Hosea 3

Hosea continues his parable about the relationship between God and His people Israel.  Chapter 3 is only a few verses long but Hosea uses them to pack a whollop of a punch.  God wants “his cheating wife” back again.  He wants the people to come back and to live like they should.  Scripture says He “paid good money to get her back”.  In fact, God has paid for all of us with the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus life on the cross.  He loves us that much – to give up His only son for us.  He demonstrates His love in action.  Some days I don’t do so well with that.  I may talk a good talk, but my walk is not always lined up with what comes out of my mouth.  I need to get God’s heart for people and live life determined to love His way.  It is important to understand God’s requirements as He again brings the people back to Himself.  “The people of Israel are going to live….stripped of security and protection….without religion and comfort….godless and prayerless”.  God recognizes that just because He is willing to give up so much through love to win us back – we don’t respond correctly at first.  It takes time for us to get our hearts right with Him.  “But in time they’ll come back….looking for their God….ready for the end of the story of His love”.  Eventually we will all get it right and understand just how much God loves us.  But it takes time for us mere humans to figure it out.  Should be pretty obvious one would think.  God sends His very son to the cross for us to die and cover our sin debt.  We should respond with gratitude and get right with Him immediately.  But head and heart have to come along together for that to happen.  We have to begin to live from our heart what is so logical in our heads.  The key learning is that God loves us and wants us back.  The only thing keeping us from that is ourselves.  God wants us.  How will you respond to that?