At the instruction of God, Hosea went out to redeem Gomer. After she had prostituted herself, spent and used, she was sold into the slave market. Hosea went there and repurchased her. That was what happened to Israel. She had prostituted herself to Baal. Yet in His redeeming love, God pursued and is still pursuing her.
True love comes at a cost. The price of a slave was at least 30
shekels of silver. In a testament to his commitment, Hosea paid the full price,
15 shekels of silver, and the other half in kind - ‘a homer and a half of
barley.’ Interestingly, fifteen shekels of silver would amount to six months’ wages
for an average person. Hosea paid the full price, sparing no expense, to redeem
Gomer.
Through the story of Hosea,
God revealed the nature of His love for Israel. It is a love that is
unwavering, steadfast, and unchanging. It is a love that is filled with mercy,
compassion, and kindness. God’s love for His people is not based on their
actions but on His own nature. He loves them not ‘because of’ but ‘in spite of.’
The New Testament explains
this in several ways: “God so loved that… He gave His only begotten Son that
whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” It also says, “God commended
His love towards us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.”
In the Prophet Hosea, we witness God’s redeeming love. Just like Israel, we all had a debt that we couldn’t pay, but God has paid a debt, our debt that He didn’t owe. It’s difficult to comprehend the amazing depth of God’s love for us. In light of His love, anything less than a wholehearted commitment to Him is an inadequate response.
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