Hosea 1:2 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.
Sin: A Departure From God
One day John came home to an empty house. His wife was gone. The letter she left indicated that she no longer loved him and that she had left him for another. In another town, Jennifer’s husband said that he no longer loved her. It’s not that there’s another person, and there are no hard feelings. It’s just that he no longer wants to be married.
We’re living in a day where we have made nothing of marriage. Hosea 1 is a powerful case of God’s using marriage to illustrate His relationship to His people. He gave the prophet Hosea a unique task to marry a woman whom Hosea knew would be unfaithful to him. Why would God demand such a thing? Why would Hosea do such a thing? And why would God record it all in full color in the book of Hosea?
It’s painful to think about how terrible this episode would have been for Hosea and his unfaithful wife, but if you’re just feeling sorry for Hosea then you’re missing the point that this is the same as when we sin against God. God takes sin personally because He loves us personally. Sin is departure, not from a code or set of laws, but from a person, God. I can no more say to God Almighty, “Hey I’m going to sin and do my own thing, but don’t take it personally. I still love you; we can still be friends,” than I can honestly say that I’m going to leave my wife, but there are no hard feelings and we’re still going to be friends. That’s not honest, and that’s not the way life or love works.
Sin, as a departure from God, is seen in three ways:
- 1.Unfaithful– It’s showing unfaithfulness to the God Who hates sin so such, but loves me so much that He sent his only Son to take my punishment and place.
- 2.Ungrateful– In chapter 2, Hosea says that his wife doesn’t comprehend the things he had provided for her as her provider and protector. Now the parallel is clear. When I sin against God, I’m ungrateful. God provides, protects, and directs. For me to dismiss these tokens of His love for me is not just shallow or unthinking, it’s ungrateful.
- 3.Unfruitful– Now that’s not completely true because I will always reap what I sow whether good or bad. But sin is unfruitful in the sense that nothing good can come of it, not for me, not for those I love, and not for God.
We’re living in a day when people are constantly seeking for something better and more fulfilling than the marriage they have, only to find that it leads to heartbreak. But that’s only a picture of the kind of heartache, lack of fulfillment, fruitlessness, and ungratefulness, that comes from my sin against the God Who loves me and cares for me.