"The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”"
{Hosea 3:1} (NIV)
If we ever feel like we got a terrible ministry assignment from our Lord, we need to read the first 3 chapters of Hosea. This man’s ministry assignment was to marry a woman that he knew would be unfaithful and allow her to have children by other men and to leave him and go and live as a prostitute. THEN he is commanded to love her, not from a distance, but to go and buy her from the man who now owns her (talk about insult being added to injury), bring her into his home as his wife and simply tell her to be faithful from now on. This is the ministry of Hosea the prophet as he lives out an example of the great Husband, the LORD God Almighty.
God knew when He chose Israel that they would not be faithful to Him. He chose them anyway, because of His great love for Abram, Isaac and Jacob, and the wonderful promises He gave them! He choose them, and bore their unfaithfulness, allowing them to leave Him, yet all the while planning to bring them back to His side. What a Husband! What a Lover! What a Redeemer! This is our Redeemer who bought us from the evil one (Rev 5:9). This is our Husband who is faithful when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13). This is our Lover who loved us before we loved Him (1 Jn 4:19)!
Oh friend, do you know this Lover of your soul? Then love Him with everything you have!
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