Hosea & Half-Heartedness
by Michael Cochran
Returning (once again!) to Hosea, we come to a theme that is not a theme exclusive to Hosea (check out Malachi). But it is a repeated theme in the prophets. That them is the way God commands our worship. We worship and love him in heart, mind, body, and soul (see Matthew 22:37-40). In other words, we are to worship him totally and completely.
In Hosea 6, Israel and Judah are both pictured as half-heartedly returning to the Lord. After experiencing distress, they desire that they would no longer experience these things. We can all relate to this. No one enjoys distressing and stressful times. Yet, what is missing in chapter 6, is a desire to be with, love, and commune with God. Their concern is simply, which God will give us the maximum blessing and least problems? Chapter 5 ends with God’s desire that Israel and Judah repent and return:
I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.(Hos. 5:15)
God will no longer “tear apart” Judah and Israel (5:14). Chapter 6 seems to open with a promising statement. “Come, let us return to the LORD…” (6:1). Yet their return in vv 1-3 is missing two important components, which are acknowledging and earnestly seeking of 5:15. Hosea neatly breaks into chapters 1-3 (Hosea and Gomer) and then 4-14 (God’s Covenant Lawsuit against Israel and Judah). But behind 4-14 we must remember Hosea’s relationship to his wayward wife Gomer. This is the picture of Yahweh’s relation to his people.
Israel and Judah however are thinking basically, “If Baal can’t do it, we had better go back to Yahweh”. This picture deepens if we go back to chapters 1-3 and see the picture of Gomer and Hosea. Hosea, as you know, is commanded to marry a woman who is a “whore”. She may be a prostitute, she may be a known serial adulterer, she may even be a temple prostitute. We are not given specifics other than she is a terrible candidate for marriage to a faithful Jew.
Yet Hosea obeys, marries her, and presumably loves her. And he also provides for her. Having done all of this, what does Gomer do in response? She runs off to other lovers and only when the fun stops does she seem to reluctantly return to Hosea. It’s not that she really loves Hosea but it’s simply easier than the other lovers who have failed her.
Now imagine you are in Hosea’s sandals. Your spouse leaves, to be with other lovers, and only begrudgingly comes back to you. Not out of love, but simply you provide for him or her better than the other myriad of lovers. How would you respond? Would you take him or her back? Would you forgive? Would you ever be able to truly love this person again?
The point the book of Hosea is drawing out is twofold. First of all, half-hearted repentance is no repentance. Those who come to God for material blessings (like the prosperity gospel peddler’s promise) are not actually coming to God for the right reasons. We can think of Jesus’s parable of the sower. These kinds of people come when it’s easy. Yet the cares of the world and the wiles of Satan will eventually turn their heart away from God to other material things (the very problem Israel is facing). In this way, only a heart that has been truly transformed will come to God and remain. Only someone who knows the depth of their sin (their spiritual adultery and idolatry) and the magnitude of God’s holy majesty, will fall on their knees and beg for forgiveness! This is not the picture we have of Israel and Judah in 6:1-3.
Hosea reminds us, yes, God blesses. Yes God saves. But more importantly than all of that: God loves. God loves with an everlasting love. This love can transcend material blessings, so that even if they are all taken away, we still have all we need (Eph 2). Thomas Brooks puts it this way “The riches of poor saints are durable; they will bed and board with them; they will go to the prison, to a sickbed, to a grave, yeah, to heaven with them.” (Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, 133).
Secondly though, real repentance brings real forgiveness. Gomer can be forgiven. Israel can be forgiven. You and I can be forgiven. That is the message of Hosea (see chapter 14). But it’s only real, contrite, humble, poverty of soul repentance, that brings us to the God who overflows in grace! Remember that the hope in the book of Hosea is that it was spoken (and recorded). God is speaking still to his people. God has not abandoned them. God desires for them to return. But they must return on his terms, not theirs.
So, come to him. His burden is light. His yoke is easy. Come buy wine and food, without money. Come to the God who is love. Come to Jesus Christ! Again this is the message that Hosea pleads with us that we would understand that we have nothing but God has everything.
