Pericope: Hosea 3: 3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” 4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.
Sermon Text: Hosea 3:1 3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”
Sermon Title: “Entanglement!”
Hosea 3:1 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”
Point 1. Rejection. 2:23 I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.
I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’
The text tells us in poetic metaphorical language about the love God has for Israel even though Israel has rejected God. God said he has planted her. He has married Israel. He has said in vs. 19 and 20 of chapter 2 TLB 19 and I will bind you to me forever with chains of righteousness and justice and love and mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and love, and you will really know me then as you never have before.
The word betroth has to do with promise, engagement, commitment, marriage. Then God said I will show my love to the one I called not my love. Israel has rejected God’s love, but God is determined to withstand Israel’s rejection.
Point 2: Raisin cakes. 3:1(c)…, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”
Hosea says Israel loves other gods because Israel loves raisin cakes. Raisin cakes during biblical times was considered an aphrodisiac. It was a natural Cialis, Viagra, Asian ginseng, Yohimbe, Saffron or whichever your aphrodisiac of choice. The bible also called it mandrakes. Hosea said Israel had an insatiable appetite for other gods.
Transition: Hosea said it best. Hosea gave the best remedy for the pain in his own marriage and the marriage between God and Israel. Return to your first love. Return to your only love. Solomon said God put eternity in Our hearts Ecclesiastes 3:11 Everything is appropriate in its own time. But though God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so, many cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. In other words, because God created you with eternity in your heart for eternity the only way you will feel true unconditional love is from him. How? Return to him
Point 3: Return. 3:5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings…
Hosea said Israel will not be able to get away from God’s love! Why? Because God’s love is an entanglement. Gods love will so entangle you you will not get away from it. Will put it this way – Jada “I will love you through anything”. Paul put it an even better way Eph 3:18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
Romans 8:31-39 - 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gods’ love entangles you. You cannot sin you way out of God’s love. He proposed to you 2000 years ago on the cross. You accepted the proposal when You accepted him into your heart as your personal savior.
Life Application:
1) Receive God’s reckless love
2) Register God’s reckless love
3) Return God’s reckless love
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