lakandula
10-13-2007, 08:01 PM
Hosea and Gomer
I recommend reading first Hosea Chapters 1 & 2.
This is a good example that even if we reject God, He still love us and is willing to take us back.
******************** ***********
From what we can tell, Hosea's prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of Uzziah (790-739), Jotham (750-732), Ahaz (735-715), and Hezekiah (729 –686), kings of Judah. A ministry of about forty years.
As we've seen, if the Bible uses the idea of marriage to depict the intimate relationship that God seeks with His people then adultery, even whoredom, are appropriate symbols of what happens when God's people are not spiritually faithful to Him.
Of all the ways that married people can hurt each other, adultery has to be one of the worst. A married couple, through physical intimacy, creates a sacred environment that only they themselves, as one flesh, should ever enter. To violate that is to violate a sacred trust; it's to share with another what should belong only to that, couple.
The real issue, however, in the story of Hosea isn't marital infidelity; it's spiritual apostasy; it's about God's people going after other gods. Today most of us are not polytheists; we don't openly seek and worship what we believe are other divine entities (Satan knows we're too sophisticated for that). However, spiritual adultery isn't dead among us. There are numerous ways in which we can be lured into this kind of adultery, even whoredom.
All through the history of ancient Israel, the people were tempted to worship idols, images of "silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know" (Dan. 5:23). Again, we might not be tempted today to bow down and worship idols, but we can be just as easily swept away from God by things of the world that in the end do not satisfy us, that cannot meet the deepest needs of our hearts, and that cannot save us in the day of judgment (see Jer 2:27, 28).
Hosea taking back his adulterous wife mirrors the historical situation. God loves His people Israel even though they have been adulterous. This is the message delivered by Hosea in words and in action. The Israelites can accept the faithfulness of God so much more easily when they view the faithfulness of Hosea in taking back an unfaithful wife.
Consider: If God can be so forgiving of the worst sins, should we not be more supportive and accepting when a church member falls from grace? Why are some sins more difficult to forgive than others? What can we do to keep from being judgmental about the faults of others?
Consider: The word compassion means feeling with or shared emotions. When you approach someone with compassion, you cannot stand on the outside with a finger pointing at him. You need to step inside the circle of shame and hold him without reservation. In what ways does your church do this? What positive changes can we make in our church life to be more compassionate?
Consider: What is your responsibility toward a church member who you know is having difficulty with a particular temptation?
http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/07c/less12.html
I recommend reading first Hosea Chapters 1 & 2.
This is a good example that even if we reject God, He still love us and is willing to take us back.
******************** ***********
From what we can tell, Hosea's prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of Uzziah (790-739), Jotham (750-732), Ahaz (735-715), and Hezekiah (729 –686), kings of Judah. A ministry of about forty years.
As we've seen, if the Bible uses the idea of marriage to depict the intimate relationship that God seeks with His people then adultery, even whoredom, are appropriate symbols of what happens when God's people are not spiritually faithful to Him.
Of all the ways that married people can hurt each other, adultery has to be one of the worst. A married couple, through physical intimacy, creates a sacred environment that only they themselves, as one flesh, should ever enter. To violate that is to violate a sacred trust; it's to share with another what should belong only to that, couple.
The real issue, however, in the story of Hosea isn't marital infidelity; it's spiritual apostasy; it's about God's people going after other gods. Today most of us are not polytheists; we don't openly seek and worship what we believe are other divine entities (Satan knows we're too sophisticated for that). However, spiritual adultery isn't dead among us. There are numerous ways in which we can be lured into this kind of adultery, even whoredom.
All through the history of ancient Israel, the people were tempted to worship idols, images of "silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know" (Dan. 5:23). Again, we might not be tempted today to bow down and worship idols, but we can be just as easily swept away from God by things of the world that in the end do not satisfy us, that cannot meet the deepest needs of our hearts, and that cannot save us in the day of judgment (see Jer 2:27, 28).
Hosea taking back his adulterous wife mirrors the historical situation. God loves His people Israel even though they have been adulterous. This is the message delivered by Hosea in words and in action. The Israelites can accept the faithfulness of God so much more easily when they view the faithfulness of Hosea in taking back an unfaithful wife.
Consider: If God can be so forgiving of the worst sins, should we not be more supportive and accepting when a church member falls from grace? Why are some sins more difficult to forgive than others? What can we do to keep from being judgmental about the faults of others?
Consider: The word compassion means feeling with or shared emotions. When you approach someone with compassion, you cannot stand on the outside with a finger pointing at him. You need to step inside the circle of shame and hold him without reservation. In what ways does your church do this? What positive changes can we make in our church life to be more compassionate?
Consider: What is your responsibility toward a church member who you know is having difficulty with a particular temptation?
http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/07c/less12.html