Hosea 3

August 17, 2025

FBC Baxley

Pm svc

Hosea 3

1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”

2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”

4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.

5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

-Pray

Redeeming Love: God’s Unfailing Heart for His People

Text: Hosea 3:1–5

Main Idea: God’s love relentlessly pursues and restores the unfaithful.

INTRODUCTION – “The Auction”

I want you to imagine for a moment that we are all at an old country estate auction.

The place smells of dust and wood polish, and the auctioneer’s voice is bouncing off the barn walls.

He’s been selling chairs, tables, and boxes of old books when suddenly he pulls out a battered, scratched violin.

The strings are frayed, the bow is missing hairs, and the wood looks like it’s been through a war.

He starts the bidding at $1. A few chuckle. Who would want it?

Then an elderly man steps forward.

Without saying a word, he picks up the violin, tightens the strings, and begins to play.

The barn falls silent. It’s not noise that comes out — it’s beauty.

Music that pulls at the heart.

When he’s finished, the auctioneer starts the bidding again, and now the price climbs higher and higher.

Why? Because someone saw the value others missed — someone willing to restore what was broken.

Church, that’s the story of Hosea 3.

That’s what God does for His people.

He sees us at our lowest, our most unworthy moments, and says, “I will love you, redeem you, and restore you.”

CONTEXT

Hosea lived and preached in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century B.C.

It was a time of political chaos, moral decline, and spiritual adultery.

Israel had traded the worship of the one true God for idols — especially the Baals — and God called Hosea to be a living illustration of His covenant love.

He told Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who would be unfaithful, just like Israel was unfaithful to God.

She eventually left him, chasing other lovers, and in chapter 3, God sends Hosea to bring her back.

This short chapter — just five verses — is one of the clearest portraits of God’s redeeming love in all of Scripture.

Verse 1 — The Command to Love Again

“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.’”

Notice that God says, “Go again” — Hebrew: lek ʿôḏ.

It’s not just “go,” but “return, repeat, do it once more.”

God is telling Hosea, “Love again, even after betrayal.”

And the word “love” here is not a feeling — it’s a covenant commitment.

Hosea is to love Gomer in the same way God loves Israel: with ḥesed — steadfast, loyal, covenant love that isn’t based on the other person’s worthiness.

Those “raisin cakes” were part of pagan Baal worship — sweet, tempting, and spiritually poisonous.

**Israel had traded the Bread of Life for spiritual junk food.

Transition: Hosea’s love is not sentimental; it’s stubborn.

It’s the kind of love that refuses to give up.

Illustration:

Just a few months ago, news outlets reported on a small-town police officer who had arrested the same young man multiple times for petty theft.

Instead of writing him off, the officer used his own money to help the young man get a job, buy clothes, and enroll in classes.

People online called it “radical kindness.”

The officer said, “If I only enforce the law, I might change his behavior.

But if I love him, maybe God will change his heart.”

That’s Hosea 3:1 in real life — love that goes again.

Verse 2 — The Price of Redemption

“So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.”

Hosea had to buy back what was already his.

The word “bought” (kārâ) means to redeem — to purchase someone’s freedom.

The price? Fifteen shekels of silver plus 1½ homers of barley (about 430 pounds).

In Exodus 21:32, the price of a slave was thirty shekels.

Hosea likely didn’t have enough silver, so he paid part in grain.

This tells us two things — Gomer’s value in the eyes of the world had dropped, and Hosea’s love was willing to pay whatever he could to bring her home.

Can you imagine that scene?

Gomer standing in the slave market, stripped of dignity, perhaps avoiding eye contact out of shame — and Hosea steps forward, pays the price, and says, “You’re coming home.”

Illustration:

Think of the recent news about human trafficking survivors rescued through undercover operations.

In one story from earlier this year, agents raised private funds to purchase freedom for victims when bureaucracy slowed the process.

It cost them financially and personally, but they saw value in lives that others dismissed.

Hosea stepping into that slave market is the spiritual version of those rescue missions — love that pays the price.

This is the gospel. Jesus paid for what was already His — not with silver or gold, but with His own blood (1 Peter 1:18–19).

***Song-I owed a debt I could not pay, He paid a debt He did not owe, I needed someone to wash my sin away…. And now I sing a brand new song Amazing Grace-all day long, Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay!

Verse 3 — The Call to Restoration

“And I said to her, ‘You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.’”

Redemption is the first step; restoration is the next.

Hosea tells Gomer there will be “many days” — a time to heal, to rebuild trust, to dwell together in covenant love.

The Hebrew word for “stay” (yāšaḇ) means to sit, remain, settle down.

Hosea isn’t just rescuing her from slavery — he’s inviting her back into relationship.

Illustration:

After the hurricane last year, one town received emergency aid quickly, but rebuilding the community took months.

Volunteers didn’t just drop off supplies and leave — they stayed, helped rebuild homes, and walked with families through the long process of restoration.

In the same way, Hosea wasn’t just “freeing” Gomer; he was committing to walk the road of restoration with her.

God doesn’t just free us from sin’s penalty; He draws us close, teaching us to walk with Him again.

Verse 4 — The Prophetic Pause

“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim.”

This is prophecy.

Israel would go into exile — no political leadership, no temple sacrifices, no idolatrous systems.

God would strip away their false securities until they realized their only hope was Him.

Sometimes, God has to take away what we think we can’t live without, to show us what we really need.

Illustration: When the pandemic hit, stadiums, offices, and even church buildings went empty.

We lost leaders we leaned on, routines we relied on, and systems we thought were unshakable.

For many, it was a time of disorientation — but also of rediscovery.

Some found their faith deepened because the noise was stripped away.

That’s what God was doing for Israel — removing false securities to bring them back to Himself.

Verse 5 — The Return in the Latter Days

“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.”

“Return” (šûḇ) is the Bible’s favorite word for repentance.

It means to turn back — to come home.

“David their king” points forward to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

And I love this — they will “fear the LORD and His goodness.”

We expect people to fear God’s power, but Hosea says they will be in awe of His goodness.

His mercy will leave them trembling.

Illustration:

In recent months, we’ve seen stories of communities rallying after tragedy — like the small town that raised hundreds of thousands for a family who lost everything in a fire.

When the family returned to the rebuilt home, they were overwhelmed, not just by the gift, but by the goodness behind it.

That’s a small picture of Israel’s future — a people standing in awe, trembling not because God is scary, but because He’s so good.

CLOSING STORY – “The Prisoner’s Release”

Years ago, a missionary visited a prison in South America.

In one of the cells sat a man serving a life sentence for murder.

Over months of visits, the missionary shared the gospel with him.

One day, tears streamed down the prisoner’s face as he surrendered his life to Christ.

Not long after, the missionary got word that the president of the country had granted the man a full pardon.

When reporters asked why, the president said, “If the King of Heaven has forgiven this man, who am I to hold him?”

That man walked out of prison free — not just in body, but in soul.

That’s what God does.

He doesn’t just open the prison door; He walks us out Himself, holds us close, and calls us His own.

THREE LIFE APPLICATIONS

Love Beyond Betrayal — God calls us to love with persistence, even when it’s hard.

Ephesians 4:32 reminds us to forgive as God forgave us.

2. Remember the Cost of Redemption — Our salvation cost Jesus His life.

Live in daily gratitude and holiness (1 Corinthians 6:20).

3. Restoration Takes Time — God’s redemption leads to relationship.

Be patient as He heals and reshapes you (Psalm 23:3).

Final Call: Church, we are Gomer.

We’ve wandered, chased lesser loves, and found ourselves in chains.

But Jesus stepped into the marketplace, paid the price, and said, “You’re Mine.”

And when you realize what it cost Him, you can’t help but stand in awe — not just of His power, but of His goodness.

-Pray