Hos. 1-4
It amazes me, some of the things God had His prophets do to demonstrate His message to His people. God asked Hosea to take a prostitute for a wife and to love her. Naturally, she cheated on him and left him for another man. So God had Hosea buy her back, for no small sum, and continue to love her. A few things I note about all of this:
- If ever there was evidence that love is not a feeling but a decision to act in a particular way, this is it. Hosea loved Gomer – was good to her – because God told Him to, even after she betrayed him.
- This was no small demonstration! Taking a wife, having three children by her, and buying her back after her adultery was a multi-year process. We get the whole picture in story form after the fact. But it makes me wonder how exactly God was using Hosea to Get His message out in real time.
- It is my understanding that it is indeed Gomer whom Hosea purchased in chapter 3. Some translations present it this way, though it is not evident to me in others.
- After buying her back, Hosea told Gomer, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (Hos 3:3). What made Gomer play along? She was not God’s prophet and likely had no interest in doing something she did not want to do in order to demonstrate His message to the people of Israel. But it seems that she did. Perhaps, in being purchased back and loved by Hosea, she had the kind of heart change that God was prophesying for His people.
Rom 14
Hmmm….in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul told the believers that they should judge one another in order to purge the evil from among them. But here in Romans 14 he says, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother?” (Rom 14:10a). What gives? The key to that question is in verse 1, where Paul tells us not to quarrel over opinions. There is a difference between core beliefs and personal convictions and preferences. Two examples that Paul gives are eating meat and observing a holy day. The important thing, Paul says, is that we live what we believe, according to our faith, in honor of God, giving thanks to Him.
So if we believe that something is a sin, we should abstain from it. But what if another believer is doing something we believe is a sin? How do we know if it is a difference in convictions or preferences or if the behavior should be considered an evil that needs to be purged? Besides the “sexual immorality” that Paul specifically called out in I Corinthians, I don’t have an easy answer for that. Paul gives us a couple of clues, however, in verses 13-23. He says, “if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love” (vs 15a) and, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (vs 23b).
So I think one guideline is to look at the fruits of that person’s life. Are they truly living for and honoring God? Or are they caught up in the desires of their own flesh? And another guideline is the person’s attitude toward both the behavior and the person taking issue with it. If they are more interested in doing what they want than in “peace and mutual upbuilding” (vs 19b), there may be a problem. And I think this is also why Paul directs us to take the issue before others in the church, so that it isn’t just a matter of two people’s differing opinions. Bottom line is that we are all to live out our lives for God, loving Him and loving others the best that we are able. And in the end, “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:12).