The prophecy of Hosea is a tapestry of grace. As the prophet loved a woman whose crudeness and brazenness must have hurt him deeply, so God’s grace comes to his people in their unloveliness. Our spiritual condition is never so low that God cannot woo and receive us back to himself as Hosea received Gomer. -Shane Martin
Do understand me. Let me not leave this point till I have well defined its meaning. I mean this, dear friends; when God says, "I will love them freely”, he means that no prayers, no tears no good works, no almsgivings are an inducement to him to love men, nay, that not only nothing, in themselves, but nothing anywhere else was the cause of his love to them; not even the blood of Christ; not even the groans and tears of his beloved Son. These are the fruits of his love, not the cause of it. He does not love because Christ died, but Christ died because the Father loved. Do remember that this fountain of love has its spring in itself, not in you, nor in me, but only in the Father’s own gracious, infinite heart of goodness. “I will love them freely”, spontaneously, with out any motive, but entirely because I choose it. I have searched my own heart I hope with some degree of earnestness, and so far from finding any reason in myself why God should love me, I can find a thousand reasons why he should destroy me, and drive me for ever from his presence. - C.H. Spurgeon
There are lessons for Christians, first of all. You may not have run so far from God as Gomer ran from Hosea. You may not have been so unfaithful as to deny him and seek other gods, committing spiritual adultery with them. But have you flirted with other gods? Have you taken the overpowering love of your great bridgegroom and lover Jesus Christ with less obedience and respect than he deserves? Have you been halfhearted in your love? Have you been living for yourself in this materialistic and self-serving age? Have you disgraced Christ’s name in small ways if not large ones? If this is the case, learn what it means to be Christ’s bride. Learn what a horror spiritual adultery is, and flee from it to Christ. Lie in his arms. Tell him of your love. Do not continue in disobedience, allowing little infidelities to become those great spiritual adulteries that bring chastisement. -James Boice
