One of the most amazing stories in the Old Testament is the story of Hosea. In the beginning of this prophetic book God tells Hosea to go and marry a prostitute. This relationship between Hosea, the prostitute named Gomer and they're children are going to be an analogy between God and his relationship with his unfaithful people Israel.
It really makes you think about what people must have thought to see Hosea, a good and righteous man, go out and propose marriage to a known prostitute! You know people tried to talk him out of it. You know people probably thought he was crazy or worse. But, by doing this God was trying to point to his relationship with Israel. That though God deserved loyalty and faithfulness, what he got was spiritual adultery and illegitimate children. In fact, he compares Israel and Judah's loyalty to the morning mist and the dew on the ground. Hosea 6:4
For me, the most amazing part comes in Hosea 3. Something has happened, but we are not told all the details. Gomer has left the marriage and found herself being sold into slavery. Maybe she had an outstanding debt or simply wandered off and gotten mixed up in some kind of trouble. You can imagine if you knew your spouse had been unfaithful and then gotten into legal trouble. You might be tempted to let the person reap the consequences. But, here in verses 1 and 2 of Hoses 3, God tells Hosea to buy her back. This is a picture of the absurd and radical forgiveness and redemption of God towards those he loves.
If Hosea is the picture of God here, then he has every reason in the world to leave Gomer where she is. Nobody would expect for him to buy her back. She has created her own mess and Hosea doesn't owe her a thing. All he has done is been kind to her and she turned on that love. Everyone has reminded Hosea they told him, "What do you expect? She is a prostitute after all. You can't expect her to be faithful. We told you so." That's what I imagine Hosea had heard that day. There is his wife on full display at the slavery auction. Then, Hosea does the thing that nobody expects. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out fifteen shekels of silver and some barley for trade and buys her back. This is love and compassion so great that it is almost unheard of, radical and almost embarrasing to watch.
God is sometimes accused of being the God of wrath in the Old Testament, while being the God of love in the New. But, here is a vivid picture demonstrated in the live of Hosea of love. Over and over again, God accuses the people of Judah of spiritual unfaithfulness and dealing treacherously against him. Yet, God is so willing to forgive that he is willing to reach out at the slightest need of his people. His holiness demands that he judge the sin in the lives of his people. But, the yearning of his heart is to redeem and forgive.
I think this is a good reminder to us of how anxious God is to forgive and redeem us as well. We don't really deserve it anymore than Gomer did. The Bible tells us that we were helpless to redeem ourselves and dead in trespasses and sins. That is all of us. The debt was one that we couldn't pay any more than Gomer could.
