Sermon Tone Analysis

The book of Hosea shows us the true nature of sin and the unbelievable love of God.

(Spiritual adultery)

But the nature of our sin and the love of God are revealed to us in the book of Hosea through marriage.

And as one writer said, “While we rightly see marriage as a “parable of permanence,” Hosea’s life and testimony cast marriage as a “parable of perversion,” as Gomer repeatedly gives herself to other lovers.

Hosea teaches us that we all, like Israel, are spiritual Gomers—we naturally give ourselves to other loves and idols of the heart.”

God intends for marriage to tell the story of His love for His people, and His peoples love for Him.

This is why it is referred to as a parable of permanence.

The permanence of marriage is one of the ways that God’s covenant love is illustrated in the relationship between a husband and wife.

But, in the book of Hosea we see a broken commitment when Hosea’s wife Gomer is unfaithful and promiscuous.

In the same way that marriage tells the story of God’s faithfulness, the story of Gomer’s unfaithfulness helps us to understand our sin and the nature of our sin.

The same writer continues, “Too often, we think of our sin as doing bad deeds or saying wrong words or thinking evil thoughts.

But Hosea teaches us that the matter is chiefly in the heart—it is chiefly about our loves.

As James Smith has rightly said, “Our wants and longings and desires are at the core of our identity, the wellspring from which our actions and behavior flow.”

The true nature of sin is a matter of the heart, and every sin is from the heart and against God.

We must understand that our sin is not happening to us, it is flowing out of us… and it is rooted in our affections… our wants… our loves… our hearts.

Every sin is a matter of the heart

In Psalm 51:10 David prayed for God to give him a new heart.

David needed a new heart because his heart was stained with sin, and he sin he committed came from within.

In the book of Hosea God told His prophet, a man named Hosea to take a wife.

Hosea 1:2 (CSB)

“2 When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him: Go and marry a woman of promiscuity, and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.”

Hosea was instructed to marry a promiscuous woman because that is the way God viewed Israel’s relationship with Him.

So, Hosea followed the Lord’s instruction and married Gomer.

He also had children with her as the Lord had instructed him.

And, Gomer went back to her ways of promiscuity… just like Israel has done in her relationship with God over and over again.

The issue of Gomer’s sin was one of the heart.

It wasn’t just what she had done, it was that she had given herself and her heart to another.

And, this is the truth about sin that God is teaching Israel through Hosea.

The sin of Israel is not just a matter of action.

In fact, like the Israelites we are prone to think of our sin as a surface level issue.

We do that by thinking that all we need to do is stop, or make up some new habits.

But, unless we address the source of our sin then we will continue in our current sins or move on to another sin.

Gomer didn’t just go do something wrong, she loved another.

And because she loved another she committed sin.

In fact, I think you could say that her love was greatest for herself, and by loving herself the most, she was open to loving others in the moment, rather than loving Hosea for life.

Not only is every sin an issue of the heart, every sin is against God.

Every sin is against God

Hosea 4:12–13 (CSB)

12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them.

For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God.

13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant.

And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

You may think that your sin isn’t hurting anything.

You may think that your sins don’t impact your relationships.

And, just because you haven’t messed up your marriage, family, or work yet doesn’t mean that your sin isn’t impacting a relationship.

David is clear in Psalm 51 about the direction or aim of our sin.

Psalm 51:4 (ESV) says, “4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

Your sin will blind you from its target.

It blinds you because you are just thinking about yourself and what you are getting out of it… and you are blinded to the aim and direction of your sin… which is the Lord.

Israel had turned on the Lord when she turned to other idols.

Gomer turned on Hosea when she turned to another lover.

And the same thing is true for us… when we sin we are turning from the Lord toward another love, want, and desire.

Our sin is an act of unfaithfulness or adultery

This truth provides a great deal of clarity on the nature of sin… and helps us to see our sin clearly for what it is… a matter of the heart.

And, because it is a matter of the heart we need a solution for our sin that is directed to our hearts.

The solution for our hearts doesn’t come from within.

The solution to the sin problem in our hearts is the love of God… and the love of God has been displayed to us through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:5–8 (CSB) says, “5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die.

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What this means is that while we were still in our sins, God sent His son Jesus Christ to redeem us and to restore us.

The love God displays to us is better than the love that Hosea gave to Gomer.

And, in Hosea 3 the Lord tells Hosea how to respond to his unfaithful and adulteress wife.

Hosea 3:1- (CSB) says, “Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and nine bushels of barley.,, 3 I said to her, “You are to live with me many days.

You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.” 4 For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.

5 Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king.

They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.

God prepares and points us to Christ through the marriage of His prophet.

Hosea demonstrates His love for Gomer by redeeming her and restoring her.

He went to her, he bought her back, and he loved her faithfully.

Just like Jesus Christ has done for us.

You might wonder how in the world God could love sinners like us.

You may be thinking to yourself how in the world did Hosea love Gomer like that… well the answer is found in understanding the love of God.

It’s the love of God that results in redemption and restoration.

It’s the love of God that moved Hosea to redeem and restore Gomer, and it is the love of God that resulted in Jesus Christ coming to bring redemption and restoration to all who have faith in Him.

Looking at the love of God in the book of Hosea we find…

3 Characteristics of God’s love that are revealed in the book of Hosea

God’s love us limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious.

Or in more simple terms God’s love is faithful.

But, its so helpful to hear the depth of what the word faithful means.

In the OT God’s love is depicted by the word.

“Hesed” This word is used around 250 times in the OT, and it expresses part of God’s character and nature.

It is this kind of love that is revealed to us in the book of Hosea.

It’s this kind of love that is depicted in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy (hesed)…”

It’s this kind of love that Exodus 20 says God will lavish upon his people for a thousand generations.

It’s this kind of love that is behind the words like mercy and compassion.

It’s this kind of love that is described in Numbers 13 when we are told that, “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love (hesed), forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion.”

The limitless, steadfast, merciful, compassionate, and gracious love of God is what we experience in our covenant relationship with God.

It is this word, this love that we see over and over again that causes us to refer to the Lord as faithful and true.

In the book of Hosea God reveals Himself to be faithful and true, even when we are unfaithful and full of lies and deceit.

It is this kind of love that God commands Hosea to give to his wife Gomer when she is unfaithful to Him.

Hosea demonstrates “hesed” to his wife when he goes to her in her sin, brings her home in her sin, and then redeems and restores her from her sin.

God’s love is alluring, wooing, beckoning

In the book of Hosea the Lord commits to woo and bring back the heart of Israel.

Hosea 11:1–10 (ESV)

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.3

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them.

4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

5 They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.