The gracious and loving heart of God, Hosea

But the nature of our sin and the love of God are revealed to us in the book of Hosea through marriage. And as one writer said, “While we rightly see marriage as a “parable of permanence,” Hosea’s life and testimony cast marriage as a “parable of perversion,” as Gomer repeatedly gives herself to other lovers. Hosea teaches us that we all, like Israel, are spiritual Gomers—we naturally give ourselves to other loves and idols of the heart.”

God intends for marriage to tell the story of His love for His people, and His peoples love for Him. This is why it is referred to as a parable of permanence. The permanence of marriage is one of the ways that God’s covenant love is illustrated in the relationship between a husband and wife. But, in the book of Hosea we see a broken commitment when Hosea’s wife Gomer is unfaithful and promiscuous.

In the same way that marriage tells the story of God’s faithfulness, the story of Gomer’s unfaithfulness helps us to understand our sin and the nature of our sin.

The same writer continues, “Too often, we think of our sin as doing bad deeds or saying wrong words or thinking evil thoughts. But Hosea teaches us that the matter is chiefly in the heart—it is chiefly about our loves. As James Smith has rightly said, “Our wants and longings and desires are at the core of our identity, the wellspring from which our actions and behavior flow.”

The true nature of sin is a matter of the heart, and every sin is from the heart and against God.

We must understand that our sin is not happening to us, it is flowing out of us… and it is rooted in our affections… our wants… our loves… our hearts.

Every sin is a matter of the heart

In Psalm 51:10 David prayed for God to give him a new heart. David needed a new heart because his heart was stained with sin, and he sin he committed came from within.

In the book of Hosea God told His prophet, a man named Hosea to take a wife.

Hosea 1:2 (CSB)

“2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him: Go and marry a woman of promiscuity, and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.”

Hosea was instructed to marry a promiscuous woman because that is the way God viewed Israel’s relationship with Him.

So, Hosea followed the Lord’s instruction and married Gomer. He also had children with her as the Lord had instructed him. And, Gomer went back to her ways of promiscuity… just like Israel has done in her relationship with God over and over again.

The issue of Gomer’s sin was one of the heart. It wasn’t just what she had done, it was that she had given herself and her heart to another.

And, this is the truth about sin that God is teaching Israel through Hosea. The sin of Israel is not just a matter of action.

In fact, like the Israelites we are prone to think of our sin as a surface level issue. We do that by thinking that all we need to do is stop, or make up some new habits. But, unless we address the source of our sin then we will continue in our current sins or move on to another sin. Gomer didn’t just go do something wrong, she loved another. And because she loved another she committed sin. In fact, I think you could say that her love was greatest for herself, and by loving herself the most, she was open to loving others in the moment, rather than loving Hosea for life.

Not only is every sin an issue of the heart, every sin is against God.

Every sin is against God

Hosea 4:12–13 (CSB)

12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. 13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

You may think that your sin isn’t hurting anything. You may think that your sins don’t impact your relationships. And, just because you haven’t messed up your marriage, family, or work yet doesn’t mean that your sin isn’t impacting a relationship.

David is clear in Psalm 51 about the direction or aim of our sin. Psalm 51:4 (ESV) says, “4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

Your sin will blind you from its target. It blinds you because you are just thinking about yourself and what you are getting out of it… and you are blinded to the aim and direction of your sin… which is the Lord.

Israel had turned on the Lord when she turned to other idols. Gomer turned on Hosea when she turned to another lover. And the same thing is true for us… when we sin we are turning from the Lord toward another love, want, and desire.

Our sin is an act of unfaithfulness or adultery

This truth provides a great deal of clarity on the nature of sin… and helps us to see our sin clearly for what it is… a matter of the heart. And, because it is a matter of the heart we need a solution for our sin that is directed to our hearts. The solution for our hearts doesn’t come from within. The solution to the sin problem in our hearts is the love of God… and the love of God has been displayed to us through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:5–8 (CSB) says, “5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What this means is that while we were still in our sins, God sent His son Jesus Christ to redeem us and to restore us. The love God displays to us is better than the love that Hosea gave to Gomer.

And, in Hosea 3 the Lord tells Hosea how to respond to his unfaithful and adulteress wife.

Hosea 3:1- (CSB) says, “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.

God prepares and points us to Christ through the marriage of His prophet. Hosea demonstrates His love for Gomer by redeeming her and restoring her. He went to her, he bought her back, and he loved her faithfully. Just like Jesus Christ has done for us.

You might wonder how in the world God could love sinners like us. You may be thinking to yourself how in the world did Hosea love Gomer like that… well the answer is found in understanding the love of God. It’s the love of God that results in redemption and restoration. It’s the love of God that moved Hosea to redeem and restore Gomer, and it is the love of God that resulted in Jesus Christ coming to bring redemption and restoration to all who have faith in Him.

Looking at the love of God in the book of Hosea we find…

3 Characteristics of God’s love that are revealed in the book of Hosea

God’s love us limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious.

Or in more simple terms God’s love is faithful. But, its so helpful to hear the depth of what the word faithful means.

In the OT God’s love is depicted by the word. “Hesed” This word is used around 250 times in the OT, and it expresses part of God’s character and nature. It is this kind of love that is revealed to us in the book of Hosea.

It’s this kind of love that is depicted in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy (hesed)…”

It’s this kind of love that Exodus 20 says God will lavish upon his people for a thousand generations.

It’s this kind of love that is behind the words like mercy and compassion. It’s this kind of love that is described in Numbers 13 when we are told that, “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love (hesed), forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion.”

The limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious love of God is what we experience in our covenant relationship with God.

It is this word, this love that we see over and over again that causes us to refer to the Lord as faithful and true.

In the book of Hosea God reveals Himself to be faithful and true, even when we are unfaithful and full of lies and deceit.

It is this kind of love that God commands Hosea to give to his wife Gomer when she is unfaithful to Him. Hosea demonstrates “hesed” to his wife when he goes to her in her sin, brings her home in her sin, and then redeems and restores her from her sin.

God’s love is alluring, wooing, beckoning

In the book of Hosea the Lord commits to woo and bring back the heart of Israel.

Hosea 11:1–10 (ESV)

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. 4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. 5 They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. 6 The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. 7 My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. 8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. 9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. 10 They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.”

The wooing of Israel is the foreshadowing of the ultimate bridegroom, Jesus. And like a bridegroom who woos his bride, Jesus beckons the church to Himself.

Earlier in Hosea 2:14–20 (ESV), God tells Hosea that He will bring Israel back. Even though Israel had sinned against Him and chased after other loves… God promises and prophecies to bring Israel back from her sinful ways. Even though Israel does not keep her end of the covenant, God keeps His end.

In fact, the difference between a covenant and contract is this. A contract requires that both parties keep their end of the agreement or it is broken. However, with a covenant both parties agree to keep their end of the arrangement whether the other party does or not. If one party breaks the covenant it doesn’t matter, the other person is responsible to continue according to the promise and agreement.

And friends, this is why we praise God for making a covenant with us and not a contract! Even though Israel rebelled and gave herself to other gods and other loves… God kept His covenant and took it a step further. God stayed faithful, and God promised to win back the heart of Israel.

Hosea 2:14-20 says,

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

God’s love is compelling, joy-giving, and motivating

Sin is our pursuit of joy in things and people other than the Lord. It is really our pursuit of joy in people and places that cannot give us what we truly desire.

Sin will take you farther you want to go, keep you longer than you want to say, and cost you more than you want to pay.

Sin always overpromises and under-delivers.

But, God’s love for us motivates, compels, and gives us joy in living for Him. There is a joy found in knowing God that cannot be found in knowing or experiencing anyone or anything else.

And God has demonstrated His love to us through Jesus Christ. As John Piper wrote:

God motivates us with the backward look, the distant forward look, and the near forward look. What that means is that God motivates us with the backward look when we consider the fogginess we have been given in Christ.

God motivates us with the distant forward look when we look ahead to the eternity that He has promised for us in Christ.

And God motivates us with the near forward look when we consider the truths of His Word that He is always with us. There is a daily and in the moment motivation that comes from the knowledge that God us with us, and this motivation allows us to be content in each and every circumstance because regardless of what we are going through, we are loved by God and have Him with us.

Hosea’s love for Gomer in her sin had an impact. God’s love for us is intended to have an impact.

God’s faithful love and patience are purposed for our repentance.

….grace, and love lead us to repentance…

Romans 2:4 (CSB) says, “4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

From the Old Testament, to the NT, and today we know that God’s patience has a purpose… and His purpose is repentance. In fact, God’s discipline is given so that we will repent… You might wonder why God didn’t just wipe all of Israel off the face of the planet and start over. I mean the accusations the Lord makes toward Israel are despicable and terrible. Israel had completely turned from the Lord to follow after the lusts of their hearts. And yet, the Lord sent a messenger and promised faithfulness on His part.

In Hosea 5:15 (CSB) God said, “15 I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.”

God let Israel feel the distance and impact of her sin… and in doing so He helped move them toward repentance. Look what is says in the next few verses:

Hosea 6:1–3 (CSB)

“Come, let’s return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. 2 He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence. 3 Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land.”

Israel responded with a desire to return to the Lord… Israel didn’t move from straight from unfaithfulness to faithfulness. The way to faithfulness or revival goes through repentance.

Repentance precedes revival.

Through history every great revival has started with repentance.

Repentance, as we look at last week means you change your mind, and your behavior.

You change your mind about yourself.

I am not fundamentally a good person deep down. I am not the center of the universe. I am not the king of the world or even my life.”

You change your mind about sin.

“I am responsible for my actions. My past hurts do not excuse my present failings. My offenses against God and against others are not trivial. I do not live or think or feel as I should.”

You change your mind about God.

“He is trustworthy. His word is sure. He is able to forgive and to save. I believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. I owe him my life and my allegiance. He is my King and my Sovereign, and he wants what is best for me. I believe it!”

In fact, I believe that if we preach and pursue repentance, then revival will follow. It’s possible that we have sought revival without seeking repentance… Revival is a work that God does, and revival happens according to His ways and the working of the Holy Spirit. We cannot manufacture revival… but God’s patience and His love do produce repentance… and repentance turns us from living for our selves and to loving Jesus.

Guilt doesn’t compel us toward faithfulness, but conviction and the weight of our guilt and sin do lead us toward repentance… and repentance precedes revival… because repentance is the reorienting of our lives around God who’s love is limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious

God invited Israel to repent and find their hope and joy in him… God used Hosea’s relationship with Gomer to demonstrate this with Israel… and God has sent Christ to bring you hope and joy through the love of God. Remember Romans 5:8? Well the love of Christ that was demonstrated through the cross, burial, and empty tomb was foretold and foreshadowed in the book of Hosea.

Look again at Hosea 6:1–3 (CSB)

This passage foreshadows and prophecies of Jesus Christ. Though the people of Israel intended to return to the Lord then, the Lord uses this moment in Hosea to direct our attention forward to the cross, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You see, God revives His people the same way that He creates His people- Through the gospel of Jesus.

Through the message of the Gospel our hearts are torn and wounded by the truth that we are sinners. And, through the same gospel message our hearts are healed and our wounds are covered by the truth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was crucified for our sin, and after two days, on the third day was raised from the grave. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (CSB)3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

And as it says in Romans 6:4 (CSB) says, “4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”

The love of Christ compels us to faith, and to faithfulness

We are motivated to live for the Lord and not for ourselves.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 (CSB)

“14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.”

What it will be for you?

What are your other loves?

“Remember No matter what you are wrestling with, all roads lead back to the heart. It matters not whether we’re fighting for sexual purity or against anger, for wisdom in our finances or against crippling anxiety, for godly parenting or against discontentment in singleness.”

Your sin and struggle are not better or worse than another… they are evidence of your unfaithfulness to the Lord and the sinfulness of your heart.

You cannot “do better” and be close to the Lord. You cannot “make better decisions” to spark a revival in your life… You must repent of the unfaithfulness in your heart. And pray like David in Psalm 51 who said “create in me a clean heart o God…”

So who and what do you love?

Will you repent from the other loves in your life?

God has come and God is beckoning for you to return from your unfaithfulness and be loved faithfully by him. Remember that God’s love is limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious… and His love is for you… demonstrated by Jesus Christ, so that you experience joy and satisfaction like nothing and no one else can provide.

Related Media

Related Sermons