Hosea was a prophet in Israel in the 8th century BC. A prophet refers to a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel (God’s people). The most significant thing we can learn from Hosea is about SACRIFICE.
What comes to your mind when you think of sacrificing for God? Missing outings & hangouts with friends? Forsaking time that could be used for studying for caregroups & services when a major exams is coming up? From Hosea’s life, we can learn what it means to totally surrender to God, to willingly & obediently offer his life & lifestyle for God’s cause.
[Hosea 1:2] When the Lord began to speak though Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.”
So basically the context is that.. Israel had been backsliding away from God & turning to idolatry instead. & God has called Hosea to prophesy & warn the people of God’s commands. However, it’s not just by verbally telling the people about God’s word, but Hosea was called to prophesy through his life. Hosea’s marital experience reflected the “adulterous” relationship which Israel had built with polytheistic gods. PAUSE. Let’s think about the significance of this! Hosea was a prophet, who probably lived his life in purity & upheld moral standards. Yet God was commanding him to marry a prostitute! What a shameful & disgraceful thing for Hosea to do! Its like asking him to “dai lu mao” straightaway.=S Let’s look at how Hosea responded..
[Hosea 1:3] So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
WOW. The Bible said it so matter-of-factly! LOl. “So he..” Did Hosea even protest? Maybe. Did Hosea had to struggle to give up his personal rights & obey God? Perhaps. But the important thing is ultimately, he obeyed & sacrificed! He allowed God to use him to fulfill His plans & make decisions about his life. Furthermore, God didnt even promise him any rewards or privileges! For instance, when God commanded Abraham, God promised him descendents as plentiful as the sand on the seashore.. when God called Moses, He promised Moses that He’ll bring Israel to the promised land.. Yet even though nothing explicit (not territory, not descendents, not anything) was promised to Hosea, Hosea just simply & faithfully obeyed God.
God continued to use Hosea’s life to urge Israel towards repentance. As how Hosea’s wife had left him to go with other men, Israel had left God to go with other gods. As God commanded Hosea to search for his wife, forgive her & brought her back, God was conveying the message that He also would not abandon Israel and would bring them back even though they had forsaken Him.
From Hosea’s life, we therefore saw how he underwent bitter personal martial experiences to allow God to work through him & his readiness & willingness to follow God’s will. As we learn about Hosea today, let’s think about..
1. Is God challenging me to give up anything for Him today?
E.g. a secure normal lifestyle, personal enjoyment, privacy, status & privileges, personal decision-making..
2. What kind of attitude do I have towards giving up things for God?
okay great! you've persevered & read till here. do think about the above 2 qns carefully yeah! & come back for more stuff tmr!(:
with love,
lips.