O, those crazy prophets of
old. They not only spoke God’s truth to people who would never hear it, but
they were also inclined to “act out” God’s message in their own lives. Ezekiel,
for instance, was not only transported by the Spirit to a valley of dry bones,
but he also laid on his side for 430 days to symbolize the years Israel and
Judah had sinned. Isaiah wandered around Jerusalem for three years, naked or
almost naked, to signify the sinful condition of the
people. Jeremiah stuck his unclean underwear into a cleft near the
Euphrates and retrieved them days later, only to discover that, like the
people, they were soiled and rotted beyond repair. Yes, it’s true- prophets did odd things to make a point for God, but none of them did anything
more unusual than the Hosea did. Have you ever read the book that bears Hosea’s
name? Well, if you haven’t, let me warn you that it is challenging, beginning
with chapter 1. To live out Israel’s infidelity in his own life; to show that
God displeasure with people who love one God on Sundays and another god on
Mondays; to make it clear that God’s people had provoked His jealousy by
chasing after gods of money, wealth, pleasure, power, and self… Hosea was told
to marry a whore, or a temple prostitute, or a promiscuous woman, depending on
your interpretation. He is also told to have children with her, even though her
background and her behavior would have showered him with shame in those days. So,
Hosea married Gomer and she did have three children, though they may not all
have been Hosea’s.
Gomer gave birth to Jezreel,
whose name means “God sows/scatters, to a girl named "Lo-Ruhamah,” which means “not loved,” and to another son, named “Lo-Ammi,”
which means “not my people.” "God scatters," "not loved," and "not my people"- these were the three kids who were trying to get by with a promiscuous mom named Gomer and a radical prophet named
Hosea. Hosea
had a dysfunctional family for sure. He was carrying a burden for the Lord, no doubt, and Gomer was struggling with who knows what demons. The kids must have felt as unwelcome as their names suggested and it's very hard to feel good for anyone in the family. But chapter 2 is worse. Indeed, it's almost unreadable for a boy (like me) who witnessed a whole lot of domestic violence. Whether we see it as
righteous punishment in a patriarchal and shame-based society, or as the consequences of her own sins, chapter 2 is about punishment in which a
righteous man teaches a sinful woman a thing a two about obedience. Since the
woman thinks that her lovers who make her lifestyle possible, her husband, her baal, her master... strips her naked and withholds food. He shames her and abuses her
until she comes to her senses. Then, when she understands her man, God orders
Hosea to go and buy her back- to forgive her, even though she had been
unfaithful… which he did for 15 shekels of silver and 11/2 homers of grain,
Taking her back at all was a great act of
reconciliation- unheard of for an adulterous woman- but after that, from chapters 4-10, Hosea’s words do
little to cheer up anyone’s spirits. They are harsh and threatening to a people who have forgotten that they belong to God, but in my view chapter 11 saves the day. When I was in seminary, I was taught to find and preach the good news in every sermon, and the good news in Hosea is this: despite our sins, God will never give up on us! “When Israel was a child,” God says, “I
loved him.” I cared for him. I taught him to walk. I patched up his wounds. I
lifted him to my cheek, and I taught him the way in which he should go. My boy ran away from me, it is true, but I will never give up on him because our relationship is based on my
steadfast love, not my son’s, and besides, I am a God who created my people out of love. I gave them hearts that will never rest until they rest in me. I created them for a loving relationship with me. I walked with them in the garden. I led them to a land of milk and honey. I gave them commands to enrich their lives, and in the end, I sent my Son to
hang on a cross so that all people will know that there is no end to my love. I
am God and I can do no other than invite my people into a loving relationship
and to sustain them along the way.
If we can get past the
domestic abuse and the odd behavior of the prophets, if we can reject a culture
in which women and children were expendable, if we can see people through God’s
eyes, we will see that there is no end to God’s love for us. We will see that
there is nothing we can do that will cause God to love us less. We will see
that God is “for us,” not against us, that God longs to hear from us, that God
wants to say the words, “well done, good and faithful servant,” that heaven
does applaud when a single sinner stumbles home. If we can see God in and
through the context of the text, we will see that Lo-ruhamah is Ruhamah (loved)
and that Lo-ammi is Ammi (my people). If we can see God raising us up in His
arms and holding our hands as we walk, we will see that God is love… and we may
even cry out, as Jesus did, “Abba, daddy,” thanks for loving me. Amen.
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