Hosea 1-7 Hard Things…

What hard things has God asked you to do? Or if He has not, think how you would respond if He did. Enter Hosea, a prophet who ministered to the northern kingdom it seems. There is no definitive note to that but that he wrote, lived, and spoke during the times of several kings. Life as a prophet “Life as a prophet, regardless of religious or historical context, is characterized by a divine calling to speak God’s word, often leading to a life of sacrifice, challenge, and sometimes persecution. Prophets serve as intermediaries between God and humanity, delivering messages of truth, warning of consequences, and offering hope. Their lives are often marked by trials that refine their character, build resilience, and deepen their reliance on God.”  This was the life of Hosea.  What stands out is the hardest thing God asked him to do which was to go and marry Gomer, a street prostitute. Does that sound odd to you and if God asked you to do that, what would be your response? Hosea does not tell us his thoughts or his emotions but only that he obeyed. And so the story unfolds as Gomer is not only a street girl, but she is also unfaithful, even after birthing three children by Hosea. 

We often ask why God would ask this of Hosea, but the answer is found in the names of his children who epitomize the adulterous nation of Israel and their lack of faithfulness. Hosea needed divine wisdom, divine power, and divine faithfulness. Sometimes God asks us to hard things without any explanation and so it was with Hosea until he named his children. 

Today as you go about your work think how you would respond if God called you to be a Hosea to a Gomer. Would your answer be that of Isaiah: here I am Lord, send me? Think about it.