The question has troubled many who love the Bible and who want to think right thoughts about the Lord:
Why would He tell His faithful, dedicated prophet to “love a woman” who was “an adulteress,” yes, “a harlot”?
We remember with that word in Hosea 3:1, 3 the inspiring thought of a modern writer who said, “Love [of a man for a woman] is a precious gift which we receive from Jesus.” Then the problem of Hosea becomes even more perplexing.
If the Lord Himself “said” this to the prophet, it must be that He gave the “gift” to this man of loving this particular woman. And indeed the Bible is clear beyond question: our Creator and Redeemer is interested in our conjugal happiness; it was He who created us “male and female” and caused “the man” in the Garden to realize that “it is not good that [he] should be alone,” that he yearned at heart for someone to love who was “answering to him,” in other words, the right woman. The God of happiness “brought her to him” (Gen. 2:18, 22), like He brings every married couple together in that delightful happiness.
Now millennia later the same “LORD God” has virtually “brought” a woman named Gomer to His prophet Hosea and said to him, Love this woman! If the Lord gave him love for her, the poor man is a helpless captive; he simply says, “I love you truly!”
If you are surrendered to the Lord, you don’t rebel against the love that He has given you! (Which is another way of saying you don’t commit divorce, for the Lord says He hates it, Mal. 2:16). The Lord’s prophet Hosea is a flesh-and-blood man, tempted like anyone; but he is not fickle. In this drama he is cast in the role of representing the Lord, and the fickle woman is cast in the role of Israel. And Hosea is not merely play-acting temporarily; this is not a drama running a few nights in the town theater. This is his life.
This Bible book says something to us today. Is the soul of the Lord’s church fickle? Are we as poor, blind, and naked as ancient Israel was in Hosea’s day? More tomorrow.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" web page resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to:
