Hosea & Gomer, the Palm Sunday
Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9
The story of Faust by Goethe is about a scholar who sought after ultimate knowledge and experience. He makes a pact with the devil. In return for ultimate knowledge, Faust’s soul would be claimed by the devil. Faust pursued to become the master of his life. Likewise, take precaution that your pursuit of the world does not cause you to become a slave to sin. This can often happen without us being aware. We can reflect on what masters we are serving in our life. Think about these questions – what am I pursuing in my life, who is my master, to whom or what have I become enslaved?
In Hosea 11, we learn about God’s unconditional love and pursuit for us. For some context, Hosea was a prophet right until the time the Assyrians conquered Israel. Hosea served around the mid-8th century and was a prophet who lived out the heart of God. God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who proved unfaithful. Hosea and Gomer’s relationship reflects the relationship between God and ourselves. Gomer was a serial adulteress. She continued to live a sinful life and even abandoned her own children. We are also sinful in nature and continue to sin daily. Despite Gomer’s unfaithfulness, God commanded Hosea to repeatedly go back to Gomer and love her. God was asking Hosea to love Gomer unconditionally with an Agape love. Similarly, God incessantly comes to us with a heart of unconditional love and pursues us time after time.
It’s important to note Gomer’s redemption by Hosea did not come for free. Hosea 3:2 records that Gomer was bought for 15 shekels of silver and 1.5 bags of barley, approximately the price to purchase one slave in those times. God also had to pay the price for our sins, through the sacrifice of His son Jesus.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus and his disciples enter Jerusalem with the people praising him saying, “Hosanna (please deliver us), son of David.” Before entering, the disciples tried to dissuade Jesus as he had told them he would die if he went. But Jesus insisted and took his cup. Eventually, we see Jesus is betrayed by his own and is crucified on the cross. As his last words, Jesus speaks a Greek word, tetelestai, translated to “it is finished.” He had paid for our sins in full. God is teaching us that He is constantly pursuing after us, even to the point of sacrificing His own son to redeem us.
John 8:34 and Titus 3:3 expose the nature of humans and how we ultimately are slaves to sin. But we can find hope in knowing that God will unconditionally pursue us and rescue us from sin. With this hope, we can endure all that we are experiencing in our lives.
Discussion Questions:
What are the masters in your life? Share about what impact they have on your relationship with God.
What are some practical ways you can try to resemble the heart of God, as Hosea did?
What are your main takeaways from the sermon?
