Hosea Chapter 3
Showing all 5 verses for Hosea Chapter 3.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. "
"The LORD said to me again: Go, love a woman who is loved by another man and is committing adultery - just as the LORD loves the people of Israel, even though they turn to other gods and love their sacred raisin-cakes."
I don't love you because you've earned it, or because you've stopped straying. I love you in the middle of your wandering, and I come looking for you there, on purpose, at real cost to myself.
"So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: "
"So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver, and about ten bushels of barley."
Love that redeems isn't cheap talk - it costs something real. I don't just say I'll take you back; I pay whatever it takes to bring you home, however far you've gone.
"And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. "
"I told her: You are to stay with me for many days. You must not go back to prostitution or belong to another man - and I, in turn, will do the same for you."
Being brought back isn't the end of the story - it's an invitation into a new, faithful way of living together. I ask for your loyalty, and I give mine in return; it goes both ways.
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: "
"For the people of Israel will go a long time without a king or leader, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without priestly garment or household idols."
Sometimes I strip away both the false securities and the familiar routines in your life at once - not to leave you with nothing forever, but so you're not distracted from finally seeking me directly.
"Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. "
"Afterwards, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD, drawn by his goodness, in the days to come."
I want to draw you back not by threatening you into compliance, but by letting you actually experience my goodness. The healthiest kind of reverence comes from being loved well, not from fear alone.