God's Faithful Love for an Unfaithful People

Alright, I want you guys to imagine you're 20 years old again.

And if you're not 20 yet, then just pretend you're 20 years old.

!

Suffered a tragic loss, and this loss really brought you two closer together.

In the past few months, you've been able to share your dreams with her, your fears with her.

You've helped her to understand what is meaningful to you.

You know her laugh, you know her favorite song, and you know the way her eyes light up when she's excited.

You've invested so much time into this relationship.

It's almost as if your lives are intertwined.

After a few months, you propose to this lovely lady.

And then shortly after that, you get married.

And you continue to get to know this lady.

And each day, you understand her more and more.

What she likes, what she doesn't like.

But after a couple years, you notice a shift.

You notice that she starts to say less.

There's less laughter when she's around.

And sometimes you wonder if she even notices you.

Maybe she's just stressed or tired.

So you give her the space that she needs.

After all, you were warned that in marriage there would be rough patches.

And maybe this is just one of those.

But the distance continues to grow.

And the conversations continue to become more brief.

The smiles, they become rare.

And the feelings that you once shared are slowly slipping away.

You notice that her attention turns to other things.

And she starts making choices without you.

Those little gestures that used to show love are now absent.

Every day, the life that you built together.

The dreams you shared.

The laughter.

The late night talks.

The sacrifices.

They all seem to be fading away.

The closeness that once brought joy to your life and to this relationship.

That same closeness now brings aching.

You wonder, does she even remember that you love her?

And then one day, you experience tightness in your chest.

The betrayal that you suspected has been confirmed.

Your wife has been unfaithful.

Turning away from the love and intimacy that you two have built over time.

The pain is sharp because you've invested so much into this relationship.

And the love and trust that you've built is now shattered.

It feels like your heart has been ripped out.

The love that you thought was all good now brings discomfort as well.

At its highest, this love is something that you may only experience through marriage.

But at its lowest, it leaves you filled with doubt and regret.

You have a choice.

Do you walk away from this relationship that you once held so dear?

Or do you hold on to hope of restoration?

This is the picture that God paints with Israel.

He loved them and they continued to walk away.

Chasing after idols and turning away from that relationship that they once had.

God's heart was aching.

But he was still longing for a return.

Before we jump in to the passage,

I'm just going to give you some context to help you understand how shocking this truly is.

So Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel.

This was about 750 years before Jesus.

On the surface, Israel was a very prosperous land.

The economy was booming.

Cities were being built.

Everyone was comfortable.

It was a great time in Israel.

At least on the outside.

But on the inside, they were straying from God.

They were chasing after idols.

Going through the motions.

They still brought sacrifices to the temple.

They still sang songs.

But they started to worship Baal.

Who was a Canaanite god of fertility and rain.

They believed that Baal would give them good crops, strong herd, and wealth.

The Israelites would say that they trusted in Yahweh.

But their idol worship would say otherwise.

They wanted God's blessing, not his lordship.

That is where Hosea comes in.

Let's turn to Hosea 1, verses 2 to 11.

Hosea 1:2–11

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him,

Go marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.

For like an adulterous wife, this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.

She has married Gomer, daughter of Diblim.

And she conceived and bore him a son.

Then the Lord said to Hosea,

Call him Jezreel,

because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel.

And I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

In that day, I will break Israel's bow in the valley of Jezreel.

Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter.

Then the Lord said to Hosea,

Call her Loruhema, which means not loved.

For I will no longer show love to Israel,

that I should at all forgive them.

Yet I will show love to Judah,

and I will save them,

not by bow, sword, or battle,

or by horses and horsemen.

But I, the Lord their God, will save them.

After she had weaned Loruhema,

Gomer had another son.

Then the Lord said,

Call him Loamai,

which means not my people.

For you are not my people,

and I am not your God.

Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore,

which cannot be measured or counted

in the place where it was said to them,

You are not my people.

They will be called children of the living God.

The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together.

They will appoint one leader,

and will come up out of the land.

For great will be the day of Jezreel.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you for this day that you've given to us,

and just the opportunity that we can come and gather together,

and just hear from your word.

And I pray that these words that you've given to us in Hosea,

that we would be open to hearing what you want us to hear from this passage,

and that you would just give me the words to speak,

and that I would be able to just share what you want me to share.

I pray these things in your name.

Amen.

All right.

Sin is not just breaking God's rules.

It's breaking God's heart.

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea,

the Lord said to him,

Go marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.

For like an adulterous wife,

this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.

In verse 2, God tells Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman.

That word means having many partners.

This is a living picture of Israel's spiritual adultery.

Why would God want someone to marry such a sinner?

Like, that doesn't make sense.

Hosea is a prophet of God,

and he's using this prophet to marry a sinner,

a promiscuous woman.

But what is more shocking

is that this is a picture of God's relationship with Israel.

Israel disobeyed.

They betrayed a covenant of love.

They wandered morally,

and they wandered relationally.

They traded the God who brought them out of Egypt

for gods made of wood and stone.

They were chasing after idols,

trusting foreign alliances,

seeking satisfaction in things that couldn't love them back.

This brought a lot of pain to God.

The pain of being replaced.

The ache of loving someone who runs away

and keeps running away.

Hosea shows us

that sin

doesn't just offend God's holiness.

It wounds his heart.

Have you ever been in a conversation

with somebody

who's glued to their phone?

Maybe you're pouring your heart out

or sharing something important,

and mid-sentence you hear that ding.

Their eyes flick down.

Their thumbs start moving.

Right then you notice that you've lost them.

What you're telling them now

is just going over their head.

They're focused on their phone

and what's in front of them.

They're there physically,

but they're not very present.

If you've ever been on the receiving end of this,

this isn't a great feeling.

You might wonder,

are they even listening?

Or do they even care what I have to say?

This is a glimpse

of how God felt with Israel.

They still went to the temple.

They still offered sacrifices.

They still said the right things.

But their hearts were somewhere else.

How often do we do the same?

Show up to church,

sing the songs,

read our Bible,

but our hearts are miles away.

God doesn't want half of our hearts.

He wants the whole heart.

God doesn't just want our attendance,

but he wants our affection.

He doesn't just want our obedience,

but he wants our heart.

We may not bow to idols of stone,

but our hearts can still chase after things like success

or money,

pleasure,

control,

comfort,

approval.

I want you to ask yourself,

where has your heart drifted?

When we treat God like a background app,

open but not active,

we betray a relationship with him.

Even in our half-heartedness,

God continues to call us to come home.

God's love is so real

that he refuses to ignore our sin.

Each of Hosea's children

receive names that symbolize judgment.

Then the Lord said to Hosea,

call him Jezreel,

because I will soon punish the house of Jehu

for the massacre at Jezreel,

and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

And that day I will break Israel's bow

in the valley of Jezreel.

Gomer conceived again

and gave birth to a daughter.

Then the Lord said to Hosea,

call her Loruhema,

which means not loved,

for I will no longer show love to Israel,

that I should at all forgive them.

Yet I will show love to Judah,

and I will save them,

not by bow, sword, or battle,

or by horses and horsemen,

but I, the Lord their God,

will save them.

After she had weaned Loruhema,

Gomer had another son.

Then the Lord said,

call him Loamai,

which means not my people,

for you are not my people,

and I am not your God.

So the first one we see is Jezreel.

This is a reminder

that violence and bloodshed

will bring Israel's downfall.

And then the second child,

we see Loruhema,

which means not loved,

representing God's withdrawal of mercy.

And the third child,

Loamai,

which means not my people,

symbolizing a broken relationship.

Imagine naming your kids

names like this.

Not loved,

not my people.

Like,

in this world,

I can't imagine anybody doing that.

And if they did,

we would wonder if they're a psycho.

But this just truly shows

how serious God was in this moment.

Each name shows the heartbreak of God.

These names aren't random,

but it shows that God's love

is not sentimental,

it is holy.

His justice

flows from his love,

because his love knows

how harmful sin is.

God's judgment is a father

who refuses

to let children ruin themselves.

God is saying,

you have broken my covenant,

and I will let you feel the weight of it,

not to crush you,

but to awaken you.

When I was younger,

I didn't understand

the rules I was given.

There were things

that I wanted to do,

like run out onto the street

to go and grab a ball,

or stay up all night

and watch TV.

I didn't understand

why I wasn't allowed to do that,

but when I pushed those rules,

there was discipline.

And it felt unfair.

Sometimes I wondered,

why do my parents not like me?

They don't let me do these things.

But what I couldn't see

is that they're actually

doing it out of love.

These boundaries

weren't punishment,

but they are protection.

If they were to just

let me do what I wanted to do,

I could have ended up

getting hurt

or doing something

that I would regret doing.

That's the kind of love

that God has for His people.

He sees us living in sin,

and He doesn't just sit there

and say,

I'll let sin destroy you.

But He wants us to come to Him,

and He wants to protect us,

and that's why there is judgment.

We often think

that the worst thing God can do

is discipline us,

but the real tragedy

is if He stopped caring enough

to confront us.

When God confronts us,

it's grace in disguise.

Think about it.

Grace doesn't always feel good at first.

God's plan is always redemption.

Instead of asking,

why are you doing this to me?

Ask God,

what are you doing in me?

I'm going to repeat that.

Instead of asking,

God,

why are you doing this to me?

The question we should ask is,

God,

what are you doing in me?

When we feel the sting of conviction,

we're truly feeling the touch

of a God who still loves us.

Even after heartbreak

and correction,

the story doesn't end in despair.

The same God

who shows judgment

in verses 4 to 9

is the same God

who brings hope

in verses 10 to 11.

Even when God's people

break His heart,

He refuses to let the story

end in rejection.

His love moves towards restoration.

After all,

the heartbreak,

the warnings,

the names of judgment,

God's tone changes.

It's like the storm clouds break

and light shines through.

Yet the Israelites

will be like the sand

on the seashore,

which cannot be measured

or counted.

In the place where I was said to them,

You are not my people.

They will be called

children of the living God.

The people of Judah

and the people of Israel

will come together.

They will appoint one leader

and will come up

out of the land,

for great will be the day

of Jezreel.

This tells us

that God's mercy

has the final word.

Love doesn't ignore sin.

This is the gospel

foreshadowed

through Hosea.

Judgment isn't the destination,

but it is the doorway

to restoration.

God's love runs

towards His people.

I want you to turn

to Luke 15,

the story of the prodigal son.

We're going to read

verses 20 to 24.

So He got up

and went to His father.

While He was still

a long way off,

His father saw Him

and was filled

with compassion for Him.

He ran to His son,

threw His arms around Him

and kissed Him.

The son said to Him,

Father,

I have sinned against heaven

and against You.

I am no longer worthy

to be called Your son.

But the father said

to his servant,

Quick,

bring the best robe

and put it on him.

Put a ring on his finger

and sandals on his feet.

Bring the fattened calf

and kill it.

Let's have a feast

and celebrate.

For this son of mine

was dead

and is alive again.

He was lost

and is found.

So they began

to celebrate.

So in this story,

we see a young man

who demands

his inheritance early

and then runs off

and wastes it all,

leaving him broke

and starving.

And when he realizes

how far he has fallen,

he walks home

feeling unworthy,

feeling shame,

feeling judgment.

But his father sees him

and he doesn't just wait

for him to come to him.

He runs to him.

The act of him running

shows that he's excited

to see him.

He isn't just waiting

there for him.

And he gives him

a robe,

a ring,

feast,

and he says,

my son was lost.

Now he is found.

This is what Hosea 1,

10 to 11 is describing.

God doesn't wait

at a distance,

but he runs

towards his people.

He doesn't just ignore sin,

but his mercy

is stronger.

Maybe you've walked away

from God.

Maybe your love for him

has grown cold.

And maybe you feel

like you're too far gone

to return.

But both Hosea

and Luke 15

show us that God's heart

still beats for his people,

including those who wander.

The same God who said,

you are not my people,

is the same God who says

that you are sons and daughters

of the living God.

His mercy doesn't rewrite

the past,

but it redeems it.

So as we look at Hosea 1,

we can feel the weight

of it pressing down.

Each name,

Jezreel,

Lo-Ruhema,

Lo-Ami,

all of these

feel like a final verdict,

like God has given up.

Maybe it feels like

that covenant is shattered,

the intimacy is gone,

but just when you think

it is over,

we see the word yet.

Yet,

the Israelites

will be like the sand

on the seashore,

which cannot be measured

or counted,

in the place

where it was said to them,

you are not my people,

they will be called

children of the living God.

The people of Judah

and the people of Israel

will come together.

They will appoint one leader

and will come up

out of the land,

for great will be

the day of Jezreel.

The word yet

shows the divine mercy

breaking through the silence.

A God who refuses

to let sin

have the last word.

God is saying,

yes,

yes,

they've been unfaithful,

yes,

they've turned away,

but I'm not done,

my covenant still stands.

And then if you look

at Hosea 3,

Hosea 3:1

verse 1,

the Lord said to me,

go show your love

to your wife again.

Though she is loved

by another man

and is an adulteress,

love her

as the Lord

loves the Israelites.

Though they turn

to other gods

and love the sacred

raisin cakes.

Hosea 3,

1

helps tie the whole

passage together.

God tells Hosea

to love your wife again.

The Hebrew word

for show your love

is talking about compassion,

not just a passive feeling,

but it's a deliberate choice

to love someone

who has wounded you.

This story here

that we see in Hosea

is the same story

that we see

throughout the gospel.

A God

who chooses

to love his people

even when they choose

to fall away

and stray from him.

Throughout Hosea

1-3,

God isn't trying

to shame Israel,

but he is revealing

brokenness

in hopes that

they will return

home to him.

God's goal

is always redemption,

not rejection.

Imagine Hosea

standing in the marketplace

and he hears that

Gomer has been sold

to slavery.

The woman

who was once

his wife

sharing that table

with him

is now being sold

to strangers.

He could have said

she made her bed,

let her lie in it.

But we see

in Hosea 2,

So I bought her

for 15 shekels

of silver

and about a homer

and a lethic

of barley.

Then I told her,

You are to live

with me

many days.

You must not

be a prostitute

or be intimate

with any man

and I will behave

the same way

towards you.

So he walks

into that marketplace

and there was

probably people

whispering like,

Oh, that's Hosea.

That's the husband

of this slave here

that's choosing

to live this way.

But yet,

he decides

to buy her back

and we see

verse 3

showing

what Hosea

said to her.

You are to live

with me

many days.

You must not

be a prostitute

or be intimate

with any man

and I will behave

the same way

towards you.

This is not just

Hosea's voice

but this is also

God's voice

when we see

the gospel.

We are those

people,

we are Gomer

in that marketplace

and Jesus

comes in

and decides

to buy us

back.

We're bought

with a price

and we see

that when we

look at Jesus

on the cross

and this price

is not just

15 shekels,

this price

is so much

more.

This is what

Hosea foreshadows,

not God

walking away

but God

walking towards

us and pursuing

us.

In Hosea's

day,

he said,

You are not

my people,

I am not

your God.

And Paul

picks up

these same

words in

Romans 9,

25 to 26.

As he says

in Hosea,

I will call

them my

people who

are not

my people

and I will

call her

my loved

one who

is not

my loved

one.

And in

the very

place where

it was said

to them,

you are not

my people,

there they

will be

called children

of the

living God.

What Hosea

foreshadows

in his book,

Jesus fulfills

a love that

goes further,

that pays

an even

bigger price

and welcomes

even more.

So will

you choose

to keep

running or

will you

return to

Christ?

Will you

choose comfort

and distraction

or will you

surrender to

a love that

restores?

Are you

okay with

being called

not my

people or

do you want

to be called

children of

God?

This story

doesn't end

in shame,

it ends

in hope.

These people

were once

called not

my people,

now they

are called

children of

God.

Even in

unfaithfulness,

God is

faithful.

Even when

we run

far,

his mercy

runs further.

Even though

we broke

a covenant,

God's

covenant

still remains.

Maybe your

heart feels

distant,

maybe you

have gone

through the

motions,

still showing

up to

church,

still singing

the songs,

but inside

your heart

has grown

cold.

I want

this story

here from

Hosea,

to be a

reminder and

an invitation

from God

to return.

God is

calling us

to return

to him.

Let's

pray.

Lord,

I thank

you for

these words

that you've

given to

us in

the scripture

and I

pray that

we would

just

throughout

this day

and throughout

this week

be able to

reflect on

the ways

in which we

may have

strayed from

you or

wandered

from you

and just

be able to

reflect on

which idols

we're chasing

after.

It may not

be idols

of wood

or stone

but idols

like comfort

or approval

or money

and I pray

that we

would just

be able to

reflect upon

those and

turn to you

with everything

and that we

wouldn't

continue to

run but

that we

would love

you wholeheartedly.

Praise things

in your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.