Hosea 3:3-5 says that Gomer would undergo a period of discipline. She would live with Hosea as a slave to wean her off her harlotry and wayward life. Similarly, God’s love for Israel would not allow Him to leave her in that condition. Much like Gomer, God would put her through a time of testing and proving.
Israel’s journey from a state of wayward worship to a genuine seeker of God is an intense transformation. She had to live in a foreign land without her own kings and government, where she would be weaned from the degrading, wayward worship of pagan gods. This was necessary for her to respond to God’s love and overtures, thus, seeking Him willingly and becoming genuinely His. This transformation is the ultimate purpose of God’s love and discipline.
God loves us just as we are, but He also loves us far too much to
leave us the way we are. Through Christ, He has saved us and now sets out to
make us more like Christ. Our transformation is what God is after. Hebrews 12:6
explicitly tells us, “For those whom the
Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”
Here’s what Hebrews 12:10-11 tells us about God’s discipline. “…He disciplines
us for our good so that we may share His
holiness. All discipline for the moment does not seem joyful, but
sorrowful; yet, to those trained by it, it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness.”
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