Join us as we delve into Hosea Chapter 3, a poignant chapter that exemplifies God’s unwavering love and redemption for His people. Despite Israel’s unfaithfulness, God’s love echoes through the ages, providing hope and restoration. Through reflections on personal Bible journals, we explore how this chapter serves as a powerful metaphor for spiritual renewal and redemption.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we are in Hosea chapter 3. Hosea chapter 3 is only five verses. These five verses will be read by our guest reader, my wife, Terri.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hosea chapter 3, And the Lord said to me, Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins. So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethic of barley. And I said to her, You must dwell as mine for many days.” He says, and David their king, and they shall come in to fear the Lord, to his goodness in the latter days.
SPEAKER 02 :
I am using three journals in the book of Hosea, and you might remember that in 1991, I read Hosea 1 through 4 in one day and summarized it on that first day. So we’ll move to the journal in 2007. In 2007, I was reading Hosea one chapter at a time. I had been in Mobile, Alabama with my good friend when I was reading the first two chapters of Hosea, but now I was back home in Colorado when I read Hosea chapter 3, and I wrote, Redemption bought back. Even after adultery, idol worship, self-pleasure, God still loves us, and he makes the move toward us by buying us back. I was referring in my journal to Romans 5, verse 8, which I’d like to read. Romans 5, verse 8 says, But God shows his love for us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Back to my journal entry I wrote, In 2012, I actually read chapter 3 and 4 together, probably because 3 was so short. And on three, I wrote the same kind of thing, restoration. Hosea restores Gomer to wife even after her adulterous lifestyle, as God restores Israel and us after we chase after other gods. In chapter three, Hosea is to retrieve his adulterous wife so that Israel will clearly know that the Lord still loves Israel, his spiritually unfaithful wife. This is amazing. As amazing as it is that Hosea has to go back and buy Gomer back for his bride after her unfaithfulness with other men, so God does that for his children, the people of Israel. Think about the fact that Gomer has been unfaithful, has had children maybe by several other men, and yet God is asking Hosea to return her as his wife. The illustration here is that he actually buys her back. Referring to my English Standard Version Bible footnote, it places a value on Gomer. Verse 2 says, So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and letharg of barley. Back then, the price of a slave was 30 shekels, not 15 and some barley. The 30 shekels may not have been the standard price for every slave in every circumstance. In any case, the amount paid for Gomer is not great, and it shows the desperate condition into which Gomer had fallen. Again, the illustration of Gomer is the illustration of God’s sense or feeling about the value of the people of Israel. After their idol worship, after their whoring around, they weren’t worth much to God. But like Hosea pays the price, God pays the price to buy them and us back. And yes, He expects something in return. Verse 3 says after this transaction, In other words, God is saying, I will buy you back. but I want you to be faithful to me as I will be to you. What are some examples of our possible unfaithfulness? In the New Testament, God says, if you love me, keep my commandments. So what does God want? He wants our love for him and him alone. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. So if our love for God has gone cold, we may be unfaithful. God also expects us to meditate on His Word day and night, so that we will know His commandments and be able to keep them. So if our love for God’s Word has gone cold, we may be unfaithful. God also expects us to assemble ourselves together, in other words, fellowship with other believers. So if our love for God’s people, His church, has gone cold, we may be unfaithful. God also asks us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, put others ahead of our love for self If we are not loving others, we may be unfaithful. And if we put life, pleasure, possessions, self ahead of God, we may be guilty of idol worship. If so, we may be unfaithful. As you ponder Hosea chapter 3, are you being faithful to your relationship with God? In what ways may you be unfaithful right now? If something comes to mind, confess it to the Lord. Repent and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. This chapter reminds us, no matter how low we go in our relationship with God, He buys us back. He is the Redeemer. He is the God of restoration. Father, thank You that You love us. No matter how low we go, no matter how far we run away from you, you buy us back. You paid the price at Calvary on the cross for my sins. Thank you. What you want is for me to receive that forgiveness, that mercy, that grace. I do so. Thank you for your forgiveness, your mercy, your love for me. Thank you for buying me back. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible from The Ezra Project. Though these podcasts are free to you, we all realize that nothing is free. To support these podcasts, The Ezra Project created Club 365. By joining Club 365, you financially support the recording, editing, and publishing of AdBible on iTunes and Google Play, allowing access worldwide. Most of all, by joining Club 365, you support the free availability of AdBible to those who cannot financially partner with us. Visit EzraProject.net and join Club 365 today. And I personally thank you. Thank you for listening to AdBible. Though the Bible can be read at the speed I’m speaking in about 78 hours, surveys show we don’t read it. How many of you have ever read the Bible cover to cover? How many have tried and failed? I want to encourage you to try it again. I want to share with you what I call the Triple I Doctrine and some powerful reasons to stay in your Bible daily. I begin with a verse from 2 Peter 1.21. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That’s how we got the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved holy men of God to write it, all of it. Because He did, we can now look at the Triple I Doctrine, the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. But what do these terms mean? Inspired means God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, What does infallible mean? It means no potential or ability to err. Totally reliable. It cannot contradict itself. And Hebrews 6.18 says, And the last one is inerrant. What does that mean? It means it’s technically correct. It’s free from falsehood and deceit. Wholly true. It’s doctrine. It’s history. It’s science. It’s geography. And Matthew 5.18 says, For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. And Revelation 22, 18 and 19 say, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So the Triple I Doctrine is reason enough to be in God’s Word each day. But in case you need more encouragement, here are three more thoughts. First, improve your spiritual maturity. According to Barna Research, of the seven dimensions in which Americans were asked to rate their faith maturity, Bible knowledge ranked dead last. So if you want to improve your spiritual maturity, stay in God’s Word daily. Number two is develop a dynamic relationship with God. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president of Back to the Bible, wrote a book called Taking Back the Good Book. He said, When people tire of reading the Bible, it’s because they read it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. They read the Bible to gain knowledge, store facts, or pick up a few principles to live by. When you see the Bible as a means to a dynamic relationship with God, you can’t get enough of it because you can’t get enough of Him. And the third thought is to be transformed. Don’t read the Bible to be informed. Read it to be transformed. And I’m going to share a fun little story with you about being transformed by the Word of God. It’s about an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early, sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water. The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, You’ll have to move a little faster next time and send him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough. And he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather, the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, See, Papa, it’s useless. So you think it’s useless, the old man said. Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. So read the Bible so you can improve your spiritual maturity, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed, not informed. The Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit, directed by holy men of God. The triple I doctrine reminds us it’s inspired, God-breathed, infallible, without error, and inerrant, technically correct, and wholly true. Read it to grow spiritually, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed.
