The Broken Heart of God – kenbarnes.us

    Hosea: The Broken Heart of God

    How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel (Hosea 11:8 NASB)?

    I want to tell you a story. This tale is not all from the Scriptures, but it is scriptural. It did not originate with me; I have just rewritten it. I am unsure who first told it, but I believe it came straight from God’s heart.

    Lord, How Can I?

    The Lord came to Hosea, a prophet of God, bound and determined to glorify the Almighty; …Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord (Hosea 1 2b NASB). “Lord,” exclaimed Hosea; “How can a man of God marry a prostitute?” God speaking, but how can God ask me to join myself with such sin? Hosea thought to himself. Strangely, he felt a pulsating love for this woman, Gomer. He was not sure if this was good or badI don’t understand, but I must obey Him, Hosea decided.

    The Marriage

    The first years were happy ones. Hosea was very affectionate, and Gomer reciprocated. Their first child was born, and the Lord directed him to be named Jezreel. He was to be a sign of retribution to the nation. A rift started to emerge in their marriage. Hosea noticed that other men were showing her increasing attention. Quick looks and coy glances became evident as Gomer’s beauty proved to be a snare to her. She kept it veiled, but her expressions and body language communicated that she enjoyed the attention. What must I do, Hosea contemplated? He concluded that the only thing he could do was to pray.Their second child was born, this time a girl. A haunting question started to arise in Hosea’s thoughts. Was she his? The Lord said to call her Lo-ruhama (Hosea 1:6), unloved or no compassion. His fears only continued to mount. Lo-ruhamah, a third child was born and the Lord directed him to be named Lo-ammi (Hosea 1:9), literally, not my people or any kin of mine. Hosea could not deny it. He was not his son. He was stunned and dazed as his worst fears had become a reality. She had left his love for another’s lust

    The Look on Her Face Pierced His Heart

     “Oh Lord, what do I do?” Hosea cried. He still had an unquenchable love for his wife, but as a man of God, he could not be in companionship with sin. He felt his heart torn apart, yet, he knew what he must do. “You must turn from your lovers and be true to me,” Hosea pleaded. He gazed into the eyes of the one he loved trembling. Like a drowning man searching for a lifeline, he grasped for a sign of repentance. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. The look of indifference on her face was like a dagger going into his heart. Finally, there was a one-word reply, an emotionless no! Crushed in grief, he sought vainly to hold back the tears. He sat quietly and listened to Gomer gather things to leave him. He heard the door open and then close and her fading footsteps. He had an almost overpowering impulse to stop her. But no, love to be true must be holy. Finally, though straining to hear them, her footsteps were gone. He waited for a time in silence, hoping against hope that she would reconsider and return to him. Eventually, loneliness crept over him. He burst into tears. With tears still in his eyes, the children came into the room. “Where is mama,” they asked. “Why did she leave?” He had no answer. At the supper table that night, there was a conspicuous empty place. Lo-ruhama cried, “I want my mama.” Hosea wanted to cry with her. But he must not give way before his children. They gathered for evening prayers; “take care of Mama and bring her home safely,” they prayed with faltering lips.

    The Cry of a Broken-Hearted God

    Later that night, he tucked his children into bed, and soon they were sound asleep. He walked into the next room, threw himself down, and gave way to his grief. He sobbed out the sorrow of his soul. “This cross of suffering you have given to me, oh Lord, seems unbearable,” he lamented. Anguish passed into bitter agony, and out of dark despair, he cried, “Oh God, why”? The answer came unexpectedly. Worn out from weeping, he sat and stared into space. He heard weeping and turned his head to listen. His children were asleep. Who could this be? Then came some words. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel (Hosea 11:8 NASB)? That night, Hosea learned he did not suffer alone. The voice he heard was the cry of a broken-hearted God sorrowing over the sins of His people. As Gomer had rejected Hosea’s love, Israel had been untrue to her God. Hosea was experiencing the fellowship of God’s suffering. That night, he learned that without suffering, there is no love; as a prophet, you can’t give away what you don’t have. A message was born in Hosea’s heart: there is an awful price of suffering in the heart of God, and love must and will find a way.

    God’s All Pursuing Love

    As time passed, one day, Hosea was praying. A voice spoke, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress….” (Hosea 3:1 NASB). It was the same voice that was spoken to him years ago about taking a wife. To be sure, it was God’s voice. The following day, he walked down the same road that Gomer had walked months before. He came to Bethel and proceeded through a nice section of the town into the slums. He finds his way into the slave market. He caught a glimpse of a girl. Was this Gomer? He stared at her, hardly recognizing his wife. Sin had taken its toll. With a pounding heart, he purchased her. He bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley (v. 3:2). She held her head in shame. She had sold her soul to sin and had ended up in bondage to the enslaver. Despite all her waywardness, her husband was redeeming her. Can this be happeningshe wonders. They turned and started their trip home, walking along silently. Then Hosea spoke, “I love you. Every day, I have longed for you. My heart has never lost its love for you, and not once did I give up hope that you would return. “I forgive you for all the past, we will never speak of it again. You must stay with me and never be untrue again.” She saw their little house in the distance. What once had been so confining now looked inviting. As they entered the house, it looked good compared to the slave market. Suddenly, Gomer saw herself as she was. She saw the awfulness of sin. “God, how could I have been so selfish, only thinking about myself? Lord, please forgive me,” she pleaded. After all I have done, could God ever forgive me? Hosea had, she thought. Suddenly, a burst of light from heaven with a thought invaded her mind. Through her husband’s love, God’s heart of forgiveness had already been offered to her Hosea had only done what he saw God already doing. Mercy was God’s idea, and Hosea was just the messenger. She looked up to heaven with a radiant smile through tears of joy and received that forgiveness. God’s all pursuing love had found a way.

    To All the Broken-hearted

    Some of you reading this story have experienced, like Hosea, the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. This story is for you. I must tell all of you that you have never cried alone. God has counted every tear and collected it in his remembrance bottle, and God is birthing a message in your heart. Without suffering, there is no love. Love must and will find a way. How can we, His creation, reject this kind of love? But, like Gomer, we do. Yet, God keeps on loving.

    The image is used by permission from Microsoft.

    Ken Barnes, the author of  “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
    Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
    Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
    Email- [email protected]

      Give

      Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

      Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.


      More from Ken Barnes

      • Entitlement – kenbarnes.us

        Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

        3 min read
      • The Mystery of Godliness – kenbarnes.us

        Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

        3 min read
      • Remembering Our Lord’s Death – kenbarnes.us

        In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 ESV

        2 min read

      Editor's Picks

      • featureImage

        Would You Take 5 Minutes?

        Have you noticed how every store and company lately is asking you to take a few minutes to fill out their survey? They sometimes entice you by saying your name will be entered for a “chance” to win…

        3 min read
      • featureImage

        When Worry Steals Your Joy

        My husband, Steve, and I sat anxiously in our seats. I wondered if I was going to be able to endure the ride, especially knowing my propensity for motion sickness. But we began nonetheless. The guide strapped all passengers into the tiny boats and gave last minute instructions. Of course there were life preservers, but what good would they do in the fierce rapids that threatened to suck its prey below the surface? Read more...

        4 min read

      More from Ken Barnes

      • Entitlement – kenbarnes.us

        Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

        3 min read
      • The Mystery of Godliness – kenbarnes.us

        Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

        3 min read
      • Remembering Our Lord’s Death – kenbarnes.us

        In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 ESV

        2 min read