Hosea

It’s a pleasure to hear from Brittney Basalious this week. She’s new to the blog, so be sure to stop by the contributor’s page to learn more about her.

The story of Hosea is interposed between a prostitute’s relationship with her husband and many lovers. The woman of whoredom, as the bible calls her, has a husband who is faithful and providing, yet her never-ending hunger for worldly lusts allures her once again to give herself away to strange men.

This story reminds me of myself, and as it may be of a surprise to you, this story also reminds me of YOU.

You may be thinking; how can I be equated to a prostitute? To the beloved believer reading this devotion, spiritual prostitution is the deeper meaning behind this beautiful story of redemption, mercy, and ultimate forgiveness.

As Hosea’s wife deliberately sought after the things of this world, bread, water, wool, flax, oil, and drink, she cheated on her husband while doing so. How many times have we cheated on God, our husband? The Bible describes the church as His beautiful, cherished, and adorned bride. We are Christ’s spiritual bride, and He is our spiritual husband.

Each time we seek another over Christ, we are spiritually breaking our covenant vow to our Lord who gave it all to restore, forgive and redeem us.

Hosea 3:1-3: “The LORD SAID unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and a homer of barley. And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.“

As The Lord commands Hosea to go purchase his wife back, He is setting the stage for us to learn how deep and wide His adoration and love is for His bride, us, the church. Hosea went and purchased His wife back after she sold herself to strange men, and The Lord, our God has bought us back despite the countless times we have traded His love for another.

We must ask ourselves, Is there another over Christ in our lives?

The story of Hosea is my daily reminder that no matter how dirty, how far, how spent, or broken I have been, or will be, my God’s love for me is greater. Knowing this encourages me to be a faithful bride to Christ. I hope this encourages you to keep your true Husband first in all your ways.