A Marriage Made in Heaven

Hosea 1:1–10 CEB

1 The Lord’s word that came to Hosea, Beeri’s son, in the days of Judah’s Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and in the days of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Joash’s son. 2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him,“Go, marry a prostitute and have children of prostitution, for the people of the land commit great prostitution by deserting the Lord.” 3 So Hosea went and took Gomer, Diblaim’s daughter, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 4 The Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will destroy the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the Jezreel Valley.” 6 Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her No Compassion, because I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah. I, the Lord their God, will save them; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.” 8 When Gomer finished nursing No Compassion, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 9 Then the Lord said, “Name him Not My People because you are not my people, and I am not your God.” 10 Yet the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “Children of the living God.”

A Marriage Made in Heaven

David Leininger tells the following story:

There once was a retreat attended by the clergy of a community for the purpose of establishing support groups. To kick things off the leader broke the participants up into groups of four and instructed them to confide in one another.

In one group, a rabbi broke the ice by saying, "I'll begin by sharing one of my most disturbing problems. Occasionally I slip out of town and give in to my craving for pork - I stuff myself with bacon, sausage, ham, pork chops, and sometimes even baby-back ribs."

At this point, a Roman Catholic priest confided he, too, had a similar problem during Lent and occasionally slipped away to enjoy a medium-rare T-bone steak.

There was a long pause broken by the Baptist preacher who finally said, "On rare occasions when I am having difficulty preparing my sermon, I dig down in my file cabinet, bring out a bottle of Jack Daniels and drink a jigger or two. I try to justify my actions by telling myself the use of alcohol seems to add a spark to my sermon, but I know down deep that it is not true."

At this point all eyes turned to the Presbyterian pastor who had not said a word. After shuffling his feet a time or two, straightening his tie, and clearing his throat several times, he said, "I have never admitted this to anyone before, not even to myself, but without a doubt my greatest weakness is ... I just love to gossip. And ... what is worse, the way I feel right now, I just cannot wait to get back to town." [1]

I can only imagine the gossip in the town that Hosea lived when the people learned that he was getting married to Gomer.

If there was Facebook back then, can you you picture the things that were being posted about this upcoming wedding?

If you are not on Facebook or other social media you are not missing much. People post stuff that they wouldn’t say or do if they were with you in person. They say that social media has brought us closer together. I’m not so sure because of how people use it.

God was very specific about the type of woman that Hosea was supposed to marry. The NRSV version makes it very explicit.

Hosea 1:2 (NRSV)

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.”

The Message is also very explicit

Hosea 1:2 (The Message)

2 The first time God spoke to Hosea he said: “Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children.

I’m going to assume that Hosea is a younger man when God first speaks to him. Verse 1 lists the kings that reigned while he was a prophet. Based on that list, he served as a prophet for about 60 years.

Perhaps he had dreams of getting married and having children. Maybe there was a young woman that had been arranged for him. We don’t really know much about him. He was Beeri’s son. Maybe he dreamt of taking over his father’s farm or business. As a young man I imagine he had dreams and plans for the future.

But, God spoke to him. I remember without a doubt when God called me into the ministry. I remember when I was sanctified and I heard the Holy Spirit speaking to me. Those were all awesome events. I remember where I was at and what was happening at the time.

All of the translations that I looked at begin verse 2 with very similar words.

Hosea 1:2 (CEB)

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him,

So here it is, God is speaking to Hosea for the very first time. We don’t know how God spoke to him, whether he was working or maybe sleeping. But the very first time that God speaks to him he tells Hosea to go and marry a whore.

What a blessing that must have been for Hosea to hear those words from God. When we read these words we often forget that Hosea was a real person with real feelings and emotions. God speaks to him and tells him to go find a whore and marry her. I can only imagine the personal struggle that he went through.

God, did I hear you right? Did you really say to go and marry a prostitute? You know that I was thinking about proposing to that young lady Elizabeth don’t you?

God, what are people going to say when they find out that I’m getting married to a hooker?

God, do you have a different plan in mind but this?

When God comes to us, and we’ve been in His presence we are changed. You have two choices, you can acknowledge God’s presence and fall on your face before because it is holy ground or you can walk away and remain unchanged.

Hosea was changed. God tells Hosea his reason for this command. God says

Hosea 1:2 (NRSV)

2 for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”

That is a serious charge against Israel. Israel had time and time again gave in and worshipped Baal, the Cananite god. He was the Storm god, or the god of rain. This god was often depicted as a bull. Baal was also a symbol of fertility. There were shrines set up all around for the worship of Baal.

Israel wanted to be like the people around them. They wanted a god that they could see rather than the great I am.

You remember when Elijah prophesied that there would be no rain for 7 years? He met with the prophets of Baal on the mountain and had that great contest and God proved faithful. Baal was the same god who was still causing problems for Israel.

God here has enough and decides that Hosea is going to be a living example of what the people have been doing to Yahweh.

God tells Hosea that the people are like a whore or prostitute who is unfaithful to her husband. The people have forsaken God and they have gone off and worshipped other gods.

Israel was pictured as both a Son and also as a Bride. One commentator wrote:

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah The Message of Hosea

The image of sonship stressed Yahweh’s election and the image of marriage stressed the free choice of Israel to enter into a covenant relationship

When you are standing before the minister about to get married, you are entering into a covenant. You are doing that because your soon to be spouse loves you and you love them. When God brought Israel out of Egypt He was inviting them into a covenant relationship with Him. God choose them to extend his love to. They weren’t forced into this relationship. They voluntarily entered it.

When Israel has gone into the promised and got settled. Joshua called the people to come to Shechem. He challenged them to renew their covenant with God. He reminded them of all the God had done for them. He says to them

Joshua 24:14–15 CEB

14 “So now, revere the Lord. Serve him honestly and faithfully. Put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the Lord.”

He is calling them to voluntarily make a covenant with God and to serve him honestly and faithfully. We’re very familiar with Joshua’s words. But listen to what he says next:

Joshua 24:16 CEB

16 Then the people answered, “God forbid that we ever leave the Lord to serve other gods!

Right here you might be tempted to say “Liar, Liar, pants on fire.” We know that they did serve God for a time, but they soon began worshipping Baal and other gods. This led to this message to Hosea.

Despite all the negative talk that he heard from his family and friends and even the community Hosea he met up with Gomer and married her.

God told Hosea to be faithful to him and do as He commanded him. Hosea was obedient and faith to God. I’m sure he scratched his head and wondered if He heard God correctly, but he still did what God asked.

This wasn’t the first time that God had asked someone to do something that didn’t makes sense. God said to Noah

Genesis 6:14 NRSV

14 Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

That made no sense, building a large boat on dry land? But Noah and his sons were faithful to God.

God told Abram

Genesis 12:1 CEB

1 The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you.

Abram, I’m not telling you exactly where this land is, but follow me and I will show it to you.

God’s requests did not make any sense. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute, put up with the abandonment and broken trust, the unfaithfulness, the public embarrassment. Hosea, I’m going to be with you.

Hosea and Gomer get married and she gets pregnant and there first son is born. God tells Hosea to name him Jezreel.

Names had meaning then. Each of Hosea’s children were given specific names by God.

Jezreel was the name of the first child because God said Hosea 1:4 “4 The Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will destroy the kingdom of the house of Israel.”

Jezreel was the place that Naboth had the vineyard that King Ahab wanted. It was there that Naboth was brutally murdered. God told Elijah to speak to the king and say:

1 Kings 21:19 CEB

19 Say the following to him: This is what the Lord says: So, you’ve murdered and are now taking ownership, are you? Then tell him: This is what the Lord says: In the same place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, they will lick up your own blood.

We know that Ahab and his wife Jezebel were some of the most evil and unfaithful to ever rule in Israel.

God said 1 Kings 21:23-25 “23 As for Jezebel, the Lord says this: Dogs will devour Jezebel in the area of Jezreel. 24 Dogs will eat anyone of Ahab’s family who dies in town, and birds will eat anyone who dies in the country.” 25 (Truly there has never been anyone like Ahab who sold out by doing evil in the Lord’s eyes—evil that his wife Jezebel led him to do.”

Gomer has a second child, this time a girl. God says to name her Lo-ruhamah. That means No Compassion.

God is saying that He is no longer going to have compassion on the people. He says He is no longer going to forgive them.

Ravi Zacharias said

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” - Ravi Zacharias

The sin of the people had taken so far from God that He said enough is enough. No more compassion on them, no more forgiveness. I’m not going to save them any longer.

The reality of sin is that we can move so far away from God that we no long desire being chosen by God and we can become incapable of confession of sin. I think that is the unpardonable sin.

Dr Ogilve wrote:

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah Hosea’s Children and God’s Children

In essence God said, “You have told Me in a million ways you do not want My love, My mercy; now I will call you by the name that expresses what you apparently have desired all along—to not be loved or bear the responsibilities of being My cherished people. Therefore I will call you ‘not loved.’

What do we tell God about our relationship to Him through our actions. Do we really want God to be Lord in our lives? Why does it seem that our prayers are mere words and not filled with power and answers. Why is there so little evidence of personal holiness in our lives. Why do we expect so little of God? Why are we so satisfied with crumbs when God has a banquet read for us? What about the church? What do we expect? Could it be that what we have is exactly what we want rather than what God wants? God help us to repent and seek the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah (Hosea’s Children and God’s Children)

One Sunday, a woman came up to the pastor who had preached about the clear call to repentance. She said, “Right on, Pastor. That was a barn burner. Just what these people need. Hope they heard what you said to them!”

The pastor thought to himself, why was she not among the large gathering of people on their knees in prayer at the front of the sanctuary?

It was the very same reason Israel did not listen to Hosea and Judah, assuming that what the prophet had said to them could never be true of Judah. But it was!

To mark the finality of God’s action, Gomer gets pregnant again and the third child is a son. He tells Hosea to name him Lo-ammi, which means Not My People.

Israel was God’s people. God said to them

Leviticus 26:12 CEB

12 I will walk around among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.

Now God is saying that they are not his people. This is a message of judgement. We don’t like to hear about judgement. God is a God of love we say. We need to talk about God’s love so that people will want it.

God is absolutely a God of love, but he is a God of judgement. There is a judgement day coming. We will all have to give an account of what we have done.

Dr Ogilve wrote that “Hosea alternates between severe judgement and tender mercy.” We love to talk about God’s mercy. He went on and said:

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah The Final Stage of Judgment

Our natural inclination is to respond to our listeners who are facing hard times and reach out to them with the mercy of God. In so doing, we may neglect the people whose self-satisfaction may be keeping them from God’s best for their lives. Often we say to ourselves, “People already know how bad they are; they need to hear how great is God’s grace.” We can no longer get away with that simplistic approach to the gospel. You and I are teaching and preaching at a time that matches the spiritual conditions in Israel more than we may want to acknowledge.

People need to know what sin is so that they can know that they are in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Hosea’s children’s name shows about God’s judgement, it also shows us how we can easily drift away from God. Look at the Church, big C today. There are churches and denominations who celebrate sexual sin. They have made an idol out of abortion. They celebrate abortion as something that God blesses.

Where does all this start? It starts with pride. I starts with us thinking we know better than God. It starts with us thinking that we can handle life on our own terms.

Pride leads to accepting our own emptiness and refusing to admit to our needs. It is then we begin saying no to the Holy Spirit. Each time we say no to the Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes. The more we say no the more self-satisfied we come.

That is why Jesus referred to this as the unpardonable sin. It’s because it is possible to say no to God for so long that we are no longer capable of saying yes to and to repent.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 22: Hosea / Joel / Amos / Obadiah / Jonah The Final Stage of Judgment

People feel that if they believe in Christ, pray their prayers, and participate in church activities that they have become “good Christians” and have fulfilled their obligations. Many are not growing in their faith, leading others to Christ, or involved in ministry to heal the sores of suffering in our society. The frightening thing is that we can resist so long that we no longer desire to respond to what God is calling us to be and to do. It causes pain in the divine heart of God.

Where are you this morning? Are you a “good Christian” or are you walking in obedience and faithfulness to God? Do you need to repent and turn around?

[1] Hosea 1:2-10 | Trouble In the Parsonage | Sermon and Worship Resources (sermons.com)