Today’s Reading: Hosea 4-6

Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel!
The Lord has brought charges against you, saying:
“There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
no knowledge of God in your land.
You make vows and break them;
you kill and steal and commit adultery.
There is violence everywhere—
one murder after another.
That is why your land is in mourning,
and everyone is wasting away.
Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea are disappearing. – Hosea 4:1-3

THE LOVE STORY OF HOSEA AND GOMER IS A STORY OF GRACE.

Hosea loved Gomer, but she was unfaithful time and time again. Though Gomer did not deserve it, Hosea would go in pursuit of her each time she strayed away from him and into the arms of another man. He would pay a price to win her back and bring her home. Hosea’s love for his wife despite her infidelity parallels God’s love for His people, even when we flirt with temptation or give ourselves to someone or something other than Him.

You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband;
you are utterly defiled.
Your deeds won’t let you return to your God.
You are a prostitute through and through,
and you do not know the Lord. – Hosea 5:3b-4

God created us to live in relationship with Him. Our relationship with God is like a marriage that requires fidelity and faithfulness. Not only does God want to be worshiped, He wants to be loved. God does not just want our empty words, He wants our sincere obedience. The Lord wants to be known by us so that He can show us how completely He knows us. For Him to offer us this kind of bond, even after we have sinned against Him, is evidence that we serve a God of grace — a God who shows us unmerited favor.

O Israel and Judah,
what should I do with you?” asks the Lord.
“For your love vanishes like the morning mist
and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—
to slaughter you with my words,
with judgments as inescapable as light.
I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.
But like Adam, you broke my covenant
and betrayed my trust. – Hosea 6:4-7

WE ARE RECIPIENTS OF GOD’S UNMERITED FAVOR.

Consider the heart of God that He would desire to show us love rather than condemnation; ponder the love of a God who wants to be known by us, even though this intimacy is completely undeserved by us. Since Adam, God’s creation has been breaking their covenant agreement with the Creator. Generation after generation has denied His Sovereignty and rejected His plan of salvation. And yet He paid the price for our sins.

But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. – Romans 5:15-16

God, we thank you for your grace. Our hearts are grateful this morning for your unmerited favor. We recognize that you have been in pursuit of our hearts before we even recognized your great love for us. May today’s time in your word remind us that we serve a God of kindness and grace, who not only patiently offers us salvation but who desires our full adoption into His family. May we remain faithful to you for the rest of our lives as we grow in our knowledge of who you are and all you have done for us. Amen.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. – Ephesians 1:5-7