Sometimes God takes us through circumstances in life that simply don’t make sense. I am sure this is how Hosea felt when God asked him to take a woman to be his wife who was a known prostitute. It seemed a strange request, but together they created a family. This new life did not create lasting change in Gomer, and soon, she left her husband and family and returned to her previous life. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, Hosea was further confused when God commanded him to find Gomer, love her, and restore her as his wife. After all the hurt, God wanted Hosea to take her back into his home with unfailing love and forgiveness. And Hosea obeyed.

You see, parallel to Hosea’s personal story is the story of the children of Israel and their covenant relationship with God. Though leaders, priests and prophets were put in roles to guide the people to God, they chose to reject the knowledge of God, ignored His laws, and led the people in worship of false gods. Because the people broke His covenant and disobeyed His commands, God brought punishment to the children of Israel. The resulting discipline God brought to Israel was meant to bring them to a place of brokenness and repentance. Their hearts needed to be broken, so they could be restored to God and see His unfailing love.

In experiencing the betrayal, forgiveness, and love in his own heart for Gomer, Hosea learned the heart of God and the deep love He had for His people. Knowing God’s heart, Hosea could share God’s message with greater depth and understanding as he encouraged the people to return to God.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12)

Fallow ground was soil that has not been worked or sown over a period of time. To become fruitful, the soil needs to be worked and prepared. The hardness needs to be cultivated so seed can be sown and reap a harvest. In the same way, the people needed to come to true repentance, allowing the hardness of their hearts to soften and become fertile. As a right relationship with God was restored, the blessings of His grace, forgiveness and love flowed through and changed them. Free from the stains of sin, the people once again enjoyed fellowship with God and felt surrounded by His unfailing love. The covenant was restored, just as Hosea and Gomer were restored when he sought her and brought her back as his wife.

For Hosea to take Gomer as his wife in the first place and then pursue her after her betrayal seems so hard to understand. It was not a relationship many would have chosen. Likewise, God pursuing the children of Israel who chose idolatry over Him seems just as difficult to understand. Why would He want to continue a relationship with people like that? It was all love, God’s unfailing love.

But really, isn’t God’s pursuit of you and me just as hard to understand? We all have a tendency to put things above God, whether its money, power, family or our own selfish pursuits. Instead of being loyal to the Lord and seeking Him with all our hearts, we turn another way. We run from our relationship with God as we seek to do things our way, and yet He knows a better way, His way. He pursues us in love.

There are times I put things above God instead of seeking Him and obeying what He asks. He diligently pursues me with the same unceasing love, offers me the same forgiveness, mercy, and grace. He calls me to break up the hardness in my heart in true repentance, sow righteousness and then reap the reward of sweet fellowship with Him. How is the soil of your heart? God’s desire for you is to enjoy the fruit of His unfailing love.

In His Love,

Susan