OVERVIEW: GOD’S LOVE NEVER ENDS

THE Book of Hosea in the Old Testament equates to Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, who leaves home with his inheritance, wastes it and returns home penitent, only to be greeted by his father with open arms (Luke 15:11-24). We can identify with it; most of us have been prodigal somehow.

But we may also identify with the father, the real subject of the story. A child or close relative takes off on a road which we know will lead to disaster, and we can only watch and wait. How do you feel in such circumstances?

A few may forget and carry on as if nothing had happened. Most will shed a few tears and quietly carry the hurt. Some will wait with a heavy heart hoping that one day they’ll come home, ready to forgive just to have them back.

Hosea’s story is a personal tragedy which God turns into a powerful message for the people of Israel (the northern kingdom). Hosea married – at God’s direction – someone he knew would be unfaithful. Gomer bore him three children and then sold herself into prostitution. But Hosea loved her. He went and found her and paid a ransom to get her out of bondage. And she came home.

God’s like that, Hosea said. He loves the wilful, prodigal Israelites even though they done the worst to him. Come back home to him, and he’ll forgive you.

But did they listen? No! That’s the real tragedy of Hosea. Gomer humbled herself and returned but the Israelites didn’t. Now God’s pleading love is matched by his righteous anger – a combination we find hard to imagine because we usually experience one but not both at the same time. Hosea shows us two inseparable sides of God’s character.

The doom of which Hosea warned happened and Israel was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC. But as the people scattered, his words echoed after them: one day there would be a restoration. God’s love never ends and that is true for everyone who belongs to God’s family but runs off in wrong directions. His arms are open. They always are.

There are clear and unambiguous messages from Hosea that apply equally to us today. Finding simple practical ways to consume less of the world’s resources (and enjoying the challenge) is one timeless message; and, that if you want to be fruitful for God, we should programme our minds with his priorities.

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Rubbish in, rubbish out

– A narrative on Hosea 7-9

COMPUTER programmers will tell you that if you load rubbish data into a computer, you will get rubbish out of it. It happens also to be a more general fact of life. Hosea’s familiar image of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind (8:7) has its application in every generation, and in most people’s personal lives.

Israel’s input into the divine memory was unchecked deceit and unchallenged crime (7:1); sexual licence (7:4); naïve international trade deals and political treaties; desertion of their traditional faith (7:14-16); breach of the covenant agreement (8:1-3); adoption of idol worship (8:4-6); and despising the prophets (9:7,8).

Life was just a load of hot air. It had no substance. So what they reaped was physical, emotional, and spiritual emptiness and despair (8:7-10; 9:1-4,12-17).

A similar emptiness and despair today drive many people to drink, drugs and the addictive pursuit of pleasure in which fun ceases to be a by-product of creativity and relaxation and becomes an end in itself. Christians especially should be sad at the sight because they know there is an alternative: a God-centred enjoyment of the world which comes from responsibility and purposefulness.

However, they must practise it as well as theorise about it, demonstrate it as well as believe it. To do that, we must programme our lives with God’s priorities, which is what the Israelites had failed to do.