Hosea 1:2-3, Hosea 3:1, Hosea 14:1-2

Liz Dumain reflects on a God who welcomes us with open arms, no matter what.

Liz Dumain

Think back to the first time you heard from God, or encountered God, or heard something about Him. What was it like?

Maybe that moment is yet to come - in which case I wonder what you think it will be like?

We all carry so many preconceptions about what God is like and what it's like when He speaks.

One of the prophets in the Bible got a huge shock when God spoke to him for the first time. It wasn't what he was expecting at all.

'When the Lord began to speak through Hosea the Lord said to him "Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her."' Hosea 1:2

I'm guessing that was not what Hosea was expecting and it was going to take some explaining to his friends.

Why would God ask his prophet to do that? We only need to look to the end of the verse:

'For like an adulterous wife, this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.'

Ouch.

God's people were deserting him, worshipping other gods, drifting away or turning their backs on him, letting other things become more important. God says it's just like the promiscuous woman that Hosea had been instructed to marry.

So what does Hosea the prophet do?

'So he married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived, and bore him a son.' Hosea 1:3

God tells Hosea to do something that was unexpected and unwanted. Hosea loves God and he obeys him, even though it may cost him everything. Hosea and his wife have two children who God tells Hosea to call 'not loved' and 'not my people'. The situation was serious. God explains that this marriage is a picture of the behaviour of his people. They are cheating on Him and because of that they are in trouble.

It's easy to think this is a terrible woman, who cruelly cheats on her ever-loving husband, while ignoring the fact that we can be just like this. Maybe not with people, but definitely with God. Sometimes we're really close to Him, other times letting all kinds of other stuff get in the way. Sometimes focussed on Him, other times distracted and distant. Sometimes following Him, other times deliberately choosing to live our lives in a way that we know God doesn't want. Sometimes accidently breaking His heart and at other times stamping on it.