Why did God allow that pain to take place? Why did He lead you into that valley of suffering? Why did He direct you to do something that on the surface looked unwise at the least and so traumatic at its worst? Do you think similar questions?
“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, 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.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” (Hosea 1 v 2-3)
Hosea experienced promiscuity against him before he began to speak about the promiscuity against God.
The context was simply this: the northern kingdom rebelled against God led by King Jeroboam who set up 2 golden calves and the people of God stopped worshipping Him and started worshipping Baal and Asherah. God had a message for them and He chose Hosea to deliver that message but first this prophet had to go on a journey to truly understand and feel this message.
So Hosea marries a prostitute. How does he explain this? Why does he have to do this? Why couldn’t he just speak the message from God? Will we ever know? But pause for a moment.
No doubt she promised him her undivided affection when they married. She was going to stop being a prostitute and she made a commitment to Hosea that he would be her man. And why wouldn’t she? For she probably had never had such an unbelievable offer.
We don’t know why she had become a prostitute. We don’t know the pain behind her life but there probably was. Men had come to her for one thing and it wasn’t to set up a home for her. She was living in the worst scenario, a world that pretended to give her love but just took from her. She was a sinner but she was also sinned against. She was abused and had little dignity left. Then one day ‘Salvation/Hosea’ came along and promised her a new life!
That day a saviour came to her to rescue her from the place and pain of unfaithfulness. What a day of rejoicing that was as it was for us!
The story will continue and soon Hosea will see the full extent and power of salvation and what is the heart of God for all people who rebel and turn from Him.
But for today we pause and we are thankful for the salvation that He continues to pour out on this world. The Great Rescuer continues to save men and women from places of despair. He did it for Gomer and for us and He still does it for others! Let us rejoice!
Missions Paul 