HOSEA #3
    Be sure to read Hosea #1 and #2 before reading this lesson.        

     To bring the story up to date; God wanted some one to be able to understand His heart ache for Israel, so he told Hosea to get married to a woman that, "would become" a prostitute.  Three children were born to Gomer, and God named the children.  Their names tell the story of the book, and the heart ache of God.  The first child was called Jezreel-- Jehovah Scatters.  Rather than bringing the couple closer together, the boy actually drives them further apart.  All blessings from God should draw us closer to him and his children, but so often God's blessings actually scatter us from each other and from God.  The second child, a girl, was given the name, Lo-Ruhamah --no more love, no mercy.  At this time in history Israel was showing no love or mercy for God.  Gomer was showing no love or mercy for Hosea.  And God may have been saying, "One day my mercy will be taken away from my people."  The third child was named Lo-Ammi which means not mine.  Although God created Israel and married Israel, Israel was no longer God's because Israel had sold herself into idolatry.  Lo-Ammi was born in Hosea's house but not of his body.  Finally the day came when Gomer left Hosea all together.  We can only imagine the pain in his loving heart when he sees his wife's refusal to return his love, when he learns of his wife's unfaithfulness, and finally when she leaves him all together.  Looking through the telescope of his tears he saw deeper into the heart of God than any mortal has ever seen.  And as he looked into God's heart he saw three things.  He saw the REAL NATURE OF SIN; THAT GOD IS A SUFFERING GOD; and that GOD IS ANXIOUS TO FORGIVE.  The rest of the book of Hosea will be devoted to the discussion of these three points.

He saw the REAL NATURE OF SIN.  He saw that sin is not a trifle but a tragedy.  The only word in all the vocabulary of man that adequately describes sin is "Whoredom!"  Because what had God done?  He found Israel, please read Ezekiel 16.  Can you imagine the sadness that would come to a man's heart if someone would come and tell him that his wife was playing the part of a prostitute?When we go into sin with both eyes wide open, what are we saying to God?  "You’re not enough for me.  You don't meet my needs.  You don't satisfy me any longer."  Is there anything worse a husband could say to his wife than, "You don't meet my needs any longer"?  This is the worst thing we can say to God.  This is the nature of sin-the Judas goat, the humming bird of South American, the wolf that licked the sharp knife.  This is the nature of sin and when we break God's heart, telling him he no longer satisfies us, this is sin at its worst.

The second thing that Hosea saw was that GOD IS A SUFFERING GOD.  Are you aware that no pagan knows this?  Richard Rogers was visiting with a Seak in Madras India, the 6th man in the Hindu religion in all of India, he was a tall turbaned man with a long curved knife.  Richard asked him how many gods are there is in the Hindu religion.  He said, "I don't know?”  Richard asked, “Are there 5,000?”  He said, “Many more than that.”  “Are there 50,000?” He said, “Many more than that.”  “Are there 500,000 thousand?”  He said, “Many more than that.”  “Are there a million?”  He said, “Oh more than that.”  “Are there five million?”  He said, “I'm not sure.”  Richard said, “OK, some where between one million and five million gods.  How many of them suffer?”  He laughed and said, “We don't have any weak gods, like your Jesus."  Then Richard asked, “How many of your gods were raised from the dead?  How many of them have empty tombs?"  Now notice, they have upward to five million gods and not a single one of them suffer.  Pagan gods don't suffer!  None of the gods around Hosea suffered, except for Hosea's God.  How do we know God suffers?  Because God told him, "Hosea, what happened to you is what has been happening to me for hundreds of years."

Day after day Hosea would be preaching and over the crowd he would see his wife going down the street with another man.  At first it was probably one the men of nobility.  Later it was with men that were not so noble.  Then Hosea saw her walking the streets with the scum -- town drunks with dried vomit on their jackets were now staggering by her side.  And finally he sees her standing on the street corner trying to find somebody, anybody, to take her home and share with her a crust of bread and a bottle of wine.  But she stands there now on the street corner, alone, ALONE.  NO ONE wants her now.  This is always the picture of sin.  It starts out beautiful, but the beauty quickly fades and sin always ends up more horrible than the sinner can imagine.

Now here is Hosea's hell, he still loves her.  If he could only quit loving her the hurt would go away, but he can't stop loving her and the hurt does not go away.  And he got to thinking, "If a finite creature like me, suffers like this, when he watches his loved one go to hell on roller skates, God, who's infinite, must suffer infinitely more than I do, when he watches his wife, and children heading for hell." 

Did you know that it is a biological fact that you can grade the level of an animal's existence by its ability to feel pain?  Crabs are so low on the pain scale that one crab can enjoy eating a second crab while he's being eaten by a third.  They don't feel.  Now a bird is higher in the animal gradation level.  There is a bird that digs a whole in the soft mud on the river bank, then it builds its nest in the hole and lays its eggs.  Normally the eggs are hatched and the little ones get away before the water level comes up.  But some times it comes up too quickly and the little birds are hatched but they can't fly away.  And the river sweeps the nest out into the main stream and when it gets wet enough it sinks.  The mother birds will hover over those nests and squeal.  And if you could understand bird language you would know that they are crying Help!  Help!  Somebody help my babies!  A bird is higher than a crab.  A boy was once killed and here are the words of his grieving father, "Oh my son Absalom!  My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you-O Absalom, my son, my son!" (II Samuel 18:33).  These are the words of a father in pain.  Now as high as that man is above the crab, God is above man.  God feels --God suffers!  Did you ever think about how you make God feel when you sin?  He feels the same way that a husband would feels when he watches his wife go off into prostitution, only you would have to multiply the pain by billions.  It should break the heart of everyone of us when we think how we have treated God, because He feels.  I have pledged not to do it again.  I want to be faithful to my Lord.

The third thing that Hosea saw was that GOD IS EAGER TO FORGIVE.  Not just willing, but eager to forgive.  Now if you break MY heart one too many times, I'll tell you sister, "I'm through with you.  You make spend all my money, you laugh and call me old Santa Claus, I'm through with you baby, I'm through with you, because, just because."  That's what I would say, but God does not ever feel that way.  God is eager to forgive.  Name me a pagan god that is eager to forgive.  Pagan gods are bullies with big sticks.  Remember Jupiter?  Pagan gods are anxious to hit with a stick, God is anxious to forgive in love.  How do we learn this?  What did Hosea want to do as he watched his wife go from man to man?  He wanted to forgive her and take her home.  Remember Hosea is a parallel to God.

This is not in the book but I think this happened.  I believe Hosea was preaching one day and he said something like this, "In Hosea chapter 4 verse 6 God said, 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge'.  And in chapter 4 verse 14 He said, 'a people without understanding will come to ruin!" ----Oh excuse me there's my wife, I'll be right back."  And he goes over to her and he says, "Honey...."  Now Gomer is walking around with some rich dude with a $800 suit. She has jewels on every finger.  She's walking along looking like a queen.  (Hosea 2:13) "She decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers..." He says, "honey, come home, I love you, the children cry themselves to sleep at night.  They ask, "When will mommy be coming home?"  What should I tell them?"  "Didn't you read my note?!  Tell them I'm not coming home!  I don't love you!  I don't love them, and I don't care!  Leave me ALONE!!"  Can he do it?  Can a healthy bird refuse to fly?  Can a fish stop swimming?  Can Hosea leave her alone?  As she walks away he shouts after her, "Honey, remember that you can come home any time you want.  The door will always be open. I love you."  And he kept calling for her, but the more called, the more stubborn she became.  (Hosea 11:2) "The more I called Israel, the further they went from me."  Hosea said, "If you'll come home I'll do many things for you,” but she wouldn't come home.  The entire 14th chapter of Hosea is God saying, "Oh Israel please come home."  And then He lists many things that He will do for Israel if she will only come home.

Today God is still calling, calling, pleading "Oh children come home.  If you'll just come home, I'll wipe away all tears from your eyes.  I'll give you peace that passes all understanding for your weary heart.  I'll give you joy unspeakable.  I'll give you unreachable riches.  I'll make it so that all things will work together for good for you.  I'll... Oh sinner please come home.”

Let us stand and sing the invitation song, and you who have been wondering away from God, please come home.

See the lesson The Way to Heaven and then Hosea #4.

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