Obedience School
It’s challenging to do the things you don’t want to do. It’s even harder to do the things God asks you to do, but you really, really don’t want to.
I can not imagine the struggle the Prophet Hosea dealt with when God asked him to marry a prostitute and have a child with her. I mean, think about the first time he took her home to meet the family. It might have been like a scene from “St. Elmo’s Fire” where Wendy’s mother whispers things that are unmentionable. “Did you all hear about John down the street?” She whispered, “Cancer.” So, when she asked Billy, “Where did you meet our daughter, Wendy?” Billy whispered, “Prison.”
“So, Gomer, what do you do for a living?” I can imagine her whispering, “I’m a prostitute.” I have a feeling they already knew that and possibly one of the men around the table might have been a customer!
Hosea, a real man of God, obeyed, but he also knew ahead of time why God was asking him to do this thing. Have you ever been obedient to the Lord but did not know what God’s plan was? That seems to be the norm. In those situations, it is best to obey, and at some point, you will most likely know “why” someday. Or you may have proof later down the road that you did the right thing.
The first time God spoke to Hosea he said:
“Find a whore and marry her.
Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here’s why: This whole country
has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God.”
3 Hosea did it. He picked Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She got pregnant and gave him a son.
Hosea 1:2-3 (MSG)
Then Samuel said, Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
empty rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to him!
Plain listening is the thing,
not staging a lavish religious production.
Not doing what God tells you
is far worse than fooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important around God
is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said No to God’s command,
he says No to your kingship.
1 Sam. 15:22-23 (MSG)
Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
