Christ in Hosea, Our Redeemer

The book of Hosea is the first of the Old Testament books classified as “Minor Prophets.”  Hosea prophesied from 785 to 725 B.C., and the book was most likely written between 755 and 725 B.C.  Hosea’s prophecy was an indictment against the Jewish people of his day and against us today for turning to false gods and being self-reliant and proud.  Although God is longsuffering and His love for His people will never end, He is also intolerant of sin and rebellion.  He is a jealous God and will withhold His blessings and pour out judgment on His unrepentant people.

The life of Hosea and his relationship with his wife was a personification of the life of Christ in relation to His people.  Remember, God created marriage and the family when He gave Eve to Adam to be his wife.  His word is overflowing with warnings against and condemnation of sexual sin and marital infidelity.  That is because, when He established marriage, it was to be a picture for us of His relationship with His bride, The Church.  The very first thing God told Hosea was that he was to marry a prostitute because God’s people had left their First Love and had turned to many false gods:

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a prostitute and have children of prostitution, for the people of the land commit great prostitution by deserting the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2, Common English Bible)

The first part of the book of Hosea tells us about his wife, her adultery, and his faithfulness to her.  This is a picture of the unfaithfulness of Israel to God, their idolatry, and God’s anger toward them, His punishment of them, but His eventual restoration of them.  Intertwined into the story is the wonderful prophecy of God’s love to all the world, not just the Jewish people:

And I will sow her unto Me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘Thou art My people’; and they shall say, ‘Thou art my God.’” (Hosea 2:23, 21^st Century King James Version)

Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10, Common English Bible)

The third chapter of Hosea is a beautiful picture of our redemption.  Redemption means the act of buying something back.  I can remember, as a kid, saving trading stamps.  When we shopped at the grocery store, we received one stamp for every dollar we spent.  We would put those stamps in a book for safe keeping.  When we had saved enough stamps, we could “redeem” them for merchandise.  Hosea’s wife had been so degraded by prostitution, she had been sold into slavery.  Hosea found her in the slave market, and he redeemed her by paying the price of a slave.
 
So I bought Gomer back for 6 ounces of silver and 9 bushels of barley. Then I told her, “You must stay at home with me for many days. You will not be like a prostitute. You will not have sexual relations with another man. I will be your husband.” (Hosea 3:2-3, Easy-to-Read Version)

This was humiliating for Hosea.  No good Jewish man would be expected to reconcile with an unfaithful wife, but Hosea loved Gomer.  If that was true for Hosea, how much more love must Holy God have for us?  He redeemed us out of our sin by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ!

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7, New King James Version)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14, English Standard Version)

The very next two verses in Hosea are a promise that God will one day restore Israel.  This will not happen until Jesus returns to sit on the throne of David.  Remember as you read this that David had already been dead for almost 200 years, there was no king in Israel, and the temple had been destroyed.  The words “afterward” and “latter days” refer to the time when the children of Israel will recognize Jesus as Messiah and when He reigns as King.

For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:4-5, American Standard Version)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:1-7, English Standard Version)

Be careful that you do not fall into the trap into which so much of the world has fallen.  Many people want to acknowledge only God’s love and longsuffering.  He is patient.  He is kind. And He loves us with a love that is beyond any love that we can imagine.  But He is also true, and just, and righteous.  He has promised that there will be a reckoning – a time when we will stand before Him, either in our own strength, relying on our good works, or in the saving blood of Jesus Christ, trusting His promise of redemption from all our sin.  How will you answer Almighty God when He asks, “Why should I let you into My heaven?”

My prayer for you and for me this week is based upon Hosea 14:9 (American Standard Version):

Heavenly Father,
(Help me to be) wise, that (I) may understand these things; prudent, that (I) may know them; for the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them; but transgressors shall fall therein.