Hosea is commanded to "go again" and love Gomer — a deliberate, costly, counter‑intuitive obedience that exposes old wounds, redeems a woman who had become enslaved by her pursuits, restrains her for cleansing, and models how God will restore Israel after a period of waiting; this visible act shows that love can be a commanded, empowered choice even when affections have waned and betrayal was real. [36:02]
Hosea 3:1-5 (ESV)
1 And the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins."
2 So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley.
3 And I said to her, 'You shall dwell as mine many days; you shall not play the whore, and you shall not be for another man; so will I also be toward you.'
4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim.
5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; they shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
Reflection: Name one person who has wounded or betrayed you. What is one concrete, loving action you can take today (a prayer, a short message, bringing a meal, or a forgiving word) that obeys the command to "go again" and love, even if your feelings have not yet followed?
Scripture teaches that God has not cast off his people; there remains a remnant chosen by grace, Israel has stumbled but not finally fallen, and their full inclusion awaits in the latter days — a truth that calls believers to humility, to pray for their salvation, and to avoid arrogance toward unbelieving Israel while still recognizing their present distance from the gospel. [50:50]
Romans 11:1-10 (ESV)
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life."
4 But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
8 as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."
9 And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever."
Reflection: Humbly examine your heart toward unbelieving Israel and toward news or politics about the nation: write a brief prayer confessing any arrogance, then call or text one member of your local church this week to ask how you can pray for them and to prioritize their welfare over current events.
Believers are commanded to put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving as the Lord has forgiven; such acts of love and forgiveness are meant to illustrate the mercy received in Christ and to mark the church as a visible demonstration of God's grace. [13:01]
Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Reflection: Identify one specific person you have not forgiven. What is one tangible step you can take today to begin to forgive them (pray for them by name for five minutes, send a brief message offering forgiveness, or ask God to show you one act of service toward them)?
Christ teaches that abiding in his word makes true disciples who know the truth that sets them free; apart from him everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, but where the Son sets free there is liberty — a sober call to recognize enslavement, to stop deceiving oneself about freedom in sin, and to look to Christ's ransom for deliverance. [27:00]
John 8:31-36 (ESV)
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33 They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?"
34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Reflection: Name the specific habit or sin where you feel enslaved. What is one concrete first step you will take today to begin breaking that chain (remove a trigger, set a 24‑hour guard/fast, tell an accountability partner, or replace the time with Scripture reading)?
The grace of God has appeared to bring salvation and to train believers to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, to live self‑controlled, upright, and godly lives, and to be purified and zealous for good works; redemption is not merely rescue from lawlessness but a purchase for purpose — a people set apart for holiness and service. [29:46]
Titus 2:11-14 (ESV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self‑controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Reflection: Write down one sinful habit you will renounce and one specific good work you will begin this week (serve a neighbor, join a ministry, bring a meal to someone in need). Share both with a brother or sister in Christ and ask them to hold you accountable.
Hosea 3 invites us to watch a living parable unfold: a wounded husband commanded to love again, and an adulterous wife bought back from the slavery her choices created. I walked through the Lord’s command to Hosea—“Go again, love a woman”—and pressed on the uncomfortable truth that love, in Scripture, is not merely a feeling we wait to regain; it is a commanded action we obey even when our emotions lag. God’s instruction exposes our instinct to self-protect after betrayal, yet the call is to step toward vulnerability in imitation of God’s relentless love for his people.
We then considered why Israel’s idolatry was so compelling. “Raisin cakes” seem harmless, even delightful, and that is precisely the point: idolatry often hides behind pleasantness and religious veneer. The lures of pleasure, mind or body, and the reality of spiritual counterfeits make false worship feel alive—until it enslaves. That is where Hosea finds Gomer: owned. He buys her back at the cost of a slave’s life or a vow’s redemption, anticipating how Christ ransoms us—not with silver or barley, but with his blood—and for a purpose: to purify us and make us zealous for good works.
Yet restoration comes through a season of restraint. “Many days” without king, prince, sacrifice, pillar, ephod, or household gods pictures a disciplined waiting—idolatry restrained, intimacy not yet resumed. God uses deprivation to detox our desires and re-order our affections. But he also promises an “afterward”: Israel will return, seek the Lord and “David their king,” and come trembling to his goodness in the latter days. This gives shape to our posture toward modern Israel—neither dismissing them nor romanticizing them. Romans 11 teaches us to reject arrogance, long for their salvation, and devote ourselves to the household of faith while praying for Israel’s future fullness. In all of this, Christ stands as the true Hosea—pursuing, purchasing, purifying, and preparing a people whose restored love becomes a visible testimony of his mercy.
Hosea 3:1–5 — 1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You shall dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, and you shall not belong to another man. So I will also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.
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