“Plead with your mother,
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband—
that she put away her whoring..,
and her adultery from between her breasts;
lest I strip her naked..,
and make her like a wilderness,..
like a parched land,
and kill her with thirst.
Upon her children also I will have no mercy…
For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me bread and water,
wool and flax, oil and drink.’
Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but not find them…
And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, wine, and oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
Therefore I will take back
my grain..,
and my wine..,
and I will take away my wool and flax,
which were to cover her nakedness.
Now I will uncover her lewdness
in the sight of her lovers…
And I will put an end to all her mirth,..
and all her appointed feasts.
And I will lay waste her vines and fig trees…
And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them…
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the Lord.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope…
“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness…
“And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” Hosea 2:2-15,19-20,23
The willful and defiant Gomer whom Hosea took for his wife depicted Israel in all her rebellion against God. In a beautiful message of mercy meeting depravity, the prophet describes the devastating consequences of sin against God being conquered by His love. Naked, parched, hungry, lost, she was destitute, forsaken, helpless. Only divine affection could lure her back and transform such emptiness to fulfillment and the shame and separation of her spiritual harlotry to faithful covenant betrothal. (Hosea 1:2-9; 4:6-14)
“Great is your mercy, O Lord,” Psalm 119:156a
The horrors of sin magnify the exquisite splendor of God’s mercy. The trouble with men is we seldom recognize our depravity- the entrenched idolatry, insidious greed, stubborn pride, willful rebellion against God’s lead that sap true life. When the Word calls it out, we squirm, make excuses, justify, and compare, rather than agreeing with the Almighty. We hide shame rather than bringing it to Calvary for cleansing.
Am I languishing in certain areas because of unconfessed sin? What deep-rooted bitterness, dark habit, or raw selfishness has depleted joy and needs the light of Calvary? When will I be honest and return humbly to the Lord?
“My sins they are great but his mercy is more.” ~Matt Boswell and Matt Papa (2016)
Merciful Lord, compel me daily to press on to know You and make Your mercies known. (Hosea 6:3)
As the rain and snow 