UnFAITHful

I cannot imagine going through life married to an unfaithful husband.  I know there are women who do just that, but it is beyond me how they cope with the feelings of betrayal, which brings me to today's subject--unfaithfulness.  It's taken me a while to actually put my thoughts in writing about the book of Hosea, but the emotions evoked by its reading have been wildly varied and personally significant.

To provide a little background, Hosea, a prophet whose ministry spanned the years from 760 to 720 B.C., was instructed by God to marry a prostitute during the reign of Jeroboam II.  He took for himself an unfaithful wife named Gomer in obedience to this very difficult command from The Lord. These events happened during an era of political and economic prosperity in Israel that coincided with a season of abysmal moral decay.

As our own nation has enjoyed years of bounty and blessing, insidious moral decline (evidenced by frequently militant rejection of what was once considered good and/or sacred) has begun to define much of western society, in some ways mirroring the days of Hosea.

A brief scan of the day's news offers disturbing evidence that we are sliding down into a nasty, stinky societal cesspool.  For me, it's easy to point fingers and get all righteous as I shake my head in disgust at comparatively blatant offenders, at least upon first reading of this troubling book of the Bible.  But rather than focusing on the obvious parallels that can be drawn between Israel and current day American sinners, God has reminded me that this is about me--not them.  I am the unfaithful one. I  have far too easily dismissed my personal unfaithfulness to Him and I am busted.

No, I cannot imagine being married to a cheater--but in the account of Hosea's marriage to Gomer, The Lord has provided a crystal clear reminder that He longs for a faithful bride.  And in the hurt and heartbreak that must have defined Hosea's life, I am confronted by the reminder that whenever I wander from wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ, I am Gomer.

Yes, I have been unfaithful, ungrateful, undeserving and unfit to be called Christ's bride, and yet the good news of His grace is that He loves me still.  He is not like me--I would tell the cheater to take a hike, that I wanted nothing more of him and seek a divorce.  But my Heavenly Bridegroom loves me unconditionally and welcomes my cheating heart back home--and that's a grace that is greater than anything my mind can conceive. 

Oh Father, forgive me for my unfaithfulness.  I thank you for grace and I praise you for mercy. Amen.