and studied it out for myself. I read for about an hour gathering the similarities of the book “Redeeming Love” and the book of Hosea. And this is where I want to begin.
Hosea chapter 1-3 you can read it on your own time, but here’s the summary.
First off, Hosea utterly defines the terms: merciful, forgiving and loving. He absolutely amazes me in the same way Job amazes me…and because I thought Redeeming Love was such an amazing story, when I read Hosea’s story from the Bible it impacted me much more being that it’s God’s Word. Not a fiction love story. I find that with every word I read in the Bible, it seems that it gives me either direction, faith, discipline, or sets an example. But in this case, more than setting an example of a human expressing mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love; Hosea is used to prophetically symbolize the Cross, (the Love of Christ for His people) which comes in the New Testament. There is no better love story than the Cross.
In the opening chapter of the Book of Hosea, God asks something very unusual. The LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.” Hosea 1:2 and so the prophet Hosea did as he was told, he married the harlot named Gomer. Gomer bore Hosea 3 children. 2 boys and 1 girl. The meaning of each child’s name represented God’s chastisement towards the people of Israel for being adulterous, prostitutes, and lovers of the flesh. But anways back to my story. After Gomer had 3 children with Hosea, she did exactly what God told Hosea she would do.
..she is going to be unfaithful to you; in fact, she will become nothing but a common street prostitute..
I’m sure once this started happening Hosea felt the pain of his wife being unfaithful he remembered God’s whisper…”regardless of her actions, I want you to love her anyway.”
What a challenge!! How many of us could honestly say we’d marry a person knowing they would be unfaithful to us, not once, not twice but become nothing but a common street prostitute? I think if I was asked that of myself, I’d have to refuse, but you see that is why Hosea is so great, in spite of his puzzled request, he’s obedient..something I would not have been able to follow through on…funny enough, it’s shown me a great lesson..and I’ll get to that in a minute.
Gomer is being passed from man to man, until at last she fell into the hands of a man who was unable to pay for her food and her clothing. News of his wife came to Hosea and the Lord said to him, “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…” Hosea 3:1
So Hosea went to the marketplace and as he watched Gomer being brought up and placed on the dock she was stripped of all her clothing and stood naked before the crowd…the auctioner says "let, the bidding began."
Hosea bought her with everything he had and said to her,” “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man” and so it was, Gomer was bought, was loved regardless, and was forgiven.
So you ask what makes this story better than any I’ve read? Well…
This is my story.
Maybe this is your story.
I once was like Gomer; a prostitute being passed around by one sin to another, turning from one god to another…::sigh:: a faithless human heart falling deceptive to all the attractiveness of the world..or so I thought was attractive…But someone bought me back. Someone bought you back.
He loved us…regardless of our unfaithfulness to Him...He loves us…my mind cannot wrap about His kind of love--the price he paid was more than anything Hosea could have gave, it was worth more than anything in this whole universe..and while still loving us on that day at the auction (Calvary) He said, “come back to me, I loved you from the beginning and chose to be in a relationship with you EVEN though I knew you’d turn away from me, but here I am at 33 years of age spreading my arms for you…buying you back.”…
::silence, except the sound of tears hitting the keyboard::
Jesus,
thank you.
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