Hosea 2:2-23

Hosea 2:2-23

Love Hurts

I.                    God loves us so much it hurts; so we must see how much it hurts God when we love the world more than Him (Vv. 2-13)

a.       As we begin the next section of Hosea’s story, Gomer has given herself completely to prostitution, left home, abandoned Hosea and the children, and is living with other men. The children are called to denounce her and distance themselves from her, because she’s not acting like their mother or Hosea’s wife. Perhaps then she’ll turn away from her attitude and adornments of prostitution. The relationships seem exciting and passionate, but are really empty and won’t last. What used to excite, now barely satisfies, and what used to satisfy is now completely inadequate, ultimately only producing loneliness, emptiness, and shame. But we must remember that she isn’t just being unfaithful to her husband and children, she’s being unfaithful to God and His law. Hosea could’ve divorced her and even had her executed, but instead he bore along with her, and even provided for her needs in her unfaithfulness, and all the while she gave credit to other men; and even as things got worse, she only considered turning back to Hosea and his faithful provision, she never actually returned. Eventually Hosea had to allow her to be exposed for who and what she was, and leave her to the fruits of her own choices. Just like Gomer, the nation of Israel continued to give themselves over to the worship of false gods, even blending in the rituals and festivals which were to be a time of thankful dedication to God, never acknowledging that it is God who creates and provides all things. Because God loves us too much too let us run headlong into death and destruction, He continues to faithfully sustain us while He moves and works to turn us back to Him. In His grace He will cut us off, even painfully so at times, from the things which we think we want and need, but which He knows are only distracting us from Him. However, in His just nature, He will eventually be forced to leave humanity in their own choices. In the case of Israel that means cutting them off from the land and its provision, and leaving it and them vacant, desolate, and overrun. When we choose the world over God, and turn our backs on His great love and provision, He chooses to feel the pain of a scorned lover, and will eventually remove His presence and provision from our lives. He does this so that like Gomer and Israel, we’ll see ourselves for who we really are, see that there’s no joy in our infidelity and self-love, and see that the things which we think are import are really only self-serving, empty, and have no eternal value. God loves us so much it hurts, both Him and us, but His only love is completely faithful for our greatest good. (Vv. 2-13; Deut. 26:10-11; 28:15-48;  Isa. 6:5; 8:21-22; Jer. 2:9-13, 28; 13:22-27; Ezek. 14:13-14; 16:4-5, 35-39; Nah. 3:4-5; Luke 15: 11-20a; Rom. 1:18-32; Jas. 1:16-18; 4:4-5; 1 John 1:8-9; 2:15-17)

II.                 God loves us so much it hurts; so we must see that pain is the pathway to His door of hope (Vv. 14-23)

Just when it seems as though God has turned His back on his wayward people, we see that His painful love has been expression of His great grace. He will “allure” or charm His people and move powerfully to change their hearts. He will make their wilderness sentence a time of birth and renewal, and faithfully fulfill all His promises. We so often think that we can turn our pain and trouble into hope if we just work hard enough, follow the rules well enough, or want to badly enough, but only God is capable of turning our valley of trouble into a door of hope. He renews His covenant with His people, who will call Him Husband and not Baal, and His people will enjoy and acknowledge His sovereign provision in all things, trusting faithfully and looking forward to His promised and eternal peace in all creation. He alone can bind us to Him in righteousness, justice, compassion, and faithfulness. They are all gifts from Him in Christ which we must acknowledge, humble ourselves in repentant faith to receive, and live out. There is no hope, peace, satisfaction, joy, or purpose in life apart from a growing and faithful love relationship with God in Christ. God alone provides all things for our successful relationships with Him and others. God suffers painfully along with us in His great love and grace, even moving heaven and earth, and acts in ways which might be painful in our lives, but serve to turn our hearts towards Him, that we might be His forever! God love us so much it hurts, but we must see that pain is the pathway to His door of hope! (Vv. 14-23; Josh. 7:26; Ps. 36:5-12; 46:8-9; 98:1-3; 111:3; 112:9; Isa. 2:4; 11:6-10; 51:5-8; 55:1-3, 6-13; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-27; Micah 4:3; Matt. 11:27-30; Mark 10:45; Luke 15:20b-24; John 6:37; 12:27; 13:21; 14:27; 16:33; Rom. 3:10-27; 5:1-5, 17; 8:18-39; 9:21-26; 11:33-36; 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; Eph. 2:1-9; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Pet. 1:10-11; 2:9-12; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 5:5-10; 7:9-10; 21:1-8; 22:12-15)