God's Restoring Love

Hosea 2:14-23

An adulterous wife leaves her husband to run off with her many lovers.  She then finds herself in a mess of trouble and is sold on the open slave market. Who comes to buy her back, but her forsaken and estranged husband. While you might think I am describing an episode on a soap opera or a Hollywood movie, this is in fact the background story of the book of Hosea the prophet.

Hosea had married a woman named Gomer, who was unfaithful to him from the start.  She leaves him, and is eventually sold as a slave. God used the tragic events in Hosea’s life to picture what was happening spiritually with the nation of Israel and their relationship with God.  Throughout Scriptures God frequently pictured His relationship with His people to that of a husband and wife. The people were “married” to Him, and they were to be faithful, just as He is faithful.  Instead, the people of Israel continued repeatedly to forsake God and run after the other false gods of the nations around them. God called this spiritual adultery.

Gomer was not unfaithful to Hosea just once or twice, but repeatedly.  Most husbands would have divorced their unfaithful wife after this. However, Hosea deeply loved his wife, despite the pain and heartbreak she caused.  Again this is a picture of God’s love for His straying and unfaithful people. Hosea tried repeatedly to woo his wife back, just like the Lord does. This is where we pick up our passage today from the Book of Hosea.

When a man tries to woo a woman to himself he doesn’t use harsh or critical words.  Instead, he speaks words of love. That is how God is with us (vs 14). He wishes to restore His people to Himself. Sometimes, though, He must take us into the wilderness to lead us back to Him. God will use our negative experiences to help draw us to Him.

When Hosea came across his unfaithful wife now upon the slave auction block to be sold, and he bought her, he was now technically also her master.  That was not what he wanted, though. He wanted to be her husband. A husband should be loving, caring, and tender, whereas a master often rules harshly. That’s the way God wants to be with us - loving, caring, and tender (vs 16).

Israel had forgotten her true God (vs 17).  Now God says they will forget the false gods that they have been running after.  He will give them a new, regenerated heart with the New Covenant, through Jesus. What false gods, whether literal or figurative, have lured us away from Yahweh?  He wants us to forget their names, return to Him, and be faithful.

A “betrothal” is another word for wedding engagement.  In Biblical days, and actually until just a century or two ago, betrothals were much more serious than today.  In most cases they were just as binding as a marriage. God has betrothed us to Himself forever (vs 19-20). This shows the intensity of His restoring love for His people. No longer is she an adulterous prostitute, she is restored to her marriage. God provides her dowry and all she needs. When we turn away from God, He doesn’t wait for us to decide to return to Him. He eagerly pursues us to be reunited to Him.

When we think of what the unfaithful wife deserves, we may think she deserves to be sold into slavery.  We may think Hosea deserves a better, more loving wife. By the same token, what do we deserve from God?  We are all wretched sinners who deserve hell. What did God do, though? He bought us back from the slavery to sin with the Blood of Jesus.  He bought us, cleaned us up, and we are His forever. Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior, and gone from being a slave into His loving arms?  Do not hesitate a moment longer!