The Wayward Ones

A tragic and true story about being lost but found, redeemed & reconciled as found in the story of Hosea.

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The Background

During the reign of Jeroboam II, the northern kingdom of Israel had prospered materially but spiritually they were far from God as they turned away from their vows to the one true God. They allowed the immoral behavior and idolatrous religion from the Canaanites into their hearts and the land.

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Hosea called to a difficult and extraordinary life

Hosea 1:2 – When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 

Just as God commanded Hosea, he obeyed God and married a woman that would be unfaithful and have children that were probably not his. She chose the evil desires in her heart and lived a life away from her husband. It is so hard to imagine what Hosea was feeling – told by God to marry a woman that would be unfaithful, reject him, and turn her back on him.

Perhaps God placed an adulterous wife in Hosea’s life so that he would feel God’s pain and understand the way God felt when His chosen people turned their back in Him and broke their vow to Him. When we are fully focused on God, we are aware of what breaks His heart and are more likely to take a step toward reconciliation and showing Christ’s love to others in a bold way without question. In his case, it was to prophesied to a nation that had broken its most important vow.

I admire Hosea because he did it, he listened to God despite knowing the pain and rejection he knew he would feel in his life. He was bold. He chose to believe that God would redeem the future even if he never witnessed God’s purpose being revealed in his lifetime.

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Lost but Found

Just in reading the first chapter in Hosea we know that the nation is in a deprived state. When we turn our back on God, we find the path we become lost on. It may be full of heartache, trials and destruction, but it’s because God loves you so deeply. He wants you to turn back to Him and sometimes it takes the maximum amount of deprivation to cause pain and discomfort in your life to get you running back to His arms.

Hosea 2:6-7 – Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them.

Then she will say,

    ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’

God wants a relationship with you and He desires you to love Him as much as He loves you. He wants you to choose Him over everything and anyone else in your life. Just as you would respect, love and honor your spouse, He desires for you to have this kind of love and commitment relationship with Him.

Hosea 2:14-16 “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.” “In that day,” declares the Lord, you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.

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Redeemed and Reconciled

No matter how wayward you have become, your Heavenly Father is waiting for you to return to Him. He is waiting for you. Just like Gomer, you can be redeemed and reconciled even when you feel so unworthy. He is waiting to bathe you in righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness.

Hosea 2:19-20 I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.

 

Hosea 2:23 I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

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Questions to Ponder:

• Is God asking you to do something bold for Him?
• If so, how will you respond?
• If not, are you brave enough to ask Him how you can be bold for Him?
• Has God revealed any sin and/or idols that need to be removed from your life?

I would love to hear from you so leave a comment below or email me.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.