Key Scripture: Hosea 1-3
Have you ever had your heart broken? You know that feeling when you think you’ll never be the same and surely you’re going to die. Come on, you know the feeling, when you sobbed like a baby and cried until there were no more tears.
Now, for some of you there has probably never been any greater pain. Put yourself in God’s shoes and compare that feeling with how he felt about Israel’s unfaithfulness.
Before I began this week’s Blog, I surveyed nine people, asking them the following three questions:
1. Have you ever had your heart broken?
2. How did it make you feel?
3. What song do you remember listening to during that time?
I received a range of comments. Of the nine people, all but one said they had, at one time or another, experienced a heartbreak. The top two emotions expressed were betrayed and depressed. While a couple of those surveyed could not recall the particular song that they sobbed to, there were some who could remember right away. They included:
When a Woman's Fed Up
Everything I do, I do for You
Love Don't Live Here Anymore
Going Crazy
Have You Ever
When I read the second paragraph on page 283, it literally brought tear to my eyes, as I too thought about the time in my life when my heart was broken. I just knew I was going to die, but I didn’t. I must have listened to Barry White sing “I’ve Got so Much to Give” a million times, wondering why I couldn’t make him stay. Why her instead of me.
“So this is how God felt about his own people—bitterly betrayed, cut to the heart, disgusted, outraged. His tender love, his every gift meant nothing to a people enamored with Canaanite gods.” Get the picture?
God used Gomer and Hosea to portray his jealousy for his people. Think on these things as you answer one or all of the questions below. If you want to share your own experience with heart break, feel free to do so as well:
1. What sin is the Lord accusing his people of committing?
2. What do each of the names of Hosea’s children signify? How clear should that message have been to the people of Israel?
3. How does God speak to us today? How clear is his message? Are we any better at understanding and following than the Israelites were?
4. What do these words mean for you today? How has God been faithful to you even when you were unfaithful to him?
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8 comments:
1 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."
This is what God told Hosea to do. To go back and love the women who cheated on him, like Israel betrayed God. It would be difficult for me to give myself to someone who broke my heart. I couldn't trust that he wouldn't break it again. This passage really displays God's love for his people in a real way. When we sin and turn our back on God, It breaks Heart, yet He takes us back. That's true love.
I had my heart broken and I felt embarrased, angry and confused. Taking him back was not an option for me, even though he tried. I couldn't trust him. I don't regret my decision, because this heart break opened the door to the true love of my life. I'm sure you all know his name. I really love that MAN. :-)
What do these words mean for you today? How has God been faithful to you even when you were unfaithful to him?
For, me the fact that God has his hand in waking me up and allowing me yet another day to get closer to HIM, let's me know how much he loves me and how faithful he is to me.
Arlene said....
It's amazing when we sin God still loves and forgives us, but yet it's so difficult for us to forgive those who beak our hearts. I have had my heart broken twice. Once when I was twenty- something, it took awhile to get over it, but I did. The second heart break is the relationship I am currently involved in. My heart breaks have been many. It seems when we are hurt and wear our emotions on our sleeves, God is there. When we sin and turn our backs our God, he is still there. God ask one thing from all of us and that is to love Him first and love others as he loves us. HE is a wonderful man!
The names signify the pain that God felt, after all the love he had shown for them that they just competely turn there back on him. The message should have been clear for them they had the law and the prophets.We can read the 8th chapter of hebrews it tells us we are under a better covenant we also should know better but I don't think there is any difference in peoples behavior now or then.In love we offten take for granted those who love us the most.
The love that God has for us is nothing compared to how we love each other, whether it is our family, friends or mate. He loves us despite our sins. Some of us Christians fail to love like our Father loves us. If someone does us wrong we resent them and even refuse to forgive. When we don’t forgive, we are hurting our- self, God forgave the Israelites despite their sins and disobedience. Gomer’s husband forgave her despite of her adulterous behavior. The Lord chastise us but still is in love with us. We need to learn from His true love!
LOL,
mj
How has God been faithful to me even when I wasn't faithful to Him.... After reading the story Gomer and Hosea, it really touched my heart in so many ways. Although, I know that God is a jealous God, not wanting no other before Him, and yet sometimes I feel that my personal relationship with Him can be much better. I was literally crushed in realizing that God had felt so jealous and hurt; that He commanded Hosea to love and accept Gomer anyway after her adulterous ways; to make a point to Israel on how much pain, hurt and dissapointment that they caused Him by not loving Him in return. They constantly worshiped other gods when they were warned by other prophets to not do such a thing and they did it anyway...But, God still loved them inspite of their ways... God is sooooo good to us.
The story lead me to put myself in God's place when my heart had been broken in past times and realize the hurt I felt and had to endure, when it felt like there was just no way out until time permitted it to be, with God's peace and healing.
After giving my love so faithfully to someone who was unworthy; and yet I still loved, cared, shared trying to prove my genuine love that was not reciprocated in the way it should of been. But, those are the breaks when you give all you have to some men. God is true love... and nothing should get in the way of His promises to us. (To love us and charish us for the rest of our lives) Thats the real promises of God.
How has God been faithful to me even when I wasn't faithful to Him.... After reading the story Gomer and Hosea, it really touched my heart in so many ways. Although, I know that God is a jealous God, not wanting no other before Him, and yet sometimes I feel that my personal relationship with Him can be much better. I was literally crushed in realizing that God had felt so jealous and hurt; that He commanded Hosea to love and accept Gomer anyway after her adulterous ways; to make a point to Israel on how much pain, hurt and dissapointment that they caused Him by not loving Him in return. They constantly worshiped other gods when they were warned by other prophets to not do such a thing and they did it anyway...But, God still loved them inspite of their ways... God is sooooo good to us.
The story lead me to put myself in God's place when my heart had been broken in past times and realize the hurt I felt and had to endure, when it felt like there was just no way out until time permitted it to be, with God's peace and healing.
After giving my love so faithfully to someone who was unworthy; and yet I still loved, cared, shared trying to prove my genuine love that was not reciprocated in the way it should of been. But, those are the breaks when you give all you have to some men. God is true love... and nothing should get in the way of His promises to us. (To love us and charish us for the rest of our lives) Thats the real promises of God.
We are so undeserving of God's love, yet He forgives us time and time again when we betray Him. How many times have we seen this type of love and forgiveness played out in some relationships of our friends, family members etc.? In these situations, we often call the loving and forgiving person a fool to stay with such a person. Isn't this how God treats us? Would we dare say that He's a fool for taking us back over and over and over again? Certainly not! I think before we judge too harshly, we have to sit back and take thought of these matters. A person will eventually get tired. Even God will finally turn His back but in His own time. Now that I've thrown that in for free let's talk about Gomer. :-)
Gomer is such a story that truly shows the unconditional love of God. Hosea had to be hurt, embarrassed, humiliated, angry, etc. He loved his wife but he couldn't understand why God would have him return to such an adulteress woman. This truly shows his obedience to God because I don't think I could do it. When I think of myself, for instance, I can't see me going back to a man who constantly cheats on me. It's even unimaginable that I could forgive my husband if I knew he cheated on me one time. I take my vows very seriously and in return, I expect the same from him. Well doesn't God have the right to feel the same way? Why do we take for granted that He'll always be there with open arms no matter what we do? I know I am so undeserving of God's unconditional love when I think of all the adulteress ways I betray Him by not loving Him the way that I should. There are so many ways that this world can distract us and cause us to cheat on God with our time, money and yes even our minds.
Like Roz and many others, I too had my heart broken. Ladies, it was my first (so called) love. He was so undeserving of my time and my love. I look at him now and wonder how could I have even thought that I was ever in love with him. I believe it's because we don't know genuine love until we experience it. In my marriage, I now know what true love is all about. It's the give and take, the unconditional love (so what if I put on a few pounds), the sacrifice, the pouring out of love even when it's not always deserved by your mate. The way God loves us is a constant reminder to me on how I should try to mimmick the same type of love. It's not always easy but it's fair. God often takes us through it so we can get to it. Ohhhh the providence of God!!!
Tegra, I feel you girl. So nice you had to say it twice. LOL!
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