God the Father: Calling the Unfaithful Home

Hosea 1 begins with God telling Hosea to do something ugly and strange: “go marry a slut,” because Israel has been acting like an adulterous wife toward the Lord. God makes Hosea’s home into a living picture of his own broken relationship with his people. Gomer’s children carry names that sound like judgment: Jezreel, Lo Ruhamah, “not loved,” and Lo Ammi, “not my people.” The names say what Israel has become by turning away, but God does not let those names have the last word.

Jezreel means “the Lord scatters,” and the scattering becomes more than punishment. God scatters his children into the world, just as the church after Pentecost was scattered into the world. The ugly beginning of Hosea’s story ends with grace: “in the place where it was said, you are not my people, they will be called children of the living God.” God keeps calling people out of the world, sometimes from places no one expected, like a Muslim man in Pakistan who sees a vision and is sent to Abu Dhabi to find the church.

God also reaches into a wrecked life in Oskaloosa through a dream of a father’s hand holding out a Bible. God does not quit when that woman runs after lottery money and fake paradise. God keeps working until the woman who once walked away is living in the basement of a woman on fire for Jesus, hearing the gospel every day, and later saying, “her church” is helping her move. The Father shows up and does not quit.

Hosea’s first son also points back to Jezreel, Jehu, and a massacre done in the name of God. God used Jehu, but God was not pleased with loveless zeal and destruction without compassion. The Old Testament does not hide God’s love. Hosea shows a Father who says he will get the unfaithful wife back, even when Hosea must buy Gomer back for about half the price of a slave.

God as Father means earthly fathers and grandfathers must model compassion, love, and forgiveness, especially when some people hear “father” and think only of abuse. God’s fatherhood also means care for the poor and needy. Ezekiel names Sodom’s sin as arrogance, being overfed, unconcerned, and refusing to help the poor. Jesus does not stand back from sinners like a Pharisee. Jesus comes as the doctor for the sick, and God’s people are called to share his love, care for the hurting, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before their God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God does not quit calling sinners. God’s mercy is not fragile, and it is not easily exhausted by delay, foolishness, or wandering. The woman who traded a divine invitation for lottery money did not outrun the Father’s patience. God kept placing gospel people in her path until “not my people” began to sound like “my people” again. [49:26]
• 2. Loveless zeal can misuse God’s name. Jehu could carry out judgment and still reveal a heart without compassion. God may use a person’s actions without approving the violence, pride, or hardness that drives them. Obedience without love can become destruction dressed up as faithfulness. [54:09]
• 3. The Father must be modeled well. God’s name as Father can sound painful to people whose earthly fathers were cruel or absent. Fathers and grandfathers therefore carry a holy responsibility to show compassion, forgiveness, and steadiness. A child’s first picture of authority should not have to be unlearned before the love of God can be trusted. [57:21]
• 4. Neglect of need is wickedness. Ezekiel names Sodom’s sin as arrogance, fullness, unconcern, and refusal to help the poor. Sin is not only the scandal that looks obvious from a distance. Sin can also be a comfortable life that has resources in its hands and no mercy in its heart. [59:13]
• 5. Everything begins with borrowed breath. Gratitude starts at the very bottom: without God, there is not even air to breathe. That realization strips away pride and makes every gift look received rather than achieved. The Father’s care becomes the ground for humility, mercy, and generous living.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:49] - Hosea 1 and the Names of Judgment
• [39:56] - Jezreel and God’s Scattered Children
• [40:15] - Hosea Marries Gomer
• [41:29] - God Calls Unfaithful People Back
• [42:31] - A Muslim Man Called by Vision
• [43:42] - A Dream of a Father’s Hand
• [49:26] - Not My People Become My People
• [52:12] - Jezreel, Jehu, and Misused Zeal
• [55:21] - God Buys Back the Unfaithful
• [57:03] - Fathers Must Model God’s Love
• [58:46] - Sodom, Need, and Neglect
• [60:25] - Sharing the Father’s Love
• [65:14] - Counting What the Father Has Done

1. In Hosea 1, what do the names of Gomer’s children (Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi) signify about Israel’s relationship with God?
2. How does the sermon connect the scattering of Israel (Jezreel) to the scattering of the church after Pentecost? [39:56]
3. According to Ezekiel 16:49, what specific sins led to Sodom’s destruction, and how does this differ from common assumptions about their guilt?
4. What example does the sermon give of God pursuing someone who initially walked away from Him? [46:10]

1. Why might God use Hosea’s marriage to Gomer—a “promiscuous woman”—as a metaphor for His relationship with Israel? What does this reveal about His character?
2. The sermon mentions Jehu’s “loveless zeal” in carrying out judgment. How can actions done in God’s name still dishonor Him if they lack compassion? [54:09]
3. Hosea is later told to buy back Gomer for half the price of a slave. What does this act symbolize about God’s redemption of His people despite their perceived “value”?
4. Ezekiel 16:49 highlights neglect of the poor as wickedness. How does this redefine our understanding of sin compared to more visible moral failures?

1. The woman in Oskaloosa initially traded God’s invitation for a lottery ticket but later returned. When have you prioritized temporary desires over God’s call? How did He pursue you? [46:10]
2. Fathers and grandfathers are called to model God’s compassion. What specific actions or habits could help you reflect His love to those who associate “father” with pain or absence? [57:21]
3. Sodom’s sin included ignoring the needy. What practical steps can you take this week to address a physical or spiritual need in your community?
4. The Muslim man in Pakistan responded to a vision by seeking the church. How can you cultivate openness to God’s unexpected ways of drawing people to Himself? [42:31]
5. The sermon warns against “obedience without love.” Where might your service to God or others feel more like duty than genuine care? How could you infuse it with compassion?
6. Gratitude begins with recognizing even our breath is a gift. What daily rhythms could help you acknowledge God’s provision in small, overlooked areas? [01:06:10]
7. How can your small group support one another in “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly” (Micah 6:8) amid cultural pressures to prioritize comfort or success?