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Learning to See the Signs!

It has been said that the greatest sin anyone could ever commit would be the sin against love. That is to reject Jesus, the One Who loved us so much that He gave everything just to be with us. Consider the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament,

"When the Lord began to speak to Hosea, the Lord said to him, ' Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.'" Hosea 1:2 NIV

The question to consider is this, why would God command someone to take and "adulterous" person and make them their spouse? Well friends, we need to look deeper into what was going at the time of Hosea. The nation of Israel had turned its back on the Lord. Scripture tells us that they were commiting the vilest of sins against God. Worshipping other gods, committing adultery, slandering, stealing,and even God's priests were guilty of committing the same things.

God was asking Hosea to go and love a women that would sin against him, even though he would love her so much, she would still "turn" from him. God wanted Hosea to feel the same thing that God felt. He loved a nation that was turning its back on Him. If you read further into Hosea, you find that Hosea's wife bore him 3 children that were named significant names that were giving a message to Israel, and then she leaves him to commit adultery again. However, the story doesn't end there. When you read chapter 3 you find this very remarkable statement:

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." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Hosea 3:1-2 NIV

Brothers and sisters, God was teaching Hosea what it means to love somebody that doesn't love you back. God was showing His love to Hosea. John 3:16 comes to mind when you understand that when Hosea "bought" his wife, it was a picture of what was to come for man. That Christ would come and "buy" us with His precious blood. As we look around at what is happening to our own society you have to wonder, have we turned our back on our Lord? And if so, why when we understand that He loved us so much that bought us, do we still continue to dishonor Him?

Friends, the object our desire should be for Christ. We need to learn to see the signs. That even though God loved Israel and gave them chance after chance, ultimately He judged them. He continues to love us today, but how many chances is He going to give us when we continue to revel in our sins?

May God richly bless you today. H. Trent.

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