Friday June 18, 2004

 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”
 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.”
 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

— Hosea 3 (NIV)

== i spy… ==

“Show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.”

Why would God ask this? How does this measure up against God’s command to stone adulterers to death? (Lev 20:10)
The only clear thing to me is a glimpse into God’s heart..

“Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites”

You seem to know much of justice and of love.

Redeemed yet again: Hosea buys Gomer for “15 shekels of silver and about a homer & lethek of barley.” (That’s about 6 ox of silver and 10 bushels of barley. Pretty cheap, if you consider how much a human life is supposed to be worth.)
Looks like somewhere between verse 2 and verse 3, Gomer has managed to get herself into some trouble and Hosea has to bail her out. There’s a price to be paid for redeemption. Thanks be to God for paying for us. Not because of who we are, but because of who you are. (I would’ve kicked her to the curb so quick…)

Instead of yelling at her (like I’d probably be doing at this point) Hosea instructs/lectures his wife:

“You are to live with me many days; you must not be prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.”

The little footnotes in my bible tell me that the words “live with” could also be interpreted as “wait for”.

Oh my, “wait for”? Love, waits? Gah, of course… duh, “Love is patient…” (1 Cor 13:4) God’s waiting for me to stop chasing other ‘lovers’ and keep Him as my #1.

==Thoughts later on in the same week…==

I’ve been a real prostitute lately. God hasn’t been #1. Maybe somewhere around #2 or #3… or probably lower. Knowing it’s a sin. Knowing some of the bad consequences. Knowing the freedom of not doing it. Knowing that all you have to do is pray and ask God for strength. Feeling the vileness in your heart. The wretchedness in the act. But still doing it. @!#$%@$ me. Yes, I am fallen. I am a sinner. Why do you come so close?
There is definitely a battle and not only is it waged publicly, out in the open but in the private places of our hearts and souls. A part of me wants God to win. But another cynical part of me doesn’t want God to win. Because if He did win, everything would be His way. I don’t think I trust you that much.

I’m beginning to think God’s a hopeless romantic. I must’ve gotten from your side, dad. Cuz it certainly doesn’t seem to come from my parents.

This one’s for you, God.

Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx

Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn’t stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can’t get near you now

Oh, can’t you see it baby
You’ve got me goin’ crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I’m with you
I’ll take the chance

oh, can’t you see it baby
you’ve got me goin crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
Waiting for you

Keep working over my heart, even if it means beating the living daylights out of me sometimes… ok, most of the time. Thanks, God. Amen.