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.
God Takes Sin Personally
Did you ever go to a school that had a demerit system? It is a system whereby a student who has broken the code of conduct has “merit” drawn from his or her “account.” After so many demerits, such a student can be punished or kicked out of school.
It is amazing how many times people under such a system make an economy of it. That is to say, they game the system. They say, “Well, I have fifty demerits until I get kicked out, so I guess I’ll spend these ten demerits. It is worth it to me.” Such an attitude shows that this person is thinking in terms of economy and not relationship. He is thinking in terms of what he can buy or barter, and not in terms of what this will do to his relationship with a teacher, principal, or parent.
Israel was in very much the same position. The northern tribes of God’s people were still free in Hosea’s day. There was apparent prosperity, but they were starving when it came to their relationship with God. Famously, God told His prophet Hosea to illustrate what was going on in a very graphic way. He commanded Hosea to marry a woman whom He knew would be unfaithful.
Hosea 1:2 says, “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.” This is a heartbreaking chapter in this story. You think, “How could God have a man marry someone He knew would be unfaithful? This seems incredibly unjust!” If that is the way you feel, that is to be expected. If you are wondering how Hosea must have felt, that is only the catalyst, because wondering how God felt is the point.
Just as Hosea’s wife would be unfaithful to him, God’s people had been unfaithful to Him. The amazing thing is that God cared! God is infinite, omnipotent, and omniscient. So, it is all the more amazing that such an infinite God would care about anyone, but He does and He did. God takes sin personally. It wasn’t just some breach of contract where this was an economic calculation. No, God takes sin just as personally as a husband or wife would take a breach of trust from their mate.
Do you have an economy with God or a relationship with God? Are you merely figuring numbers into some impersonal calculation? Or, do you realize that you have a personal relationship with God? God is interested in you and loves you, and, therefore, could be in some sense as hurt as Hosea was by a wife who was unfaithful to him.
At the end of the day, sin is a departure: it is a departure from the Lord. God loves you, God made you, and God takes sin personally.