Even In Famine (part 2)

During a time of famine, Isaac was instructed by God not to go to Egypt, as his father had. But Isaac was to  go to the land that God would show him.  In the midst of that instruction God also restated His covenant that had been established with Abraham.  That covenant was established not only with Abraham but with his seed, which included Isaac.  Isaac obeyed God's instructions and stayed in the land.   In a time of famine, when little could be harvested, Isaac planted seed which God blessed and it brought forth one hundred fold.  God's blessing was upon Isaac because of covenant and obedience, even in a time of famine.  

Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Isaiah 65:13-14 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

Living the Message

Hosea 1:2-3 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. ³ So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.

Hosea was a man who was willing to live the message of God’s love before the people of Israel.  Many of the prophets were asked to do unusual things as prophetic demonstrations of the message that God had for His people.  Just as today we have television/movies/internet where we can see and not just hear or read a message, these men were asked to show the message.  Jesus spoke often in parables using examples of things that the people were actually seeing as they were their listening to Him.

Hosea’s demonstration of the message was quite costly personally.  He was to take a woman of “whoredoms and children of whoredoms.”  Some have said this was just an allegory and Hosea really did not marry this woman.  That is not what the scripture says.  It says that he was to take her as his own and then when she went back to her other lovers, he bought her back when she was being sold into slavery.  Hosea was a living demonstration of the love of God for His people.  He was a living demonstration of God’s heart for His people Israel and for each one of us personally. 

The obedience of Hosea is an example of a man who was willing to live the message of God no matter the cost.  Marrying a prostitute and then buying her back must have brought tremendous reproach upon him personally.  It must have been incredibly painful to obey God and then be hurt so deeply by the rejection of Gomer.  It must have also been costly in the natural having to pay the price to buy her back.  But Hosea’s love for Gomer, for God, and for his nation caused him to walk in obedience no matter the cost. 

Am I willing to suffer such reproach and heart pain in obedience to God?  Am I willing to live the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ no matter what it may cost me?  The message Hosea lived demonstrated the tremendous longsuffering love of God.  It demonstrated God’s heart of compassion for the backslider.  Will I live the message by demonstrating God’s love to the backslider?  Will I live the message in whatever way He asks?  These are question I ask myself as I contemplate the life of Hosea, prophet of God.