hosea 3

1 Then God ordered me, "Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife.Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people, even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy."

beginning amazing already.... go get your wife... from another man's bed... and love her.... that takes an amazing man... but... isn't that just what God did... He came up in the bar and took me home... and loved me... where did He take you from....

2-3 I did it. I paid good money to get her back. It cost me the price of a slave. Then I told her, "From now on you're living with me. No more whoring, no more sleeping around. You're living with me and I'm living with you."

I didn't really like the message bible on these two verses because in truth... what had happened was.... Gomer had become a slave... to another man... (hmmmm how many times have we been a slave to something...) and according to levitical law, Hosea only had to pay 1/2 the normal price for her... which says in the eyes of man...she wasn't worth much... yet he pays the price and he takes her home... but he tells here that she has to live in the house with him but not sleep with him or with any other man... she had to be isolated so that she could be purified... or cleansed from all the filth she had put herself in... how many times has God isolated us... purified us.. and we go right back to the filth... so sad... but this was only to be for a time... because once she was purified he would love her physically and emotionally... one thing we really don't think about it what it took for Hosea to go get her... can you imagine just how truly humiliated he would be to go to another man's house and PAY for his own wife... this is not just a woman he loved... you know how psycho we can all be and say that is my man and you can't have him... no... this is his wife... he was faithful to her... he was good to her... he provided for her in spite of what she did... she was a slut the whole time they were married... can we imagine what it took for him to go get her... and that is what God does for us... every time we stray...

4-5 The people of Israel are going to live a long time stripped of security and protection, without religion and comfort, godless and prayerless. But in time they'll come back, these Israelites, come back looking for their God and their David-King. They'll come back chastened to reverence before God and his good gifts, ready for the End of the story of his love.

we allow ourselves to go many days without our King... without God's love... but if you were called by God... if you are chosen... you have no choice but to run back to Him and get it right... one more time... hopefully this will be the last time... and we will become faithful to Him who is faithful to us.... someone had recently told me that God has me in a love story orchestrated by Him... that this love story I am in would be an example to all people of the love that God has waiting for us.. that is the truth for every one of us... God is loving us and trying to win our complete love... our complete trust... will we give God our whole heart...