Picking up the check

Ho 3:1 ¶ And the Lord said to me, Give your love again to a woman who has a lover and is false to her husband, even as the Lord has love for the children of Israel, though they are turned to other gods and are lovers of grape-cakes.
 Ho 3:2 So I got her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley;
 Ho 3:3 And I said to her, You are to be mine for a long space of time; you are not to be false to me, and no other man is to have you for his wife; and so will I be to you.

So our extended family went out the other night, brother-in-law, Dad and step-mom, cousins, and my crew.  We had a good dinner and like always, there's a little shuffle for who will get the check.  It plays like a secret agent movie--Mom makes a bid with the waitress, maybe my Dad grabs her arm next as she goes by.  It's a little friendly game that says, "Hey, I love you guys more--this round".



I thought of this when I read Hosea chapter 3.  The book of Hosea is the story of a man that God commanded to marry an unfaithful woman.  He cares for her children while she roams around and finally winds up enslaved as a prostitute.  Her apathy and unfaithfulness reflected the nation of Israel's cold hearts toward God, as they worshiped idols.

In chapter 3, God tells Hosea to find his wife and buy her back.  After all that she had done to hurt him, betray him, embarrass him, abandon him, God wanted Hosea to take his hard-earned money and free her from captivity.  God wanted Hosea to say, "I love you more"--and prove it with his wallet.

This woman had nothing to offer, and nothing to give.  She could never come close to picking up this check.  Hosea simply paid for her freedom out of love and obedience to the Lord.

Humanity is like Hosea's wife--we have nothing to offer God, He is sufficient without us, and we have not been faithful to even come close to loving and obeying Him.  We have to rely on His love to pay for our freedom from the bondage that sin ensnares us.

Like Hosea's wife--we will only be free if we remain with God, letting Him not only pay the price for our sin with Jesus' sacrifice, but also remaining close and faithful to Him.  Only then will He pay our "tab".