Faithful Love – October 7, 2019

The LORD said to me, “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

Faithful Love

Hosea was a messenger for the Lord in a dark time in the history of the nation of Israel. The Lord had shown loyal love to the Israelite people, but they turned their backs on him. They knew the only true God, but they chose to serve and worship false gods conceived in the minds of man.

But the Lord loved them. He wanted them to know and trust him. He wanted them to be his people and enjoy his blessings forever. So he sent prophets to warn them and try to win them back.

One of those prophets was Hosea. The Lord not only told Hosea what to say to people. He also commanded Hosea to live in a way that would speak a powerful message to them.

The Lord commanded Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer. She was a prostitute. She used her body in ways that offended God and mocked his gift of marriage. When Gomer married Hosea, that didn’t change. She was unfaithful to her husband, just as Israel was unfaithful to the Lord.

But the Lord told Hosea to take Gomer back and love her again. And Hosea did. He even paid a price to get her back, knowing very well that she would probably be unfaithful again.

Hosea’s life teaches us about our God’s unconditional love. We are unfaithful to the Lord every time we disobey him. Our actions reveal that we often love ourselves and our world more than the Lord.

But the Lord does not give up on us. He does not stop loving us. Jesus came to pay a price to free us from our sinful life and its deadly consequences. The price he paid was his own innocent life. He patiently brought us back to him and loved us with his perfect, selfless love.

Though we are often unfaithful, the Lord’s faithfulness never fails. His commitment never wavers. Your Lord will always love you, always forgive you, always welcome you back.

Prayer:
Lord, may your faithful love for me move me to serve and worship you faithfully. Amen.