Sin Is Not the Last Word

Daily Reading: Hosea 2

Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, "I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now." (Hosea 2.6-7)

Devotional Thought: "Who me?  Marry a prostitute?"  "Yes, Hosea, I want you to marry Gomer, the prostitute."

We could get stuck there if we're not careful.  Hosea must be read in the context of God alluring his “bride” back to himself.  The dysfunctional marriage between prophet and prostitute was a vivid metaphor for the relationship between God and Israel.  Just as Hosea persisted in his love for Gomer, so God persists in his love for his people. 

God planned to bring the nation of Israel back to himself through some drastic measures:

·       Hedge up her way with thorns.  God loves us too much to simply let us go on our way without him.  Thorny issues will vex the person who has strayed from God - not for punishment but for rescue.  When life is hard, people can either grow angry at God or turn to him for relief.  God desires that we turn to him.

·       Build a wall against her.  Again, God will frustrate our attempts to find happiness apart from him.  The "lovers" of our lives will elude us, and if we do find them, we will find that they do not satisfy.

·       Receive her back.  After Israel had gotten so low that they had nowhere to go but up, God provided a way out of the terrible mess they had made for themselves.  Israel would turn to God and find that he was already speaking tenderly to her… He was already restoring her fortunes… He was already repeating his vows of love to her.

Sin is not the last word in the matter!  God’s grace is available for all who call upon him!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for pursuing me even when I ran from you.  May you, in your grace, continue to block my path whenever I begin to wander away from you.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 80.4-7 "O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!