The story in Hosea is one of the profoundest
revelations about marriage found anywhere in Scripture. Successful marriages
are not about perfect people living perfectly by their principles. Rather,
marriage is a covenant in which imperfect people often hurt, and humiliate one
another, yet find the grace to extend forgiveness to one another, and so allow
the redemptive power of God to transform their marriage.
“Through the tragic story of Hosea and Gomer,
God reveals both His depth and power. First of His great love for Israel, and
second His great love of the marriage bond. God describes His suffering and
pain and humiliation from Israel’s unfaithfulness, and disobedience to Him.
Hosea suffers from the same humiliation from his wife’s unfaithfulness. But God
shows him how the marriage can be saved through suffering and forgiveness”.-
Jack Hayford in Confronting a Fallen World with Hope
God loves us even when we mess up. But He loves us
enough to allow us to learn from our mistakes. Hosea is a lesson in the cycle
of sin – judgment – salvation. That same cycle continues to this day. Only God can release the power of sin and the grave
that takes hold of us: “I will deliver this people from the power
of the grave; I will
redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? - Hosea 13:14
More than that, we are then found to be false
witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from
the dead. But he did not raise
him if in fact the dead are not raised. - 1 Corinthians 15:15 God's love never fails. Read 14:4 and 9.
Praise God that His love lasts forever and we can be
recipients of His great grace!
