Sermon: The Redeeming Love of God

Good evening, URC. It's good to be back. My name is Samuel Plascencia, for those who don't know me. I have the privilege to be one of the pastoral residents here at the church. And also, I have the privilege tonight to open God's Word and to come to this wonderful passage in Hosea 3. We're going to read verses one through five, the whole chapter. Hosea 3. And this is the word of the Lord. "And the Lord said to me: 'Go again,

love a woman who is loved by another man, and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.' So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver, and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, 'You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the w***e or belong to another man. So will I also be to you.' For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king

or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterwards, the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to His goodness in the latter days." Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you, Lord, for the privilege of gathering together again under the authority of your Word. We come before you acknowledging that apart from your grace, we cannot rightly understand spiritual truth. Our minds are often distracted, our hearts are often dull, and our affections are too easily drawn to our lesser things. And so we ask you, Lord, that by your Holy Spirit, you would open our eyes to behold

wonderful things from your Word as we come to Hosea 3 tonight. Help us not merely to understand the events recorded in this chapter, but to see the glory of your character revealed through them. Teach us, Lord, about your faithfulness, your mercy, and your redeeming love. Give us a humble and teachable heart. Where we need conviction, Lord, convict us. Where we need correction, Lord, correct us. Where we need encouragement, strengthen us and guard us

from merely hearing your Word with our ears while remaining unchanged in our hearts. Above all, Lord, direct our eyes to Jesus Christ as we consider Hosea's redemption of Gomer. Help us to see more clearly the beauty of the greater Redeemer whom this chapter foreshadows. Cause us to marvel afresh at the grace that pursues sinners, the redemption that accomplished through Christ's sacrifice, and the fellowship that is restored through the gospel.

May your Word accomplish your purposes among us today. Build up your people, strengthen our faith, deepen our love in Christ, and glorify your name through the preaching of your Word. We ask all these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, in the ancient world, a man's household was never merely a private matter. His home, his marriage, his children, his reputation were woven together before the eyes of the

community. It was a community life. And it was especially true for a prophet of Israel. The prophet was not merely a messenger who delivered God's Word, but also his life itself often became part of the message God intended His people to hear. That is what makes Hosea's story so important and remarkable. The man who was called to proclaim the Lord's judgment against Israel carried within his own home the pain of covenant unfaithfulness.

The prophet who exposed the nation's spiritual adultery, he himself experienced the sorrow of adultery personally. His marriage became a visible representation of the very reality he was commissioned to preach. What took place in his home was not something incidental to his ministry. It was connected to it. It was part of the purpose of God for his life. And this is what makes Hosea unique among the prophets. God did not simply give

Hosea a sermon to proclaim. He ordained circumstances in his life through which the prophet himself will become a living witness to the message. Hosea's marriage would reveal in visible form what was taking place spiritually between the Lord and his covenant people, the people of Israel. In that culture, public shame normally created distance. It was something that caused fractured relationships, shame, wounded honor, and most of the time,

it demanded separation from society. Yet this story of Hosea moves in a different direction. Instead of turning away from the unfaithful, Hosea is commanded to pursue her. Instead of abandoning the covenant breaker, his wife, he moves towards her in costly love. And herein lies the wonder of this chapter. For Hosea 3 does not merely recount the restoration of a troubled marriage, it draws back the curtain and allows us to behold the astonishing character

of God's redeeming love toward a people who had wandered away from Him. Through the experience of one prophet, the Lord is going to reveal the persistent mercy by which He seeks, by which He restores, and ultimately, He redeems those who belong to Him. So this passage of scripture is a special passage. There are passages that comfort us in our trials, and some that teach us special truths, and there are passages that allow us to see with

clarity the glory of God's redeeming love. Hosea 3 belongs to that category. In fact, James Montgomery Boice writes about this chapter the following. He says, "The third chapter of Hosea is, in my judgment, the greatest chapter in the Bible because it portrays the greatest story in the Bible, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people, in the most concise and poignant form to be found anywhere." That is a remarkable statement.

Yet, as we work through these five verses, we will begin to understand why Boice could speak so strongly about it. This chapter is short. It only has five verses, but it contains one of the clearest pictures in all scriptures of God's saving love and salvation for His people. Through the experience of Hosea and Gomer, the Lord reveals the nature of His covenant love, the necessity of redemption, and the certainty of restoration. That is the

hope that ultimately centers and points towards the coming Messiah. What takes place in this chapter is far more than the reconciliation of a broken marriage. What the Lord is doing, He's unveiling His own heart toward a people who had repeatedly wandered from Him. Hosea's experience becomes a living revelation of the way God deals with covenant-breakers. He pursues them, He redeems them, He restores them, and He does so according to His own

steadfast love and His covenant faithfulness. This is why Hosea 3 is so important in the prophecy as a whole. We see, as the chapter unfolds, that it continually directs our eyes beyond Hosea himself, and anticipate a greater redeemer who would come to seek and save His people through a redemption far most costly than silver or barley. Hosea's story ultimately finds its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ, the faithful bridegroom who gave

Himself for His bride. So tonight, I want to consider together with you this chapter under three headings. The first one is the command of redeeming love. Second, the cost of redeeming love, and thirdly, the goal of redeeming love. The command, the cost, the goal. First point, the command of redeeming love. Verse one begins, "And the Lord said to me: 'Go again.'" The chapter opens up where redemptions begins, with the initiative

of God. "And the Lord said to me." You see? This verse reminds us that everything that follows originates in the sovereign purpose of the Lord. So Hosea is not acting according to his thoughts, his personal inclination, his own ideas. The prophet's life and actions are governed by divine command. His life continues to function as a revelation of God's dealing with His people. What Hosea is commanded to do becomes a visible expression of what the Lord Himself

is doing towards Israel. So we start with what the Lord said to him, and immediately we encounter the startling command. He says, "Go again." Hosea had already loved Gomer. He had already entered into a covenant relationship with her. He had already endured the pain and the humiliation and the heartbreak of her unfaithfulness. Yet, the Lord commands him to pursue her again. The force of the command becomes even clearer when we consider the condition in which

Gomer is found. She has, we could say, touched rock bottom. The text does not present a woman who is returning in repentance and is now seeking reconciliation. She's still in sin. She's still in unfaithfulness. She remains an adulteress. The wounds of betrayal are still fresh, and you can imagine the pain and what this command means to Hosea. The relationship is still broken, and yet it is precisely at that moment that the command comes.

He says, "Go again." The Lord then explains the significance of Hosea's action. So the Lord is going to do the explanation for us, what he means. And he says, "Even as the Lord loves the children of Israel." This is the interpretive key to the chapter. Hosea's pursuit of Gomer is intended to mirror the Lord's dealing with Israel, to exemplify what it means, the covenant love of God. The prophet's marriage becomes a living

picture of the covenant relationship between God and his people. Throughout Hosea, the Lord describes Israel's idolatry in the language of a marital unfaithfulness, and this is not merely vivid imagery designed to provoke an emotion, but it is actually reflecting the covenant reality that Israel belonged to the Lord and yet continually Israel gave her affections to other gods. The tragedy of Israel's condition appears in the

closing words of the verse. It continues to say, "Though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins." This reference here seems a little comical, but it points to a practice associated with pagan worship. But what matters most here is the spiritual reality behind it. Israel had exchanged fellowship with the living God for the empty promises of idols. The nation saw satisfaction, security, and the blessing apart from the true God

and his redeeming plan. And that is why we see represented here the nature of sin. That is always the nature of sin. Sin does not merely involve wrong actions. It actually distorts our perception of reality itself. It persuades us that created things, whatever it is, can give what only God can provide. Sin exchanges what is lasting for what is fleeting, what is glorious for what is empty, what is true for what is false. Israel's

idolatry reveals not only the depth of Israel's rebellion, but also the blindness that is produced by sin. That is what sin causes. Yet, the wonder of the passage is not Israel's unfaithfulness only. Hosea has already shown us repeatedly through the prophecy. The wonder here is God's response because he says what? "Go again." The command here reveals the character of the Lord. Who is the Lord? This is the steadfast love that lies at the

heart of God's covenant faithfulness with his people. It is not a love sustained by the attractiveness of its object, of us. It is not a love that rises and falls according to our works, human works. It is a love that is grounded in God's own faithfulness, flowing from his gracious purpose to redeem a people to himself. For that reason, Hosea is often called the prophet of divine love. Hosea's message never presents love something as

emotions or a sentimental thing. Love is an action. Love is an act of the will. And throughout the book, God's mercy operates in this perfect harmony with his holiness, his righteousness, and his truth. His love is holy love. His mercy is a covenant mercy. His grace is the grace of the God who remains faithful even when his people prove faithless. Incredible. And at this point, the Gospel begins now to emerge from the text and

very clearly. It is important to know that Gomer does not initiate reconciliation. It's not her that is coming to him. God is not saying, "Well, Hosea, if she comes to you, then you love her." She does not initiate that. Hosea is the one who moves toward her while she remains in her unfaithfulness. That means the initiative belongs entirely to the one who loves, and such is the love of God. The same pattern appears through the redemptive history in the

Bible. Sinners do not restore themselves to God, as if we are able to. They do not awaken themselves spiritually. That's the work that only God and the Holy Spirit could do. Sinners do not repair the breach created by sin because salvation begins with God's gracious pursuit of those who have wandered away from him. And that's what Paul writes in Romans 5:8. You might say that by heart. "But God shows his love for us in that while we

were still sinners," what? "Christ died for us." That truth strikes at the heart of the human pride because it leaves no room for boasting, no room for self-righteousness. Redemption does not begin with man's search for God, but with God's pursuit of sinners. Hosea did not wait for Gomer to become worthy of his love, and in the same way, Christ did not wait for his people to make themselves worthy of redemption. Brothers and sisters, this provides us with a

profound comfort when we're struggling in our faith because many Christians quietly fear that God's disposition toward them rises and falls according to the quality of their recent obedience. So what happens with those type of Christians? When there's seasons of spiritual strength, what happens? They feel secure. But then when seasons of weakness come, they fear rejection. But Hosea 3 points our confidence away from ourselves and back to

the faithfulness of God. So the foundation of our hope, this is what it means, is not the consistency of our love for him, but the steadfastness of his love toward his people. Our assurance then rests not in the perfection of our repentance or our obedience, but in the covenant mercy of the Redeemer, who continuously pursues, preserves, and restores those who belong to him. Now, far from producing a spirit of carelessness,

that beautiful truth should produce humility and gratitude and also repentance and worship. His faithful love should produce these things in our hearts. The more clearly we see the persistence of God's mercy, the more we are drawn to love God, whose grace refuses to let his people go. What a beautiful, amazing love of God. Secondly, the cost of redeeming love. Point number two, the cost. Verse two says, "So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and a homer

and a lethek of barley." What we see here is what the Lord commanded in verse one. Hosea now obeys here in verse two. So the prophet is not only expressing affection toward Gomer, but he's offering more than only words of reconciliation. He is purchasing her. He purchases her. The woman who once belonged within his household now has fallen into such degradation and bondage. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine the shame that she should've experienced in that condition?

Now she must be redeemed through the payment of a price. This scene would have been startling to Hosea's original audience there. The husband stands publicly in the place of redemption in the market and pays what is necessary to reclaim the very woman who had broken the covenant with him. That didn't make sense But the Hebrew verb here emphasizes the acquisition through a purchase. Hosea does not simply bring Gomer home. He has to buy her. He buys her.

Redemption in this chapter is not only a matter of sentiment. It is costly, and that's the point here. It requires a sacrifice. It requires the willingness to bear both the financial cost, the public shame, and the emotional burden for her condition. So that is remarkable. "Redemption," Boice said, "is by the payment of a price, always. If anything is central to the picture," he says, "of redemption provided by Hosea's

story, it's the matter of cost, redemption by the payment of a price." And that observation reaches into the great theme of scripture. Throughout the Bible, redemption involves deliverance through payment, whether in the laws concerning the kinsman-redeemer, the ransom of captives, for example, or the recovery of lost inheritance. Redemption consistently carries the idea of liberation secure through a costly intervention of a payment.

Someone pays a price so that another may be, what? Set free. And that's precisely what Hosea is doing here. He is paying the price that is necessary to reclaim the one who cannot reclaim herself. Yet, as remarkable as Hosea's actions are here, the chapter continually directs our attention beyond Hosea himself. Because the redemption of Gomer is not merely an isolated act of marital reconciliation we see here. It forms the part of a larger redemptive

pattern that we see in the Bible that ultimately finds its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the comparison goes like this: Hosea purchases the guilty bride. Christ purchases his church. Hosea redeems one who has ruined herself through unfaithfulness. Christ redeems sinners ruined by sin. Hosea pays silver and barley. Christ purchases redemption through his own blood. The New Testament repeatedly employs this language

when describing the work of Christ. We see passages talking about, "You were bought with a price," or, "In him we have redemption through his blood." Also, "You were ransomed with the precious blood of Christ." So this language is beautiful, and it's meaningful, because redemption stands at the very heart of the gospel. God does not save sinners by overlooking guilt or ignoring his justice. He's not sweeping the dirt under the rug.

He, God, saves through a redemption that fully satisfies the demands of his own righteousness. The God who loves his people is the same God whose holiness cannot tolerate sin, and that's the problem. Therefore, redemption requires more than mercy alone. It requires a satisfaction. It requires a payment. And that is exactly what Christ accomplishes. At Calvary, the justice of God and the mercy of God do not compete with each other, but they meet perfectly in

the person and the work of Jesus, the redeemer. The penalty sin deserved is borne on Christ. The righteousness of God's holiness demands is upheld. The redemption God's love proposed is accomplished. So Hosea's payment here points beyond itself into a far greater price. Here we see silver and barley, and those things could secure Gomer's release from her immediate bondage, but only the blood of Christ could secure eternal redemption for

his people. The greater bridegroom entered not only an earthly marketplace like Hosea, but he entered the place of divine judgment itself. There, at the cross, he stood in the place of his bride, the Church. He bore her curse. He satisfied the law's demands, and he secured forever the salvation of those given to him by the Father. So the purchase price of the Church was nothing less than the precious blood of the Son of God.

And this gives a profound significance to the Christian life. Christian believers, your salvation was not achieved cheaply. We rightly celebrate free grace because salvation is entirely unearned. It is free. Yet the grace that comes freely to sinners came at an immeasurable cost to the Redeemer. It's not a cheap cost. He paid the cost. Every blessing we enjoy, justification, adoption, reconciliation, sanctification, and the

hope of future glory, all of that flows from the costly obedience and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. So this is why the believer's identity can never be determined by our own accomplishments or our past failures. It's not defined by our present struggles or our weaknesses. The enemy continually seeks to remind Christians of what they once were. He points to former sins, to former idols maybe, to former rebellions,

and maybe to lingering sin or corruption. But here in Hosea 3, we see a reminder that redeemed sinners belong to the one who redeemed them. Our security then, believers, rests not in our own worthiness, but in the worth of the price that was paid. If you belong to Christ, if you have come to Him in repentance and faith, you belong to Him because He purchased you for Himself, not with gold or silver or barley, but with the precious

blood of Christ. And because redemption establishes ownership, that means that He also transformed the way we think about ourselves and about holiness. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 16:19 and 20, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body." The Christian life now is not autonomous living with an occasional religious obligation. We go to church on Sunday. I even go to church to the evening service.

That's not what it is about. We belong to Christ. Our lives, our affections, our worship, our obedience now belong to the one who redeemed us. Holiness, therefore, is not an attempt to earn God's favor. It is just a grateful response of those who have been purchased by a Redeemer who loved them and gave Himself for them. Point number three, the goal of redeeming love. The goal. Verse three says, "And I said to her: 'You must dwell as mine for many days.'" With these words,

the purpose of redemption comes fully now into view. So Hosea is not only redeeming Gomer to rescue her from her situation, to remove her from public disgrace, he's redeeming her in order to restore the relationship that had been broken. The idea here in this chapter is not simply a freedom from bondage, but the separation to a restore fellowship. It's very personal. It says, "You must dwell as mine," for how long? It says, "For many days." These words

express restore belonging. The relationship that had been shattered through unfaithfulness is now being renewed through redeeming love. Hosea does not purchase Gomer only to leave her where she is. He brings her back into the security, the faithfulness, and fellowship of covenant life and his home. Here is one of the most beautiful truth of the chapter. Redemption is never an end in itself, because throughout scripture, redemption serves as a greater

purpose, the restoration of communion between God and His people. The Lord does not merely deliver His people from judgment. What does He do? He brings them back to Himself. Salvation is ultimately about restore fellowship with the living God, and this help us to understand that idea of exclusivity in these words. Gomer is no longer to belong to another man.

The idea is that that covenant relationship between the Lord and Israel. Throughout this prophecy, Israel's problem was not political or moral failure. It was their spiritual infidelity. The nation that belonged to the Lord was continually giving itself to the heart of other gods. It was giving their hearts to other gods. The Lord, therefore, what happens? What does He do? He redeems His people not only to forgive them,

but to restore them to a wholehearted devotion So the goal of redemption is not simply pardon, it is renewed fellowship. The same pattern we see throughout the Book of Hosea. Again and again, the Lord exposes Israel's sin and announcing judgment, and then holds for the promise of restoration. Judgment is real, its consequence are severe, yet judgment never becomes God's final word toward his covenant people. And then when we get to verses four and five, we see that.

"The children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods." Those words are describing the deprivation and the laws that they were going to experience in exile. Israel would experience the consequence of their sin. The things that they trust in, their political stability, would disappear. The religious structures they had, it would collapse. Nation will be stripped of the things that they

had wrongly placed its confidence. Yet, even here, the Lord purpose remains. Throughout Hosea, God wounds in order to heal. He humbles in order to restore. He removes false securities in order to bring his people back to himself. So the exile would expose all of that, the emptiness of idols, and the purpose was to teach Israel, once again, where true hope is found. And that's where verse five comes in. It says, "Afterward, the children of Israel shall return

and seek the Lord their God and David their king." The future here is envision. Here is extending beyond what was happening. The reference here to David their king is interesting because, at this point, David was dead. He was already dead. So who then is referring to here? We know that it points ultimately to the promised Messiah, the greater son of David, who would gather God's people and establish his kingdom forever. So the hope held

out at the end of Hosea 3 finds its fulfillment in Christ himself. So interestingly, the chapter began with an unfaithful bride, and it ends with a redeemed people seeking the Lord and their king. This is the story of redemption. Christ is the faithful bridegroom who loves his people perfectly. Christ is the true Davidic king who gathers and rules his flock, and Christ is the redeemer toward whom Hosea's action ultimately point.

And because of redemption, and his goal is Christ, the Christian life must be understood in relational terms before anything else. We obey because we belong to him. We pursue holiness because we have been brought near to him and bought with a price. We fight sin because it disrupts fellowship with the one who redeemed us. So the concept here of holiness in the Bible, it is not only to fulfill rules and regulation. It flows from a

restore communion and fellowship with Christ.

So the God who redeems his people is also committed to preserve them. He does not merely rescue them from judgment and leave them to themselves. He continues his work of sanctifying work to correcting them and restoring them until his redemptive purpose is fully accomplished. And that is the hope that shines at the end of Hosea. The God who pursues his people, redeems his people, and restores his people, will ultimately bring his people home.

As we come to the end of Hosea, we discover that the chapter has been pointing us beyond Hosea all along. His pursuit of Gomer, his payment of redemption price, and his restoration of the broken relationship never ends in themselves. They were designed by God to direct our eyes to our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in this chapter converges in him. Hosea pursues an unfaithful bride, but Christ comes seeking sinners who have wandered away from God.

Hosea pays the price to redeem Gomer from bondage, but Christ secures redemption through his own blood. Hosea restores one who had broken covenant, but Christ reconciles sinners to God and brings them into fellowship with himself. And the chapter closes with the promises that God's people will return to seek the Lord their God, and David their king. It directs our hope to the Messiah who gathers and preserves his people forever.

So we are leaving now with a question. How will we respond to such redeeming love? For some, the call of Hosea 3 is the call to repentance. Perhaps you have been seeking satisfaction in lesser loves trusting things that cannot save, or drifting from fellowship with God, the message of this chapter is not simply that sin is destructive. It's that God's mercy is greater.

God's mercy is greater. The Lord who commanded Hosea to go again is the same God who still calls sinners to return to Him through Jesus Christ. And for those of us who belong to Christ, Hosea 3 is a call to a renewed faith and gratitude. Do not look primarily at the strength of your hold upon Christ. Look at the strength of His hold upon you. The same Redeemer who sought you in your sin, who purchased you at such great cost, and brought you into

fellowship with Himself, will remain faithful to all His promises. For the Son of God also willingly entered into mystery and shame of this fallen world in order to redeem His bride. He came fully knowing the guilt. He knew the corruption, the rebellion, and the spiritual adultery of we, His people, that He came to save. He came knowing the full cost of redemption, and still He came. At the cross, Christ publicly bore the shame

of His people. He stood in the place of guilty sinners, and He endured the judgment they deserved. He satisfied His justice fully and purchased their redemption through His own blood. The one against whom we sin became the very one who paid the price necessary to bring us home. Therefore, turn from your sin, return to the Lord, trust in the Redeemer whom Hosea foreshadows, and rest in the steadfast love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Let's pray.

Our gracious and merciful Father, we come before you humble by what we have seen in your Word tonight. As we look at Hosea's pursuit of Gomer, we are reminded of our own hearts. We confess that we are often prone to wander. We're too easily drawn to lesser loves, too easily distracted by the things of this world, and too often slow to delight in you as our greatest treasure. We thank you that this chapter does not ultimately point us to the faithfulness of Hosea,

but to the greater faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Thank you for pursuing us, Lord, when we were far from you. Thank you for loving us, not because we were worthy of your love, but because of your own sovereign mercy and grace. Thank you for sending your Son to accomplish the redemption that we could never accomplish for ourselves. Lord Jesus, we praise you as our Redeemer. You willingly paid the price for our salvation, not with silver and barley,

but with your own precious blood. Thank you for bearing our guilt. Thank you for satisfying the divine justice and reconciling us to God the Father. Thank you that we belong to you, not because of our own works, but because you have purchased us for yourself. And Father, where there is unconfessed sin, grant us true repentance, Lord. Where there is idols competing for our affections to you, expose them and turn our hearts back to you, Lord.

Where we have grown cold in our love, renew our delight in Christ, and teach us to seek our satisfaction, our security, and our joy in you alone. Cause us to leave this place trusting more fully in Christ and loving Him more deeply. And may we look forward with hope to that day when our redemption will be complete, when faith will become sight, and when we will dwell forever in the presence of our King Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.

Amen.