Sunday: A Strange Command
“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him,
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‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.’ So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.” (Hos. 1:2-3, NIV).
For centuries, students of the Bible have debated the nature of this command, asking questions such as: Was Gomer a prostitute or just an unfaithful spouse? Was she immoral before her marriage to Hosea, or did she become unfaithful afterward?
We do not know for certain. One thing, however, is sure: when the Lord spoke to Hosea and through him, He wanted to turn people’s attention from Hosea’s story to God’s love story with Israel. Because Gomer was an Israelite, the story of her marriage to the prophet blends with the story of God’s covenant with Israel.
There are important parallels between Hosea’s story and God’s experience with Israel. On a human level, Gomer was adulterous against Hosea; on the spiritual level, Israel was unfaithful to God. Just as Gomer’s immorality hurt her husband’s heart, so Israel’s idolatry grieved the great heart of God. Hosea was called to endure a broken heart and a broken marriage. He must have suffered public indignation and disgrace. Yet, the more he experienced Gomer’s unfaithfulness, the deeper was his understanding of God’s pain and frustration with Israel.
God often asked other prophets to do something beyond preaching.
Read the following passages and explain how the prophets’ actions symbolized God’s dealings with His people. (Isa. 20:1-6, Jer. 27:1-7, Ezek. 4:1-6).
What kind of witness for the Lord are not just your words, but also your actions? What is it in your life that reveals not simply that you are a good person but that you are a follower of Jesus?
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I believe that God is always right. He is Omniscience God. Whether we like it or not, we should trust and obey Him.
This lesson shows that we ourselves, God has married us, He doesn't want us to go out; He want us close to him. Please people let us all be faithful to one another in praising tha Lord our God.AMEN.
Please explain further what spiritual adultery is. Thank you
[Moderator Note: Please use full name when commenting]
"Spiritual Adultery" summed up: looking or longing to be engaged outside of one's marriage Commitment whether its to the Worship and Honor to CHRIST (Our Savior) or one's own spouse.
Spiritual Adultery does not always follow a physical engagement, see scriptures below.
I hope this is helpful
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he........
Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Galatians 5:17
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Norma
in short terms spiritual adultery is the idolatry and or apostasy from the true God. God wants us as humans to look up to him for everythng we do and want, he is a loving God and by so he wants us to be his only and not to worship any othdr God apart from him. So as christians we should avoid the praising of other gods for we have our own God who loves us.
GOD is a very loving and wants everyone to have a chance to have eternal life even though our thoughts, actions, and worship does not belong to Him. How hard for God to let his children go without knowing him. God didn't come for the righteous but for the sinners to repentance
I think we are more accustomed to worldly affairs than the affairs of God.As God said in Rev 2:10 says "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life" but we live contrary to what He says like Gomer.
The question at the end of the lesson is certainly an important one and personal. I know that any fruit I bear that demonstrates my heart for God is a miracle of God. I pray that I will stick closely and draw deeply from Him so that I can bear genuine fruit by His Grace.
It got to a time that Israelites disregard God and went in for other gods for assistance.God loose faith in them and of that the Israelites were not the people of GOD again.God therefore conpired destroy them for the sins they commited against GOD.The same as we do in our era.We call ourselves christian and Adventist but we are not exhibiting good moral deed.What the world is doing that we also do.Now there is no difference between Christ followers and the world.
Who is your saviour now? Choose one Jesus or Satan.
Re Erlinda's request - Marital adultery is when a spouse is unfaithful (cheats) on the other spouse. Spiritual adultery is when we are unfaithful to God. This, to me, means we promise to worship Him and put Him first in our lives but then don't follow through on our promise. After entering the Promised Land the Israelites made a covenant with God but were unfaithful to God time and time again via idol worship and not keeping His other commandments.
Spiritual adultry is to be unfaithfull in our prayer Life, in lack of Devotion, not loving one another, not confessing our sins, not spending time with one another, not faithfull in tithes and offering and anything that can be the cause of a Marraige Divorse is Spiritual Adutery.
Could someone please explain Isa. 20:1-6 Jere. 27:1-7 and Ezek. 4:1-6
Sometimes it is hard for us to swallow thus saith the Lord, especially when we are doing wrong. Now God comes down to us with an illistration that may be the only way of burning His love through our thick skulls and we question His method. Shame on us.
I think we have gone outsite God's command and as for that we are termed as spritual adulterers. What is needed, is to turn back to Jesus and follow is steps; at last we shall be winners.