Daily Devotional For Friday, June 26, 2026
Hello Southside and God’s blessings to you. Our daily devotional reading for today comes from Hosea 3:1,
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes’” (NASB).
Our story involves a prophet named Hosea, who God told him to go and marry a harlot or prostitute by the name of Gomer. Why? Her sinful lifestyle would be a metaphor to Israel’s prostituting herself with pagan idols rather than being monogamous with God (Hosea 1). When we read the Gospels, the Apostles claimed that the Old Testament Scriptures had been fulfilled in Jesus. Skeptics read this and wondered, “Where in the Old Testament are any prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus in the New Testament?” I have two simple answers to that.
- First, Jesus made the claim Himself in Luke 24:44, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (NASB). There are messianic psalms and prophecies in books such as Isaiah that point to Jesus.
- Second, at key historical moments, the Lord enacted dramas that powerfully depict what Jesus would do when He came. In Hosea 2, we see Hosea providing for his wife while she is living a life as a prostitute. When we get to Hosea 3, we see one of these key moments being enacted that depict what Jesus would do when He came.
What Hosea does out of obedience to God probably had eyes staring and tongues waggling. This had to be the talk of the town and everyone loves a good gossip to spread because it takes the focus off of them and puts it on someone else. One of the great themes of Hosea is how Hosea pursued and loved his wife while she was prostituting herself. This is used as a metaphor of how God did the same with His people. Jesus came to pursue and love us back to Himself for the ways we prostitute ourselves with other idols. What Hosea’s wife does was scandalous and what we do in light of God’s love for us is also scandalous.
We should remember the words of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.(19) It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (NLT).
In verse 1 it mentions “raisin cakes.” Why? There is nothing wrong with raisin or raisin cakes, but the context is these cakes were made and offered to the pagan god Baal seeking from this idol better fertility. Israel and Gomer’s focus is on raisin cakes. Now think about this for a moment. What attracted Israel was something trivial and earthly – the pleasure of a raisin cake. Israel is a nation like a woman who leaves her royal and loyal husband in the palace and goes drinking and being sexually promiscuous to some good-for-nothing in some bar.
Verse 1 applies to all sinners who pursue pleasure rather than the person of Jesus Christ. For Hosea to go pursue Gomer again and love her is an act of grace. The Apostle Paul writes this in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (NASB). Meaning while we as sinners were prostituting ourselves with the idols of this world, Jesus came and through His grace pursued us. Some Bible scholars have said that God did not tell Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. John Calvin for example claimed Hosea had a vision about this, but that he really did not do this. Why would some think this way? Because it puts God right in the middle of a scandal.
This is the very point of Hosea and grace. In order for God’s grace to come to us, God had to open Himself up for contempt and disgrace. But this is precisely what God did for Israel and Jesus does for us. God came to us – not as just a divine being – but also as a human. Though He never sinned, He did become sin for us on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). The only way Jesus could redeem us He had to become sin so that He would meet God the Father's requirement of death for redemption (Rom. 6:23). It is scandalous and contemptuous that a sinless God would pursue sinners out of grace and literally pay their price for their sin.
Hosea was willing to do this for God and the question is, are we willing out of gratitude to pursue God due to His pursuing grace for us? Gomer’s betrayal is symbolic of Israel’s betrayal with God. Our sin is a huge betrayal of us being made in God’s image. Such love reveals God’s character and Hosea’s. Their love exemplifies grace, forgiveness, perseverance, self-sacrifice, humility, and respect for ultimate concerns. It offers high standards for all relationships – without grace in any relationship, the relationship is nothing more than a legalistic agreement.
Reflection Assignment: Take a moment and think about all the ways God showers you with His grace. The fact that you woke up and are reading this is an act of God’s grace. Every day the Lord is pursuing you to keep you from prostituting yourself with idols in our culture. Pause for just a minute – when and how do you see the Lord doing this? Now, thank Him.
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Peter 2:10, “In past times, you were not people who knew God. But now you are God's people. In past times, God did not forgive you. But now He has been very kind to you and He has forgiven you through His grace” (PAR).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I know I do not deserve Your grace. It amazes me that while I pursue and prostitute myself with idols, You pursue me out of love and grace. I pray a day will come I will be so appreciative of Your grace that I stop prostituting myself with idols. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly