The start of the minor prophets. I will fly through these. so to start…… here is one.. and I know they all seem to have the same message…… repent and change or else.. but that is the way it was back then.. people were so bad, then needed to hear it.. but sadly.. ignored it..
Hosea’s message is also one of warning to those who would turn their backs on God’s love.
God commands Hosea to marry Gomer (who was a prostitute), but after bearing him three children, she walks away from Hosea to her lovers. The symbolic emphasis can be seen clearly in the first chapter as Hosea compares Israel’s actions to turning from a marriage to life as a prostitute. The second section contains Hosea’s denunciation (A denunciation is a public reprimand in which you are told that you've done wrong) of the Israelites, but followed by the promises and the mercies of God. Everyone was back to idolatry, and messing up and doing wrong, at this point, everyone had forgotten about God and what he had done for them. Gomer, his wife, included, she left her husband and went out to find excitement within the evil world with other men. Hosea loved her, but she wouldn’t stay, hmmm same as the world today.. God loves us, but people reject him. This gave Hosea a deep insight into the way God feels when His own people are unfaithful to Him. Well God has a loving forgiving heart. In this story you will see that Gomer is going downhill fast. She is now at the point of no return, washed up and used, she has been sold as a slave at this point and as bad as she was, Hosea goes and finds her because he still loves her, brings her back into his life - with a few new rules I would say. So he takes her back and life goes on. I’m thinking at this point Gomer is thankful and realizes that what Hosea is preaching is something she should adhere to too! Forgiveness.. and Love.. that is what God is all about too. Of course punishment for wrongdoing is indeed necessary, but when you read this you will understand that the purpose of punishment is not to meet the demands of justice, but rather to restore the ones who have done wrong. This can be achieved with everyone, wrongdoers themselves can recognize the error of their ways and then repent and turn from their evil paths or way.. Then God forgives, pretty simple. Hosea preached this day in and day out, that was his purpose as a prophet.
The Book of Hosea assures us of God’s unconditional love for His people. But it is also a picture of how God is dishonored and angered by the actions of His children. How can a child who is given an abundance of love, mercy, and grace treat a Father with so much disrespect? Yet, we have done just that for centuries. As we consider how the Israelites turned their backs on God, we need to look no further than the mirror in front of us to see a reflection of those same Israelites.
Only by remembering how much God has done for each us will we be able to avoid rejecting the One who can give us eternal life in Glory instead of the Hell we deserve. It is essential that we learn to respect our Creator. Hosea has shown us that when we do make a mistake, if we have a sorrowful heart and a promise of repentance then God will again show His never-ending love to us. Read it someday.. you will see..
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