Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Hosea was commanded by the Lord
to take to himself a wife who was a known harlot, and to make
provision for her, which he faithfully did. Yet this woman, Gomer, continued
to prostitute herself and take many lovers, even considering
that it was them who made provision for her. For she said, I will
go after my lovers that give me bread, and my water, my wool,
and my flax, my oil, and my drink. Little did she know that the
husband whom she disrespected and had no regard for was in
reality that one who continually, even in her unfaithfulness, saw
that her needs were met. For she did not know that I gave
her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and
gold, which they prepared for Baal." The Lord here is using
Hosea as typical of his provision for the whorish nation of Israel.
By all rights, the Lord should have cast off the nation of Israel
numerous times. Yet in order to show His everlasting
love for the true Israel of God, He extended to her great overtures
of kindness and mercy, even though she had no appreciation for it,
even attributing His demonstrations of goodness to her, to her many
lovers. Gomer is an illustration of the bride of Christ, who has
willingly sold herself into bondage and lain with many lovers. She
has often disregarded his many overtures of kindness and knowingly
disrespected him. She is estranged from him not
because he rejects her in any wise, but because she has become
an enemy in her own mind by wicked works. Thus he has come once
in the end of the age to reconcile her unto himself. We see Hosea
going to the slave auction to buy back his own wife for 15
pieces of silver and about a gallon of barley. Barley was considered
one of the poorer grains and its value far less than wheat.
So we see that she was of no worth and none looked upon her
favorably or was willing to pay for her deliverance but Hosea.
In this consideration, I am reminded of the Lord's words to Ezekiel
concerning his regard for his remnant. Thus saith the Lord
God unto Israel, Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of
Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother an Hittite. And as
for thy nativity, in the day that thou wast born, thy navel
was not cut, neither wast thou washed in any water to supple
thee. Thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None
eye pitied thee to do any of these things unto thee. to have
compassion upon thee. But thou wast cast out in the
open field, to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou
wast born. And when I passed by thee, and
saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, When
thou wast in thy blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee, When thou
wast in thy blood, live. As Hosea loved Gomer and valued
her life in spite of her great wickedness and rebellion against
him, so too has the Lord loved his bride from the beginning,
and has never ceased to provide for her, even to the laying down
of his own life for her. She has no worth of her own.
She has no covering nor provision except that which he in his mercy
has gladly supplied. In like fashion has Christ paid
a price to redeem his bride from bondage, and in so doing has
set forth the means whereby she might be reconciled unto him.
For his own part, he has never been unreconciled unto her, and
has always seen her as perfect and complete. But he has now
made provision that she might throw down her arms of rebellion,
and be reconciled in her own mind unto him. Thus he has purchased
her redemption, not simply from the condemnation of the law,
which she despised, but by this same purchase he has made her
to love him. For in the same blood with which
he has justified her, he does give her guilty conscience rest
and binds her unto himself with cords of love. So could it be
possible that the God of heaven and earth should fail to possess
that which he paid for with his own blood on Calvary's cross?
He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the
travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. From whence this
fear and unbelief? Hast thou, O Father, put to grief
thy spotless Son for me? And will the righteous judge
of men condemn me for that debt of sin which the Lord was charged
on thee? Complete atonement thou hast
made, and to the utmost farthing paid, whatever thy people owed.
How then can wrath on me take place, if sheltered in thy righteousness,
and sprinkled with thy blood? If thou hast my discharge procured,
and freely in my room endured the whole of wrath divine, payment
God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand,
and then again at mine. Turn then, my soul, unto thy
rest. The merits of thy great High Priest speak peace and liberty. Trust in his efficacious blood,
nor fear thy banishment from God, since Jesus died for thee. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.