Hosea_3

Scripture - What stood out?Hosea 3:1 

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes. Observation - What does it say?God continues to prophecy and teach through Hosea and the story of Hosea and Gomer. Understanding - What does it mean?It didn’t take long for a verse to stand out in this group. I had already been moving in a season where i was beginning to chew on Ephesians 5 again and so when I read Hosea 3:1 immediately I was struck by this detail: ...though she is loved by another man… She wasn’t just an adulteress, the other man loved her. I'm not sure I can explain why, but I feel that that is somehow worse than Gomer just being an adulterer. Very briefly, I am in this phase where I am trying to understand why the apostle Paul urges women to submit to their husbands and in turn tells the husbands to love their wives. He could have chosen 20 other words on par with submit. Instead he tells us to love our wives…(There is a connection here which I haven’t quite seen yet, but i have clearly digressed.) Here is the clincher “Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites,”...Your thoughts are definitely not my thoughts Lord, but one day soon I hope to get closer to your divine way of thinking. Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?

Lord for my life application, I would like you to help me move past a mistake I have been holding against a loved one. Nothing too crazy but clearly I can't move past it bc clearly I have been wronged. Help me to move away from the pain, memory and trauma. Help me to love them anyway. And perhaps by taking this small step I can move towards loving as You Love.In the name of Jesus do I pray. Amen.-kenneth lee