Your Life as an Object Lesson

I feel sorry for Hosea. A prophet who served during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah, Hosea's first words from God were "Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity" (Hosea 1:2).

"What did I do to you, Lord, that you are so mad at me?" Hosea might have asked. But God had a purpose in mind. He said: "...for the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning the Lord."

Hosea, you see, was to be an object lesson of God's displeasure with the fact that Israel and decided they wanted to play the whore with gods who are not really gods at all. Hosea even had children with names like "No Compassion" and "Not My People." I don't remember seeing those on the top ten lists of popular names, or did I just miss something?

Later on, God says "...and I will have compassion on No Compassion; I will say to Not My People: You are My people, and he will say: You are My God." (Hosea 2:23)

Hosea was willing to go along with this, to have his wife and kids and whole life used as a way to draw an obstinate people back to Yahweh. I wonder, does God ever choose to use your life as an object lesson? He might not require you to marry a prostitute, but He may lead you purposefully into suffering and take away from you something that is precious. It isn't to punish you (He punished Jesus on the cross for our evil) nor to play with you. He wants to move in your life so fully that when people look at your suffering they will be drawn to the Father.

This doesn't happen by you being perfect but by being open and broken to the Lord. Remember He said "my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9). The relationship others have with God through your suffering makes it totally worth it every time!

Pastor Tom