Thursday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Hosea 3
Hosea’s Wife Is Redeemed
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”
2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.
Hosea’s Wife Is Redeemed
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”
2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
3:1–5 Command to Remarry, with the Expectation of a King Like David. Hosea returns to his own marriage situation, which is still an image for God and Israel. Israel’s hope, like Judah’s, lies with the house of David.
3:1 Though the name of this woman is not stated, she should be understood as Gomer, Hosea’s wife in chs. 1–2; otherwise, the analogy of the woman to Israel breaks down. It is Israel, the adulteress, that the Lord pursues, not another people. Hosea is to retrieve his adulterous wife so that Israel will clearly know that the Lord still loves Israel, his spiritually unfaithful wife. Though they … love cakes of raisins probably refers to some rite in the Canaanite cult.
3:1 God’s love for the wayward prefigures his love for sinners in Christ (Rom. 5:6–11).
3:2 The word bought refers to some kind of trade (e.g., Deut. 2:6), which traditionally has been understood to mean redeeming Gomer from slavery, though the exact custom is unknown. Some interpreters hold that it is unlikely that Gomer had become a bondservant, as the price for a slave was 30 shekels, not 15 and some barley (Ex. 21:32; Zech. 11:12; cf. Lev. 27:4). Other interpreters, however, think that 15 shekels plus some barley and wine could have been the agreed-upon price for this particular slave, and 30 shekels may not have been the standard price for every slave in every circumstance. In any case, the amount paid is not great, and it shows the desperate condition into which Gomer had fallen.
3:1 Though the name of this woman is not stated, she should be understood as Gomer, Hosea’s wife in chs. 1–2; otherwise, the analogy of the woman to Israel breaks down. It is Israel, the adulteress, that the Lord pursues, not another people. Hosea is to retrieve his adulterous wife so that Israel will clearly know that the Lord still loves Israel, his spiritually unfaithful wife. Though they … love cakes of raisins probably refers to some rite in the Canaanite cult.
3:1 God’s love for the wayward prefigures his love for sinners in Christ (Rom. 5:6–11).
3:2 The word bought refers to some kind of trade (e.g., Deut. 2:6), which traditionally has been understood to mean redeeming Gomer from slavery, though the exact custom is unknown. Some interpreters hold that it is unlikely that Gomer had become a bondservant, as the price for a slave was 30 shekels, not 15 and some barley (Ex. 21:32; Zech. 11:12; cf. Lev. 27:4). Other interpreters, however, think that 15 shekels plus some barley and wine could have been the agreed-upon price for this particular slave, and 30 shekels may not have been the standard price for every slave in every circumstance. In any case, the amount paid is not great, and it shows the desperate condition into which Gomer had fallen.
Study Questions:
- True intimacy, which we all crave in our relationships, is being fully known (the good, bad and ugly) and still being fully loved. It means nothing is between you. No unspoken things. No secrets. Because secrecy is the enemy of intimacy. So, Clayton led us to promise to CONFIDE and not HIDE. But it can be difficult to confess things to someone else that have the potential to bring with it so much hurt. We don't share because we fear the response of the other person. One way to encourage honesty in a relationship is for both parties to come to the table with a full dose of mercy. The promise of MERCY is the antidote for SECRECY. How difficult can it be to promise to give someone mercy that has sinned against you sexually?
- Hosea's wife sinned against him when she committed adultery, yet he still pursued her. He bought her back. Your sin is like adultery to God and yet he continues to forgive and pursue you. Even when you mess up, be it sexually or any other form of sin, God still loves you. He continues to pursue you in spite of your past. He says to you, "Even though you have been far from me, I am calling out to you!" To the sinner, God says, "I will show you my righteousness, unfailing love and compassion." The great news of the Gospel is that your sin is wiped away and you are made clean! Because of the blood of Jesus that covers you, you now stand before him holy and blameless, without a single fault. What does it feel like to have a God that loves you this much? How much more does it make you want to love and serve him? To live for him? How can you respond today to this love he's shown you?
Pray:
- That you would commit to confide, not hide.
- That you would remember that God pursues you in spite of your sin and past mistakes.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
No Comments