Called to be an Image of God!

“When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him:
‘Go and marry a promiscuous wife
and [have] children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.’
So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.”

Hosea 1:2-3

I have always felt sorry for Hosea. Here was a man who obviously wanted to be a faithful man of God. God told him to marry a woman who would bring him great heart ache. Why would God want to ruin the life of Hosea for the sake of making a point? It is difficult enough to be married to someone who has a serious moral flaw, so why would God instruct Hosea to seek out such a wife? The reason can only be understood when you look at it through the eyes of the Lord.

The suffering of Hosea was a reflection of the suffering of God Himself. God was calling Hosea to be an image of Him. The desire of a righteousness man is to be like Jesus in His purity and holiness, but what about His suffering? Sin is the mother of all suffering, and my sin brings pain and suffering to God Himself. When the bride of Christ is unfaithful, oh the pain that shoots through the vast expanse of the cosmos!

My obedience brings great joy to God even as my sin brings grief. So when I am tempted to sin I must think about Hosea and his wife going out for another of her promiscuous encounters. I must not ignore the suffering of God when I sin.