God's Redeeming Love
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
One of the most misunderstood words of today is also one of the most sought after qualities of life. It is also one of the most basic needs of every person. Babies who are not held, nuzzled and hugged enough can actually stop growing, and if the withholding of love persists they will even die. Certainly love is found within physical affection - but is that all there is to love? Many a marriages have been left because lack of love, falling out of love, not feeling the love. This relegates love to being a fleeting emotion that can come and go. It has been said before that all you need is love - but if it so fleeting how can this be so we are at the whim of whether we have it or not arent we? Is there a permanent love, a love that one can trust in?
To truly understand love we must go to the source of love, because the world cannot define it on its own because the world did not create love. God is our source of knowledge on love - because God is love.
16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
Back to our question - is there a love that we can trust in, that is permanent? Yes - its God’s love - how do we know we can trust in it and its permanent, because God’s love is a redeeming love. It is a love that reaches out to the unlovable.
Having brought Israel to a place of desperation, through a loving hedge of discipline, in which she would again look to Him. The Lord God in redeeming love said He would take the initiative to restore the relationship. So far the three children have taught us about the grace and mercy of God and Gomer has just taught us about the discipline and holiness of God. Now we look to Hosea whom God will use to teach us about His redeeming love. Lets read Hosea chapter 2:14-3:5 and lets see what the redeeming love of God does for us and why we can trust and abide in it.
14 Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer call me, “My Baal.” 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.
18 On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land and will enable the people to rest securely. 19 I will take you to be my wife forever. I will take you to be my wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion.
20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord. 21 On that day I will respond— this is the Lord’s declaration. I will respond to the sky, and it will respond to the earth.
22 The earth will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. 23 I will sow her in the land for myself, and I will have compassion on Lo-ruhamah; I will say to Lo-ammi: You are my people, and he will say, “You are my God.”
1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley.
3 I said to her, “You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.” 4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.
5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
Woo’s and Chases Where You Are
Woo’s and Chases Where You Are
14 Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
Remember that I said above that the redeeming love of God loves, the unlovable? This doesnt mean those who feel they are unworthy of love but those who actually are unworthy. Israel - represented by Gomer has again gone astray and been unfaithful as a wife. Lawfully her husband could put her away or have her executed and be done with her. Love, the love of God is unconditional though and so it is based upon His choice to love and not upon anything else - including where you are in life. The Lord initiates this chase by saying “therefore I am going to”. Again the context is she has left and walked away walked out, but the love of the Lord is determined to chase after her. He will use three ways to chase and woo her and notice that none of them are dependent on her doing anything at this point.
Persuade - entice or the original word means allure or woo - this is seduction of a virgin, a lover’s attempt to entice. Spurgeon says this about it “This singular kind of power: ‘I will allure her’, not ‘I will drive her’, not even ‘I will draw her’, or ‘I will drag her’, or ‘I will force her.’ No, ‘I will allure her.’ It is a very remarkable word, and it teaches us that the allurement of love surpasses all other forces.”
Lead to the wilderness - this is a desire to lead her to a place where she is separate from her past lovers and can have full attention on His alluring. The 40 years in the desert represent the Lord’s care and love for Israel in a special way and it was there she loved Him in return. Just as He led her through the wilderness and married her at Mount Sinai so God will meet His beloved in the wilderness in the last days and lead her into the land and the glorious kingdom.
Speak tenderly to - In the wilderness to allure her, Yahweh will speak comfort to her. The literal meaning is to speak to her heart. This phrase is a Hebrew idiom for gentle and encouraging words such as a man speaks to his desired bride.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
Forgives What You’ve Done
Forgives What You’ve Done
15 There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.
The redeeming love of God also forgives what you have done. I will give her vineyards back to her indicates a forgiveness of past wrong. Then the Lord says I will make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope.
The Valley of Achor is translated the valley of trouble and it is where Israel marched through after having won a decisive victory over the well fortified city of Jericho. They went through the valley to Ai where they suffered a crushing defeat even though it was supposed to be an easy victory. The “trouble” was Achan and his family had sinned at Jericho. They disobeyed the Lord’s command to take no spoils from Jericho. Due to their heinous disobedience and sin Achan and his family were stoned and killed in this valley. So every time Israel passed the valley they would be reminded of the trouble that came from disobedience.
Now the Lord says this valley instead of being a symbol of defeat and sin, and hopelessness it shall become a gateway of hope. Forgiveness takes our bleak outlook due to sin and gives us hope. The hope to be forgiven of our past sins and our past disobedience. Redeeming love offers forgiveness for past offenses as a doorway of hope.
From her she will respond as in the day she came out of Egypt - Egypt a picture of sin the exodus a picture of salvation. Measured against the rampant idolatry of Hosea’s day the Israelites who left Egypt were saints.
Transforms Your Heart
Transforms Your Heart
16 In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer call me, “My Baal.” 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.
The redeeming love of God transforms your heart. In that day the Lord declares - not says but much more strongly than that the Lord declares with absolute certainty. Israel - will call Him her husband, and no longer my Baal. Now to us this looks different - my husband and my Baal - two very different words, meanings and everything right? Well in the Hebrew ishi is husband and bali is husband - both terms are used for one’s husband. For example
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
husaband ishi and husband bali both used interchangeably here.
However one has connotation for the husband as a partner and the other has a connotation for master. The Baals of idolatrous worship want a master-slave type relationship - the Lord God wants a commitment relationship based on His redeeming love. God promises to remove the names of Baals from her mouth and that they would no longer be remembered. This indicates a transformation of the heart for from the abundance of the heart - the mouth speaks forth as Jesus declared. After the coming captivity - know that Israel has never walked in idolatry since.
Protects and Secures You
Protects and Secures You
18 On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land and will enable the people to rest securely.
On that day the Lord will make a covenant for His people - His wife. This covenant’s purpose is for peace and security. The covenant is will the wild animals, birds and the creatures, the enmity between animals and people will be done with.
Isaiah 11:6–9 (CSB)
6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
8 An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. 9 They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle, but the serpent’s food will be dust! They will not do what is evil or destroy on my entire holy mountain,” says the Lord.
25 “ ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous creatures from the land, so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
The Lord also promises to shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land. They will no longer war or learn of war. The Lord promises to cause war to cease - His people shall dwell safely and rest securely from the threat of others.
4 He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.
Is Permanently Faithful
Is Permanently Faithful
19 I will take you to be my wife forever. I will take you to be my wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion. 20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord.
One of the greatest things about the redeeming love of God for His bride - His people is that it is permanent and faithful. Check out what the Lord promises - I will take you to be my wife forever! That means without end - there is no condition there - the Lord has chosen His wife forever. To take is to betroth - marking a new beginning, with all the freshness and newness unmarked by the patching up of differences.
Betrothal in ancient days was much different than engagement now - one it was legally binding and as was as if you were married already. Two a price was paid for the privilege of betrothal a dowery - this is where the practice of the engagement ring comes from. The price the Lord promises to pay is fourfold.
Righteousness - He will cover her unrighteousness in His righteousness - presenting her unblemished as a perfect bride. A just cause to indicate all facts says charges should be cleared and they should be declared innocent and to be without guilt
Justice - acts of judgment. Betrothing to himself through acts of judgment - upon the world and flesh.
Love - loving kindness - hessed - three meanings that always interact - strength, steadfastness, and love. Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. “Love” by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant.
Compassion - loving sensation, mercy - womb — the same love as a mother has for her unborn child.
6 For the Lord has called you, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God. 7 “I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with abundant compassion.
8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting love,” says the Lord your Redeemer.
I will take you in faithfulness and you will know the Lord. Faithfulness certainty, constancy. It is his faithfulness that holds us permanently and securely. Knowing God is more than knowledge of but it is relationship with. Experiential knowledge of intimacy with the Lord.
Will Restore Entirely
Will Restore Entirely
21 On that day I will respond— this is the Lord’s declaration. I will respond to the sky, and it will respond to the earth. 22 The earth will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 I will sow her in the land for myself, and I will have compassion on Lo-ruhamah; I will say to Lo-ammi: You are my people, and he will say, “You are my God.”
On that day I will respond declares the Lord. This is more than just saying but declaring He will respond - He will answer, give evidence, and testimony. To the sky, to the earth, to the grain, to the new wine, the fresh oil, and they will respond Jezreel. It is on this day that Jezreel will no longer mean scattered but instead will be sown. They shall be sown in their own land, restored and blessing returned to them.
The Lord will plant Israel in the land and she will grow there under His care.
Not only that but the Lo-ruhamah will receive compassion and Lo-ammi will be called His people and they will respond You are my God. The restoration of the marriage is not partial but complete.
The people who had been scattered in 1:5 would now be scattered or sown in their own land, where they would take root and be fruitful. They who had known no mercy in 1:6 would now know mercy. They who had not been God’s people in 1:9 would now be His.
It Costs Everything
It Costs Everything
1 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley.
3 I said to her, “You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.” 4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.
5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.
Love is costly and redeeming love costs everything. Here we come to another action sermon of Hosea - this whole chapter 3 illustrates what we just saw from verse 14-23. Hosea’s experience with his unfaithful wife is portrayed in Israel’s rejection of the Lord, and so the recovery of which is portrayed also through Hosea. God gives Hosea the divine command to go again and show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Just as - words of simile to denote sameness, the sameness of God’s love to the Israelites who have turned to other gods and love raisin cakes.
Raisin cakes are bad by the way - just kidding these represent the various forms of feasts associated with Baal worship.
Notice something here - it is important to pick up this principle of love that Hosea is directed by God to show to Gomer. Love is possible even in the most difficult and extreme times - but only when directed by God. This doesnt mean only when God says to - because God has already said to but this means only in the power of God’s Holy Spirit can we display the fruit of the Spirit which is love. Love is an act of one’s will, when God says we must love, it can and it will happen.
You know what it is mostly that holds us back? The cost to love - many simply do not want to pay the cost to love. Hosea had to go and find his wife being sold so he went and paid for her. 15 shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley - works out to 30 shekels - the price of a slave - the same price paid to Judas to betray Jesus who would pay the ultimate price to secure His bride.
A love that redeems - cost everything - Hosea suffered great shame, financial cost and the risk of rejection and failure.
Hosea tells Gomer you are to live with me many days without anymore promiscuity or loyalty to any other, and I will act the same way towards you. This was symbolic of the Israelites going into exile to be separated from its illicit acts and practices.
No king or prince - sovereignty has been lost and will not be regained until - the coming kingdom under the true King their Messiah
Without sacrifice - no more formal religious activity that was devoid of God - He desires love and not sacrifice.
Sacred pillar - without reminders or memorial stones - you must actively remember God and what He has done and what He has promised
Without ephod or idols - these were methods of divination or cultic objects
Afterwards the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king
Conclusion
Conclusion
Think about this - which of the pagan gods has ever wanted the love of their followers? Which of them ever asked them to choose them in love? False gods dont want a relationship in love but a master-slave like sacrifice in which obedience is out of fear.
God desires our love, He chases us to allure us, freely giving His redeeming love to enjoy relationship with Him If we miss seeing this we miss seeing Him and His heart for us and His redeeming love at work in us.
We see complete restoration as the three children named as marks of judgment instead become the very promises of God’s mercy, grace and the restoration of His redeeming love. God redeeming love is so powerful it transforms our trouble and sins into doors of hope. Through His forgiveness that He offers which He purchased a extremely great cost to Himself.
18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.
One of the key words of Hosea is return - it means to turn back and is used twenty-two times. The people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their King.
God’s redeeming love pursues and chases where we are at and through it He forgives us no matter what name birth has given to us and no matter what things we have done. His redeeming love can transform us and make us new. God is love and He promises to forgive and restore all who repent and return to Him.