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Enjoy Life, Enjoy God


Dale Patterson

MARRIED NOT

August 10, 2011

Discipleship uses the metaphor of marriage repeatedly. As in we are married to God, in a monogamous relationship of promise to Jesus Christ.

 
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them. Then she will say, "I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now."

She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold--which they used for Baal.
- Hosea 2:7,8 TNIV
 
The entire Hosea story may be read on three levels: #1, Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. #2, God and his unfaithful people, Israel. #3, God and us. In the excerpt above, Hosea laments that Gomer fails to see how he provides for her even while she carries on with other lovers, others gods (Baal)...this is no marriage. Even for a moment Gomer speaks like the son in the pig sty in the Parable of the Prodigal Son seeing that her life is better at home than in other beds. But that is quickly forgotten.
 
I don't think the Book of Hosea is in the Bible simply to tell us the story of a strumpet. I believe it's a challenging love story describing us! And it illustrates the extraordinary ends that God/Hosea takes to rescue us from our very selves..."which they used for Baal."
 
Joyfully,
 
Dale Patterson