Obeying God When it Doesn’t Benefit Us.

Today’s reading generates some tough thoughts. A prophet of God, Hosea, is told to marry an adulterous woman and have children with her. Your first thought may be, “God, why would you ask someone to do that?” Your second thought may be, “Would I do that if God asked it of me?” The prophets were asked to do some very difficult things. Remember Isaiah walking around naked and Ezekiel had to cook his bread using waste as fuel? This marriage of Hosea’s was to show how the northern kingdom had been unfaithful to God, their “husband” and provider. God is warning them again that if they did not repent they were headed for destruction.

Hosea chooses Gomer as his wife and she gave birth to a son. God said to name him Jezreel which means “God scatters.” This represented the punishment of the house of Jehu for the massacre that happened in the Valley of Jezreel. The scripture tells us that Gomer had two more children and it is believed that these two were not conceived from Hosea. The daughter’s name Lo-Rahamah means “not loved” which indicated that God would not show love to the house of Israel. This was God’s reaction to Israel’s unfaithfulness. Then there was a son born named Lo-Ammi which means “not my people.” This is the point where the people of Israel were abandoning God and in turn he was letting them go without protection or blessing.

Think about Hosea for a few minutes. Do you think he was prepared for the pain of dealing with an adulterous wife? Betrayal is one of the most painful things in life. If you have been on the earth long you have experienced some form of betrayal. Adultery is probably the worse form of betrayal. Hosea knew going into the marriage that his wife would not be faithful. Just like God knew when he made his promises of love to the people of Israel that they would one day turn away from him. But Hosea was human. The scripture does not reveal Hosea’s feelings, but we can imagine the pain involved in his obedience. Here is the big question. Will we obey God knowing that the pain involved in obedience may only benefit others we serve and not us?

God is so faithful and merciful! Thank you Lord! Despite the Israelites (my) unfaithfulness God is still faithful and has mercy. I LOVE verse six of chapter two.

“Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.”

Can you apply this to a part of your life? I know I can and I am so thankful God had so much love for me that he would make my life so painful without him. In chapters one through seven it goes on to tell us about Israel’s spiritual adultery and the punishment they will receive.

“Woe to them, because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me.” 7:13

Not only can we learn that God’s faithfulness is eternal, we also can learn from the example of Hosea that our life is not all about us. Our purpose on earth is not to fulfill our every desire for worldly success and happiness. We may be called to love someone who is un-loveable (an enemy? Matt. 5:44) or make a marriage work that would seem to be irreconcilable. In this book of Hosea we should recognize that both God and Hosea are working to restore a covenant relationship. Our society is so quick to run to the next thing to satisfy our flesh desires. We as a society do not want to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced and certainly not offended or made to look a fool in the eyes of the world. We do not understand eternal things. But we have promises as children of God:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:3-11