The Door of Hope

by Randy Harshbarger

 

"And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope..." (Hosea 2:5). The story of Hosea is a sad one. It is a story of sin and apostasy. Hosea, the prophet of God, married a woman by the name of Gomer. In doing so, Hosea was obey-ing a commandment of the Lord. They had two sons and a daughter. Their names were special and provided lessons for the people of God. They were children of whoredom and Gomer was a daughter of the age. She had been influenced by the idolatry and immorality around her. It is out of this beginning that a story so shocking and horrifying was told by Hosea.

Gomer was unfaithful to Hosea. While sad, that story was not uncommon in an age of adultery and fornication. The Lord told Hosea to take Gomer back; in doing so, he paid 15 pieces of silver for her. This was half-price for a slave. Hosea in effect, rescued Gomer from the auction block. Through this experience with Gomer, Hosea learned a lesson about God and His love for the apostate children of Israel. Through his own tear dimmed eyes, and with a broken heart, Hosea could then call Israel back from sin and ruin.

God suffers when His people are unfaithful. God does not delight in those who die in sin. All of earth's sorrows are upon the heart of God. Jesus Christ understands when we hurt (Hebrews 4:14-16). Since God is love (1 John 4:7-8, 16), He suffers when His "loved ones" suffer. God has chosen to love man and, when we sin, His heart is broken. Jesus wept for the people of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:28). Sin brings agony to the heart of God. He suffered because of what sin does to us.

Sin also defeats the purpose of God's love. Sin spoils, stains, and blinds man as he turns from God. If God could deal lightly with sin, He would not be God. To sin is to turn from what God desires of us as His children. When we sin, we must repent. To refuse is to say in effect that we do not care about God's efforts to save us.

God loves the sinner in spite of the sinner's sin. God hates sin, but it is in love that He appeals to each one. Thank God for His loving kindness. In spite of Israel's sin, God still loved her.

The Lord wants us to be restored to Him. The ninety and nine are safe, but where is the one who is lost? God makes no compromise with sin. He longs for the sinner's return. God so loved to make it possible for one to be free of sin and as its condemning consequences. How hard it must have been for Hosea to take Gomer back. God loves us, but hates our sin!

Sin has no door of hope. Only the Lord can provide the way of salvation. Will we take it?

    

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