“The LORD said to me again, ‘Go,
show your love to a woman loved by someone else, who has been unfaithful to
you. In the same way the LORD loves the people of Israel, even though they
worship other gods and love to eat the raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for six
ounces of silver and ten bushels of barley. Then I told her, ‘You must wait for
me for many days. You must not be a prostitute, and you must not have sexual
relations with any other man. I will act the same way toward you.’ In the same
way Israel will live many days without a king or leader, without sacrifices or
holy stone pillars, and without the holy vest or an idol. After this, the
people of Israel will return to the LORD their God and follow him and the king
from David's family. In the last days, they will turn in fear to the LORD, and
he will bless them Hosea
3:1-5, NCV.
"Friend to Friend
True
love is strong, unconditional – God’s love – a love that we cannot understand
or explain in human terms. The life of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea,
powerfully illustrates this kind of love. Hosea was married to Gomer and
together they had three children. Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea, betraying the
covenant of marriage. Hosea had every right to walk away, but love that never
fails calls us up to higher choices that are beyond human reasoning.
Supernatural choices demand supernatural action and sacrifice.
“So I
bought her for six ounces of silver and ten bushels of barley.” (Hosea
3:2 NCV)
Think
about it. Hosea was the one who had been wronged and humiliated. Yes, he was
the one following God but he was also the one called to sacrifice. We
misunderstand the full meaning of sacrifice, thinking it is only a decision to
‘give up’ self-centered rights, hoarded resources or the freedom to walk away.
Sacrifice is a mirror reflecting our own pride and sin, calling us to lay down
all sense of human justice or fairness in order for God to work in and through
us to love others. What sacrifices did God call Hosea to make?
Hosea
had to sacrifice his pride.
The
phrase ‘Loved by another,’ suggests Gomer was owned by a family friend or
fellow citizen. She may have been
sleeping with one or more of Hosea’s friends or, at the very least, one of his
neighbors. Hosea had to swallow his pride and go to her in love and
forgiveness. Now let me just tell you that if I had been the one going to find
Gomer, I would have been more likely to snatch her up by the hair and drag her
home in front of as many people as possible to prove she could not get away
with what she was doing. Better yet, I would have said, ‘Good riddance. You can
keep her!’ I am certain I could find many who would agree with my plan of
punishment and revenge. It seems to me that Hosea stood to gain very little but
lose a great deal by choosing to respond as he did. Hosea was called on to
sacrifice everything to redeem a woman who did not deserve sacrifice or
redemption. Jesus did the same thing for us when He died on the cross. He now calls
us to respond with that same God-like heart attitude of redemption.
Hosea
had to sacrifice his rights.
Gomer
broke the covenant of marriage. Don’t miss this pivotal truth. Biblically,
Hosea had every justification to divorce Gomer. He could have tossed her out
and turned her children against her, stripping her life of every good thing.
Hosea could have destroyed Gomer, and no one would have blamed him. Instead,
Hosea rose to a higher place when he laid down his anger, hurt and the right to
retaliate or seek revenge. It doesn’t stop there.
Hosea
took the initiative and went to her. Matthew describes a forgiveness we find
hard to understand. ‘So if you are standing before the altar
in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that
someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar.
Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God'
(Matthew 5:23, NLT). Notice what this
verse says. If we know someone has something against us and we refuse to deal
with it, nothing we do or say will count in Kingdom work. God always seeks
restoration and reconciliation and commands us to look past what seems like a
logical reaction to the highest obedience we can offer.
There is one more
very important step in learning to truly forgive. Don’t miss the rest of Hosea
and Gomer’s story in Thursday’s devotion.
Let’s Pray
Father,
I am so tired of holding on to the pain in my life. I want to forgive those who
have hurt me and learn how to let go of the pain and walk on. Today, I lay down
my pride and my rights. I will not seek revenge or retaliation. Instead, I choose to
love my enemies and bless those who have harmed me. Please give me the strength
and power to honor you as I step out in obedience.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
(Luke 11:2-4 NKJV)
“So He said to them, ‘When
you pray, say:
Our
Father in heaven,
Hollowed
by Your name.
Your
kingdom come.
Your
will be done
On
earth as it is in heaven.
Give us
day by day our daily bread.
And
forgive us our sins,
For we
also forgive everyone
Who is
indebted to us.
And do
not lead us into temptation
But
deliver us from the evil one.”
THE
POWER OF FORGIVENESS PART 2
by Mary Southerland
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