When you encounter tough passages in the Bible, it can hit you impact you in different ways. In some cases, this is why a lot of my non-Christian friends end up that way. They perceive a false dichotomy between the angry God of the Old Testament and the gracious God of the New Testament.
It’s also entirely possible to wrongly perceive that there are contradictions in the Bible; in which the Bible might command one thing in one place and command an opposite thing in another place. At any rate, these perceptions can be tough to reconcile…until you begin to pursue God’s heart for them.
The Book of Hosea begins with one of these apparent contradictions. God commands Hosea to marry a whore. In other portions of Scripture (Proverbs 5, for example), there is an explicit warning to stay away from women like this. While Proverbs may be using figurative language for anything that would lead you away from God, I believe there are specific, literal interpretations to passages like this.
“My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless…”
Proverbs 5:1-9
The warnings in this Proverb are clear. And I would bet that Hosea was well-acquainted with these exhortations. It must have been hard for Hosea to follow through with this, but I imagine He knew God’s heart in this situation. And that is simply this: God wants so dearly to have His people back. He is relentlessly pursuing them and they need an intimate portrait of how deeply He loves them. What a story!
So what’s the point of all this? Let’s begin this week’s study with Hosea’s response to God’s plan.
1. OBEDIENCE: We don’t have record of Hosea arguing with God. He simply obeyed. And this wasn’t a simple task. This was a lifelong, close-to-home command. I know that Hosea probably learned a lot about God’s heart in this situation, but it doesn’t mean it was without pain. Radical obedience counts the cost, but always trusts in God to deliver.
2. COMMITMENT: Hosea wasn’t just asked to give an illustration, he was asked to BE the illustration. There is no question of Hosea’s commitment to God at this point. This speaks to the participatory nature of the Gospel. There is no such thing as a servant of God merely being asked to communicate truth. We are called to LIVE the truth. It’s only at that point that we communicate truth out of the overflow of living it.
3. SURRENDER: In all practicality, Hosea gave up the rest of his life to obey this command. I don’t know a single soul that is that committed and self-sacrificing; to marry someone who will consistently turn their back on their spouse, only to return to open arms.
I don’t know where you are today, but I can say this with full assurance to the Christ-followers in the crowd. If God has saved you, He is calling you to live a life of sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Full devotion to God is sacrificing your own life to pursue the calling He has on your life.
This is my prayer today: “Lord, help me to be so radically obedient, committed, and surrendered to You today. Show me areas in my life that need these elements. Help me to see areas in which I need to LIVE the Scripture, and not just read it.”
Check out Part 2 of The Hosea Love Story that Irving Bible put together.