Daily Devotions
A Prophet, a Prostitute, and a God Who Doesn't Make Sense
Title: A Prophet, a Prostitute, and a God Who Doesn't Make Sense
Reading for September 14: Hosea 1-4
And the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver...
Hosea 3:1-2
We get the news that a good friend of ours, a preacher, is about to get married to a prostitute.
"Don't do it," we say, "she's no good for you! You're a godly man! You deserve better! She'll only break your heart!"
But he marries her anyway, and just as we expected, she is found later with another man. She deserts him and he is left a broken man. His confidence is shattered. He is empty. Defeated. Alone.
Privately, though, we are all happy she's gone. We lovingly console him and tell him that in the end this is a good thing.
"Now you can pick up the pieces of your life and move on. Maybe you can find true love in a good woman... a woman who will be faithful to you... a woman who is worthy of your love."
And he does find love again, only not in another woman. He goes back to the same prostitute who broke his heart before.
We are incredulous: "What are you doing? What are you thinking? Are you crazy? Why do you think she will be faithful? She's a prostitute! She's going to do this to you again! She doesn't deserve your love!"
But then our friend Hosea turns to us and says, "Do you know what I am doing? This woman, whom you look down upon and despise, represents all of you! My undying, unconditional love for her represents God's faithful love! I'm showing you how much God loves you!"
And so all of us, like the prostitute Gomer, come to our husband's table on the first day of the week with tears to thank our husband for not giving up on us!
Amazing love, how can it be, that you, my God, would die for me?
