Hosea 5:15-6:6 - by Don Neuendorf
I've often thought that Hosea should be published as a marriage manual - but if it were, who would ever get married?
What do people want out of marriage? We want companionship, sexual intimacy (the primary thing if you follow the magazines), economic stability, perhaps children, a sense of tradition and home. But who among us ever got married just to prove the power of God's love?...
Of course, that presumes Christian people who desire to be made holy. When we pray "hallowed be thy name", is that what we're asking? That God's name be holy among us also? That we be transformed by God's Spirit?
Because if that's what we're asking then here's how it happens - we grow in faith as we sacrifice ourselves for others - put others ahead of ourselves - meet the needs of others - pray for others - show unconditional love to others. Sounds like marriage to me - and it especially sounds like Hosea, who continued to love his wife even while she was repeatedly unfaithful to him. He not only loved her, but he sacrificed for her to buy her back.
"Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us..." That doesn't sound like the relationship we'd like to have with God. We tend to want our faith to be easy and pleasant. But Hosea reveals a relationship with God who loves us fiercely.