“The Gospel According to Hosea”
Part 4
“A Call to Respond to Christ’s Love”
Hosea 3:1-3
Steve Hanchett, pastor
Berry Road Baptist Church
March 11, 2001
Then the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.
And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man - so too, will I be toward you.”
No sight could be more expressive of the love of Christ than the sight of Hosea pushing his way through the crowded market place to buy his wife out of slavery. Gomer had rejected his love, sullied his reputation, abandoned his home, and, most of all, broken his heart. Yet, Hosea still loved her and he acted out that love in redeeming her.
What a spectacle Gomer must have been! Stripped naked, trying desperately to cover her shame. To embarrassed to look at the crowd, she hung her head in shame. The mocking laughter, hate-filled whispers and open discussions about her value and what would be paid for her cut her soul deeply. There she stood robbed of the rings and robes she had so often depended on to make her attractive. Things couldn’t have been worse. Or could they.
As the bidding started she kept her head hung. Two shekels, five and then ten were bid. The sounds of children playing on the edges of the market mingled with the quiet whispers of the women of the city and the bartering of the men. Gomer’s mind was to confused, to afraid, to overwhelmed to hear what was being said. Suddenly, she realized that everything had fallen eerily silent. Not even a whisper could be heard. Gomer did not know that the source of the disturbing quietness was the presence of Hosea.
Finally, his voice broke through the silence. That familiar voice stirred a chorus of gasps and revived the whispering of the assembly. Hosea called out, “Fifteen shekels of silver and one and one-half homers of barley.”
Gomer knew it was Hosea. The strong voice of this prophet could not be mistaken. Now she understood the silence, the gasps and the whispering. Hosea was the last person she expected to show and yet, there he was. But, why?
Did he come to exact revenge? Was Hosea thinking, “What goes around comes around?” What was his intention? What would he do? Surely, he must be there to do her harm. Certainly, he must hate her after all she had done to him.
I suspect we often have similar thoughts about God. It is our failure to comprehend the magnitude and depth of God’s grace and mercy that keeps many people lost. When God comes near we flee in fear of what He might do.
John chapter four recounts Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. Jesus said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
If you could only see and understand what the day of grace holds out to you! If only you could grasp the intentions of God toward you! It must be as if Jesus stands over the newly dug graves of lost men and women repeating the cry He spoke over Jerusalem, “How many times I would have gathered you under my wings, but you would not.”
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). And what proceeds those words? “He will abundantly pardon.” Our comprehension of God’s grace and mercy and love are weak at best. We believe that God will act just like us. But our Hosea, our Jesus, our Savior is full of love and grace and mercy toward us.
A few weeks ago a sparrow somehow became trapped in one of the bathrooms at the church. Tom Randolph, Ernest Moore and I set out on a catch and release mission. For a few minutes it was quite a Key Stone Cops operation. The poor little bird was frantically fluttering back and forth, up and down desperate to escape the grasp of our hands. The sparrow couldn’t understand that we had no desire to do him harm, we just wanted to set him free.
We finally threw a light jacket over him, scooped him up and released him outside. I can only imagine what he was feeling as he was engulfed in darkness, clutched by human hands and carried away like a captive. That pitiful little sparrow must have been terrified. As he flew away I wondered if he thought he had shrewdly escaped, or did he realized that he had been set free?
I think some people look at God the way that sparrow looked at us. When they sense God’s pursuit they flee, afraid of the harm that He might bring them. Not realizing the tender love of God’s heart, they evade His strong hands. If we could only realize that captivity to Christ is the greatest freedom. If we only understood that even the shadows of darkness that fall across our lives are God’s way of bringing us into the light, what peace it would create in our hearts.
Had we not been successful in capturing the sparrow it would have died of starvation or loneliness in that little room, and yet, strangely enough, it wanted us to leave it alone. Maybe it believed it could devise its own way of escape. That bird was a mirror of so many people. They want God to leave them alone, even though that means sure death. They are convinced they can contrive their own salvation. Thankfully, God does not leave us alone. He seeks us out and saves us by His grace in Jesus Christ. He saves us and sets us free.
So the question we want to answer today is “When Hosea bought Gomer, what did he want from her and with her?” In answering that question we will also be answering questions about what Christ wants from us and with us.
Already in this chapter we have examined the “Condition of the Lost.” We have seen that lostness can be described with the words distance, slavery, wickedness and peril. We have also discovered the “Compassion of the Lord.” God’s love for us involved a dilemma, it inspired His deeds, and it is infused with His devotion. Then, last week we looked at the “Cost of His Love.” What did it cost Christ to love us? His precious blood.
Today I want us to see that what Christ’s has come to do is to “Call us to Return His Love.” He has come to purchase our redemption at the cost of His blood, so what must our response be? How do we return His Love? Hosea’s demands upon Gomer reflect God’s demands upon us. “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man.”
In this instruction I see three calls to us.
1. A call to repent of our sin.
2. A call to be restored in the family.
3. A call to remain in Christ.
First, there is A Call to Repent of Our Sin. Hosea is more than willing and he is obviously ready to purchase freedom for Gomer. He bankrupts his home to do so. But in doing so he requires her to change her life. She does not change prior to Hosea’s work. She does not earn her freedom (salvation) by her repentance. Instead, her repentance was to be a part of what it meant for her to receive her freedom.
Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. Repentance involves more than just feeling badly about something. While sorrow over our sin is an important part of what it means to be repentant, repentance involves more than just sorrow. To repent means that one turns away from sin. But not only does it mean one turns away from sin, it means they turn to Christ. True repentance is an act of faith.
Repentance means that you leave behind that which you have been trusting in for satisfaction, purpose, meaning and pleasure and by faith you begin to look to Christ for satisfaction, purpose, meaning and joy. You cannot practice true repentance apart from faith and you cannot exercise true faith without also repenting.
Repentance is more than just sweeping out the house. Repentance is replacing the old with the new, the evil with the good. For if you simply cast out the demon without bringing in the Spirit of God, seven worse spirits will come and inhabit the empty house.
For some time Gomer had been depending on her lovers to provide for her needs and to give her pleasure and companionship. Hosea’s only requirement was that Gomer stop seeking to have those needs met through her adultery and once again look to him to satisfy those needs.
In the same way, Christ’s call upon us to give up our sin. But that call is much deeper than simply stopping some activity. It is a call to stop seeking to have the deepest needs of our soul and spirit met through those sins. It is a call to trust Christ to meet the needs of our soul and spirit. Repentance really is a leap of faith in that we are saying, “Jesus, I am relying only on you to meet the deep needs of my life. Repentance, then, means that I no longer depend upon the sins of the flesh for happiness, joy, fulfillment, pleasure, purpose in life. Instead, in faith I turn to Christ. Then, it is in Him is seek my happiness, joy, fulfillment, pleasure, and purpose in life.
Every one of us has found ourselves feeding in the trough of this world. The devil just keeps dumping more and more slop in there for us to consume. He pours in selfishness, pride and lust. He dumps envy, hatred, and violence. Adultery, homosexuality, and vice are added to the mix and we just keep lapping it up. It is killing us! Lift up your eyes and look to the cross, look to Christ. Jesus is a “fountain of living waters.” In Him your soul will be satisfied. Do you have enough faith to believe that God bring true joy and peace to your soul?
Hosea called upon Gomer to turn from her unfaithfulness to a life of faithfulness. He demanded that she leave her impurity for a life of purity. He beckoned her to give up her rejection of him and for her to receive him as her true husband.
The first part of the answer to our question “What is it that Christ wants from us,” is He Call us to Repent of Sin. Jesus calls upon us to turn from our spiritual unfaithfulness to live a life of faithfulness to Him. He demands that we leave our impurity and live a life of purity. He beckons us to stop rejecting Him and receive Him as our spiritual husband.
In this Call to Respond to His Love we find a call to repentance. There is also A Call to be Restored to the Family. Hosea’s first pronouncement is that Gomer was to come back home and live with him for many days. He wanted her to be placed back in the position of a wife and mother. His greatest desire for her was that she would become what she was made to be.
The prodigal son came home expecting that he would be made a servant in his father’s house. He believed, rightly so, that he no longer merited the title son. He only hoped the father would let him live under his roof and eat his food. He didn’t expect to be loved. He didn’t anticipate the possibility of eating at the family table or sleeping in a comfortable bed or sharing in the families fellowship. But when he arrived home the father restored him to his position as a son in his house.
I wish we could somehow get a hold on the significance of the idea that the saved are the children of God. Certainly we are to serve our God. Our service, though, is the service of a son, not a slave. Look again at Hosea 2:16, “You will call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master.’”
We do right and well, Jesus said, when we call Him Master and Lord, but God wants us to understand the exalted position we have been given in Christ. We are the children of God! What amazing grace this is! No wonder John said in amazement, “behold, what kind of love is this, that we should be called the children of God.”
This call to be restored to the family brings to mind several concepts I think we need to consider. First, to be a part of a family is to live in a community of unconditional acceptance. Paul reminds us that we are “accepted in the Beloved.” By that he means that God accepts us, not on the basis of our personal performance, but on the basis of Christ’s work for us.
Being a part of the family also brings to mind the concept of security. Numerous times Jesus reminded his followers that if earthly fathers cared for their children and provided for their needs they could count on the heavenly Father’s love to be much deeper and substantial. As our Father God promises us that nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ. He tells us that he will provide all of our needs according to his riches in Christ.
In this Call to Respond to His Love, Christ calls upon us to repent of our sin. He calls upon us to be restored to His family. Finally, we are Called to Remain in Christ. I like the way J.B. Phillips translated the first phrase of verse three: “You will live quietly with me for many days.” The words carry the idea of restfulness, of quietness of spirit and soul.
Consider what an incredible love this was! It takes an unbelievably strong love to tell a prostitute how much she is worth and to love her for who she is and not for what she is offering. Did that register? God loves us for who we are and not for what we are offering Him.
We are called abide in Christ. He is the life giving vine and we are to quietly rest in Him so that He can reproduce His life in and through us. “Be still and know that I am God,” he says to us.
The result of remaining in Christ is going to be threefold. First, there will be spiritual growth. Growth is the natural outcome of life. We are to abide in Him so that we might become like Him. We are to keep our focus on Jesus and in doing so we will grow into His likeness.
One of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories is titled “The Great Stone Face.” It is the tale of a man name Ernest. When just a child Ernest’s mother pointed to the face of a mountain outside of the village and explained the village legend. The side of the mountain looked like the face of a man. She told Ernest that this “Great Stone Face” was a foretelling of a great man who would one day come to the village bringing great wisdom and knowledge.
Ernest was intrigued by the idea of the Great Stone Face and so day by day he would look at the mountain and contemplate what kind of person the Great Stone Face would be. This went on for years and years.
During those years some of the men who visited the village seemed to have the promise of being the Great Stone Face, but each one disappointed the expectant villagers. Also, during those years, as Ernest grew into adulthood, he became a respected leader in the village. He was a humble man, yet everyone it seemed found his advice helpful.
Finally, one day a poet came to the village and began to recite his poetry to the people. His eloquent words and beautiful style caused many to consider him to be the Great Stone Face. The poet was standing on a platform facing the mountain looking out over the villagers. Suddenly, he looked at Ernest standing tall amongst the villagers with the Great Stone Face as a backdrop. He cried out, pointing to Ernest, “Look, it’s the Great Stone Face. Ernest has become the Great Stone Face!”
True enough he had indeed become the Great Stone Face. As Ernest looked upon the Great Stone Face day by day and meditated on his character and nature, without even knowing it, he slowly but surely was transformed until he himself became the Great Stone Face.
As we gaze upon Jesus, in the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, we will slowly but surely be transformed into His likeness. Florence Nightingale was ministering to wounded soldiers in a hospital ward. A little girl had been watching her as she spoke encouraging words to the suffering men there and brought a joyful moment to their lives. She finally walked up to Florence and asked, “Are you kin to Jesus?”
May we all long for the day that when we have been in the presence of Jesus so much that people see a reflection of Him in us.
Not only does remaining in Christ produce spiritual growth, it also develops our love for Him. Some girls fall in love with love. They like the idea of getting married, but not the concept of being married. They want the ceremony, the dress, the flowers, the ring and the romance; but the don’t want to deal with the demands of adjusting to another person in a daily life.
Some people like the idea of a spiritual beginning, a fresh start, forgiveness and grace; but they don’t really want to make the adjustment to living with Christ day by day. But a daily walk with Christ is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth. Bible intake, prayer, giving, worship, witnessing - these are the basic nutrients of spiritual growth. Without these trying to live the Christian life is like pushing a boulder up a hill.
It was through abiding daily with Hosea that Gomer was going to change her life. Through the act of redemption Hosea had given her a new start, but now she must remain with him if she was going to become a different person. So too, for us. We must abide in Christ if there is going to be any spiritual development.
But in that process of spiritual development we need to be careful that we don’t forget that what God is seeking is people who are in love with Him. He is seeking people who love Him with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. How can we come to love Christ the way we should? By learning of His great love for us. “We love Him because He first loved us.”
Remaining in Christ not only produces spiritual growth, and a deeper love for Christ; it also results in spiritual fruitfulness. Jesus said that the person who comes to Him, the fountain of living waters, would not only find satisfaction for themselves, they would themselves be a channel of life giving waters for others. In John 15 Jesus says that if we abide in Him as the Vine there would be fruitfulness in our life.
What a glorious life this is that God has called us to. What a marvelous purpose and goal. Christ has come to redeem us. He has come and demonstrated his love for us through the cross.
Now, Christ beckons to us to Respond to His Love. How? We are called to repent of our sin, we are called to be restored to the family, and we are called to remain in Christ.
