This week’s Old Testament reading from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, comes from the prophet Hosea. Hosea lived during the 8th century BC, and his ministry was primarily to the Northern Kingdom. His home life was not a happy one, as his wife Gomer was repeatedly unfaithful to him. The Lord spoke through Hosea’s messages, using his wife’s adulteries as a picture to show the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel to God, with their repeated worship of the false gods of the neighboring countries. Let’s take a look at this portion of Scripture from the prophet Hosea, and see what we can learn for our lives today.
Throughout Scripture the Lord compares a believer’s relationship to Him as like a marriage, and He wants His people to be faithful to Him. Worshipping other gods instead of Yahweh, or even in addition to Him is spiritual adultery, and is strongly condemned. God wants us to be faithful to Him. It hurts Him to see us wander away. However, when we do, God will discipline us. He doesn’t enjoy afflicting us (vs. 15). When we don’t pay attention to His Word, God allows afflictions in order to get our attention, and try to direct us back to Him. Afflictions may be the only warning we will pay attention to.
As chapter 6 of the Book of Hosea opens, the prophet is speaking the words of the people of Israel (vs. 1-3). They talk of returning to the Lord. However, for most of the people, this does not represent genuine repentance. They did not truly turn from their idols, nor repent of their sin and honestly change. They were only interested in Yahweh for the material blessings. How many people could this be said of today? How many people make a profession of faith in God, only with the hopes that He will then send them riches. This is the basis of many of the preachers of the “prosperity gospel”.
In verses 4-6 the prophet Hosea now speaks as the voice of God. God knew that for most of the people, their worship of Him was just lip service and meaningless sacrifices. Their worship was not true and heartfelt, or with genuine repentance. The people’s profession of faith and loyalty to God, like the mist and dew, evaporated easily, and had no substance (vs. 4). They had the outward appearance of faith, but they were not truly committed. These people would soon turn back to their wicked ways. Their faithfulness and loyalty to Yahweh was fleeting and superficial. God does not like half-hearted commitment (Revelation 3:15-16). He wants our whole heart.
Just as in the days of the prophets, God continues to send His messengers, but it is often to no avail. As the Lord states in verse 6, He does not want our half-hearted religious rituals. We aren’t impressing God with any special religious activities that we go through, if our hearts aren’t right with Him. Our religious activity is only helpful if the people performing them carry them out with an attitude of love and obedience to God. Otherwise, these rituals are an empty mockery to Him. God wants our hearts to be filled with love and be on fire for Him.
Reading through the whole book of Hosea, we see how heartbroken he was over his unfaithful wife, Gomer. We see how many times he sought her out in love, to bring her back to himself and their children. Even when Gomer had gotten herself into a real mess, and was going to be sold as a slave, Hosea went and paid the price to redeem her back, despite the laughter of those who saw all this. In a similar way God is heartbroken over His faithless people. Let us return to the Lord in true love and faithfulness. As another of the prophets of old tell us, let us seek the Lord while He may be found, and forsake our wicked ways (Isaiah 55:6-7).
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