A Portrait of God’s Love Through Hosea

THE AMAZING LOVE OF GOD

HIS LOVE LETTER TO YOU—The Perfect Valentine’s Day card! The Bible!

You might be wondering in your heart, “How could God love me after what I’ve been
through” to “how could God love me after I all have done?” The truth is—God loves
you unconditionally and sent His Son Jesus to redeem mankind through the finished
work on the Cross of Calvary. His precious blood paid the high price, once and for all
for the sins of the world.

In order to understand the Book of Hosea, we must understand some background.
The name “Hosea” means “salvation.” The book is literally a message of salvation to
a spiritually bankrupt people.

Hosea is calling out to Gomer. Do you see how “Salvation” is calling out to Gomer
in the Book of Hosea? The name Gomer means complete, so every time Hosea calls
her by name, he is calling her complete. The Bible tells us to call things that aren’t
as they are already—He is still doing that today. God is calling out to us through the
gift of Jesus, our salvation, so we can be made whole in Him. God sees us through the
finished work on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus shed His precious blood for you
and me. He arose three days later and is seated at the right hand of the Father, still
interceding for us today. His resurrection power is still available today! You can read
about it in my latest book: A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days at the Mercy Seat)—the story of
all the miracles in my precious husband’s life and how God used different people in the
process.

The story of the Prophet Hosea and his troubled relationship in marriage are a
powerful testimony to us of our own tendencies to be unfaithful to God. It is also a
beautiful portrait of the passionate love God has for us. You can only imagine and fill
in some of the details, probably based on what you have experienced in life yourself.

Let’s start with what the Bible says first. Hosea receives an unusual instruction from
God: “”Go, take a harlot wife and harlot’s children, for the land gives itself to harlotry,
turning away from the LORD. So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim”
(Hosea 1:2).

Another version reads: “Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of
promiscuity, for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the LORD. So he
went and married Gomer daughter of Dibliam, and she conceived and bore him a son”
(Hosea 1:2-3 HOLMAN CSB).

With Valentine’s Day approaching, you might be feeling a little frustrated for
various reasons. You may be married and feel you are lacking romance. You may be
divorced and feel you have waited too long to find love again. You may be a widow
and missing your spouse. You may be single and looking for love. Valentine’s Day
can feel a little frustrating for some if we have our hopes and dreams in a person or

in an unrealistic expectation.

The only love that never leaves you frustrated is the love of Jesus Christ. Many
are moaning and heartbroken over a lack of romance to being frustrated with not
finding their Mr. or Mrs. Right.

If you will think with me for a moment, Hollywood gives us a view of what looking
for love in all the wrong places looks like on a long-term basis. Most relationships
don’t last. Actually, Hollywood sets people up to expect far beyond reality. Have you
ever thought that maybe, just maybe, part of the problem is we’re looking to the
wrong relationship to fill the empty place in our hearts where we have a longing to
be loved and pursued?

God gives us a passionate example of His relationship with us and He chose
marriage as the metaphor. You have most likely heard me say this before or read in
GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE how I share about God using marriage as a metaphor
of our relationship with Jesus. Marriage is a beautiful portrait of the amazing love of
God that He desires that we experience in Him.

The Book of Solomon portrays a beautiful love story. However, when we move
to the Book of Hosea, we find a very different story. It’s not a perfect relationship
with roses and young love. It is definitely not a picture of wholeness and fidelity.
God chose this relationship that is lacking, broken and filled with infidelity—the
marriage of the prophet Hosea and Gomer, who behaved as a prostitute, to reveal a
much bigger picture to you and I of His redemptive love.

You might be surprised if you have never read the Book of Hosea when you pay
attention to what the Lord said:

“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, He said to him, ‘Go and
marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution.
This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD
and worshiping other gods’ (Hosea 1:2).

This might sound a little strange to you and it will certainly get your attention. It is
the love of God that constrains us. He captures us through His amazing redemptive
love and then we are captivated for the rest of our lives as we abide in His sweet
presence through fellowship.

God saw the problem. He sees all. God uses the marriage to paint a beautifully
illustrated portrait of a life filled with fractures and problems, yet the divine and
amazing love of the Father God and His pursuit of His children.

At some point in everyone’s life, we have all behaved much like Gomer in some area.
Even with all our junk, God still loves us and desires to be in relationship with us.
That is an amazing love, my friend. All have acted like prostitutes in turning from
God in one area or another at some point in time.

We find a literal marriage illustration in the first three chapters of Hosea of God’s
relationship with us.

The Blood of Jesus paid for all the sins of the whole world. This was before we
were actually born. God is obviously showing His extraordinary love and grace. He
continues to take His people back even when they betray Him. This is a beautiful
illustration of the redemptive love of God. He will ask Hosea to take Gomer back
time and time again. God continues to pursue.

No matter what we have done, no matter how sinful we are in the eyes of God, He
still pursues us because of WHO HE IS and who He has designed us to be through
His Son Jesus. It’s because of His Mercy and Grace!

Even when we run away from Him, God still pursues us. He sets our days with divine
interruptions so that we can’t help but see His amazing love that is waiting.

He draws us through His everlasting love. He calls out to us. Even when we are full
of pain, hurt and even anger, He still knows exactly where we are and wants to bring
total healing. He wants to make us whole or complete in Him.

I must tell you, just like Hosea, God is still pursing His children—like a faithful
husband who pursues a wife he adores and loves. This is a greater picture than I
have ever seen on any Valentine’s Day card—and it is the only love that can fill the
void that was placed in you and I in the first place. It is a place for God. It is the only
place where all our needs can be truly met.

While many are running to dating services, some are going to bars to look for Mr. or
Mrs. Right. Some are going to church, not to seek the Lord, but to find a mate. We’re
often looking for a relationship to fill the deepest need that can only be filled by God.
All have been created to need love and be pursued. All need affirmation.

Stop looking in all the wrong places for love, and learn to be amazed by God’s
love. In the process, you may also meet a great person here on earth that loves
God and you too. God knows how to orchestrate the days of our lives and bring a
special person across our path for destiny. First and foremost our most important
relationship will be with Jesus, our beloved.

Ultimately, Jesus is the greatest love you will ever find and receive. His love
overshadows every hurt and longing of your soul. It is the most magnificent love
that goes beyond what words can describe. It is the greatest romance and the BIBLE
is God’s love letter to us all. God goes to extraordinary measures to reveal Himself to
ordinary people—that includes us all!

HE LOVES YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE!