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Hosea 3 (ESV)

1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

 

REFLECTION:

• According to the Lord’s command, Hosea redeemed the wife who had committed adultery, walked away from him, and was now degenerated into prostitution. It is not easy to love such a woman, but only such a prophet can understand the heart of God: “the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods” (1).
• Gomer apparently lived by herself for a while. In order to earn a living, she may be sold as a slave or concubine to other men. In either case, Hosea will redeem her. The ransom is so low that Gomer is almost worthless in the eyes of others except Hosea, but Hosea still loves her as God loves Israel. No matter how deep our sinking is, God is willing to redeem and save us, so that we can be rejuvenated by Him.
• The wife who was redeemed had to accept discipline and reform before living with the Prophet (3). In the same way, the Israelites had to go through a period of discipline, that is, exile to the Gentiles (4). God wanted to keep the Israelites away from the idolatry they were passionate about. Sacrifices and pillar are part of idol worship; the ephod here is not a vest for priests, but a symbol of false god worship; household gods are like guardians of Gentile families, for the chosen people of God, It should never be placed in the home.

 

PRAYER:

Thank the Lord that although you have fallen, forsaken Him, and made Him sad many times, the Lord still loves you and finds you back. May the love of the Lord move you to repent and return to Him in awe, and receive His grace.

 

HYMN: