Hey Fam! It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, God has been rocking me these last 5 months. And I specifically wanted you guys to hear about THIS : ).
Hosea -> The prophet, went out and Married a prostitute, Loved her, nurtured her, had a family with her. Her -> Gomer, a woman who knew no love, who did NOT have any respect for herself, whose only concept of love or respect was being sold to men in a sex slave trade to a man with the highest bidder.
But Hosea changed her circumstances, she was now loved, accepted, purposed, respected, even CHERISHED and DESIRED, lets say EVEN DELIGHTED in. : ) Gomer struck extreme fortune, could it be possible. She now knew and experienced things that before she only dreamt of, a family, a husband, acceptance and love. REAL love.
Nice Story Right?
BUT Gomer left. She left her kids, left love, left her home. She new it was available of course, she had been introduced to it. But love to her was new, unfamiliar, even years after leaving the sex trade. Again, She went back, left her family and loving husband, she went to the trade block, got back into familiar chains (there was comfort there somehow), stripped naked and was there to be sold to the man with the most money, but lacking love, respect and acceptance. Sold just to USE her, for a twisted type of attention. She chose that.
She chose that.
Why? Was she so used to the old ways that she couldn’t transition? Did she not realize how much better life with Hosea was? How loved she was? Maybe she didn’t believe she deserved it? Maybe she thought this love was “unbelievable”, incomprehensible? Maybe her own rubble was more comfortable to opening up to love? It really could be all of the above.
It’s confusing, even more so is Hosea’s response. He went after her, not in a heat of anger, but in COMPLETE, UNCONDITIONAL, LAVISHING LOVE. He walked to whore house and paid the most money to BUY his WIFE back. How odd? Our thought would be, “Gosh Hosea, move on, date a girl from church, date some one not so broken, and not so bent on being broken.” But he didn’t listen to us, He bought her, not so she could be a slave, but so she could finally be free, He loved her, He literally LAVISHED love and freedom over her until she grasped that she is His. Until she gets this life, this love, until she knows inside and out that it’s hers. She is LOVED and CHERISHED and DESIRED and DELIGHTED in. She is the apple of his eye.
We don’t know if Gomer went back to the sex slave trade again, but I can guess how Hosea would respond if she did, He would again buy her back and love her.
Incase you haven’t read Hosea, it is a historical real-life analogy, that mirrors Us and God. We were deep into prostituting ourselves to anything, even if we get no respect acceptance or love from it. Even if it’s so obviously wrong. We go back. But God, not in Anger but in COMPLETE LOVE, went to the whore house and clothed us, welcomed us back home, and taught us gently about love, He made us his bride, his sons his daughters. We are HIS…..and yet, We go back. Back to the abuse, to the disrespect, to no love, to no life, to just being used by this world.
WE chose that. We CHOOSE that.
God’s response, He walks in, and loves us. LAVISHLY, as in over the top, as in so odd for that type of situation it sticks out. It Doesn’t matter how often we go back, how long, He LOVES us. thoroughly. Again, and Again, Again. Again. Ppl may ask, “God why are you spending so much time at the whore house? You don’t belong there right? That’s where the sinners are, thats where SIN is.”
He simply replies, “This is exactly where I belong, With my wife, and I’m loving my beautiful bride back home.”
Have a Great day!
Jake
For a quick read through check out Hosea 1 and Hosea 14. The bookends of the book.
PS Medschool is going great : ) I’m alive, surviving. Blessed abundantly. It’s hard but great.
X
