IMITATE GOD

Jeff and I have had some sweet morning time lately. We got a kitty, Charlie. Jeff gets up a bit earlier than me to feed him and then I meet them for some quiet time together.

While Charlie sits on the bench watching the butterflies and birds, Jeff and I sit on the couch reading and listening to the Bible. Recently, God revealed Himself in a new way that deepened our understanding of Him, each other, marriage, and relationships in general through the book of Hosea.

God told Hosea to "Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution" (Hosea1:2 NLT). Yep, you read that right! God often taught His people through a prophet's life. Hosea's story mirrored God's relationship with a rebellious people who would betray Him over and over again.

So Hosea married Gomer, and as predicted, she had children who were conceived in prostitution. The Lord said, name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—un-loved (vs6) and your son Lo-ammi—not my people (vs8).

Now I know this seems harsh, but watch what God does.

Not realizing that all she had was from her husband, Gomer chased her lovers for what she thought she needed. God instructed Hosea to let her go. He does the same with us. He doesn't force Himself upon anyone and He definitely doesn't make anyone stay against their will. He will give you over to your desire, if you desire, but He does not stop pursuing you.

Gomer left—Hosea let her—God let her. He was allowing her to get to the end of herself; and she did (well mostly).

Then, God said, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress" (Hosea 3:1).

Gomer was up for auction and Hosea paid the price to buy her back. Sound familiar? It's a picture of Jesus' redemption of man. We are saved by His grace. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we do (Eph 2:8-9). Hosea brought Gomer back under his covering and protection, but this time not as husband and wife. She still had her status, but intimacy was broken. Gomer had a choice to make, would she accept what Hosea offered? Would she surrender and receive the covenant?

Scripture says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Eph 5:25). We'll get a little deeper into this in our series in Ephesians but for now pay close attention to what Paul is indicating. Marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a picture of covenant. It's a covenant of covering. If a man commits to a covenant (with God) to cover His wife, then His wife will get everything she wants/needs. But if he commits to her over God she will only get what he perceives she needs. Don't miss that.

This is challenging for us. I suppose it is for most. When Jeff and I entered into a covenant of marriage as we understood it, we committed to each other. Yes, we love God and wanted Him to be in the middle of our marriage, however our covenant was with each other. God always intended for our covenant to be with Him and He would to lead us to each other. His way doesn't seem to make sense, but again, look a little closer. God calls Jeff to cover me as part of his covenant with Him. My role, like Gomer, is to receive it or better yet accept it.

Marriage is a physical example of the way Jesus loves His bride. He serves her, He washes her feet, He encourages her, He comforts and protects her, sacrificing everything for her.

If a man seeks God and loves his wife in His way, submitting to his leading can be a pleasure as God intended it to be. Submission is weakness in the world's eyes, but in God's eyes it's a sign of strength. Remember, Jesus submitted to His Father in everything. In my marriage, God calls me to submit to my husband. So when differences enter in and intimacy is broken, it's God we are to look to, not each other. It's our covenant with God that should lead us.

". . . . And the two become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31b,32 NIV).

Jesus paid the price for all mankind, but each must receive His gift, His covenant of covering. Marriage is a blessing, but it's just a picture.

You can stop serving God, worshipping Him, or even loving Him—but you can not stop Him from loving you. God's promises are forever. He did not turn His back on Israel, nor will He you. God chose to tell His redemption story through a broken marriage, that because of His sacrifice, is made whole. His redeeming love draws us back.

. . . . God says in the prophecy of Hosea,

“Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.”

And,

“Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” (Rom 9:25-26 NLT)

Lo-ammi becomes Ammi (My people) and Lo-ruhamah becomes Ruhamah (Loved). God's love doesn't depend on us, however, intimacy does. We can easily break intimacy with God by chasing idols.

Think of the time we spend by trying to extract what we think we need from other people. God never intended that we strive to make relationships work. He instead instructs us to imitate Him in everything we do. (Eph 5:1)

In Eph 5, before God even gets to the subject of marriage, He instructs us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (vs21). Think of what the world would look like if we cared for others, in every kind of relationship, as more important than ourselves. I heard it put this way, "Love goes up, then out." God is the One who deserves our respect and He asks us to direct that respect toward one another. How did mankind arrive at the conclusion that we can do things better than God?

It is impossible to live this kind of surrendered life without first understanding who we are in Christ. This is one of the reasons I believe God is leading us to study Paul's letter to Ephesus. The letter is split in two; the first three chapters indicate what God has done for us, the second three, what we do in response.

Journey with me as we discover the beauty of His redemption.