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This week’s post is a summary of a Sunday School lesson that was recently taught at a local Baptist church. So, be warned we are about do a bit more then step on some toes, we are going to run them over like a speeding 4x4 hitting a possum on a dark country road - i.e. WE ARE GOING TO FLATTEN THEM. With that warning we are off.

Relationships are key to every endeavor man undertakes. If someone is going to lead, they have to have a relationship with those that follow them. If someone is going to learn they have to have a relationship with the teacher. If someone is going to marry or date, they have to a relationship with another person. If someone is going to work, they have to a relationship with a employer. If someone is going to buy or sale they have to a relationship with another party to complete the transaction. Relationships are at the core of our lives.

We all have both good and bad relationships during our lives. Good relationships are based on trust, honesty, dependability, reliability, and mutual satisfaction. Bad relationships are defined by brokenness, lack of trust, lying, various forms of cheating, and lack of benefit for at least one of the parties involved. Throughout life we are placed in positions of having to both establish and maintain good relationships, while having to mend or repair broken or bad relationships that were good in the past. The restoration and repair process if vital for every person, but especially those that are going to be in leadership or roles of power. Good leadership begins with good relationships and that requires the ability to repair relationships that are injured, damage or destroyed.

In the Old Testament we can find a example of just this situation in the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet that was told that the woman (Gomer) he (Hosea) would marry would commit adultery and that she would bare him several children, but some would not be by him. Hosea married Gomer anyway because God had called him too. As God had told Hosea, Gomer did have affairs and even left him (Hosea). In Chapter 3 of the Book of Hosea we see the conclusion of this situation.

Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. 5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

Notice in verse two Hosea does not just take Gomer back, but pays a dowery for her again. They had not been divorced, they were basically separated, so Hosea did not have to do this. Hosea did this to show that this was NEW marriage. The old was forgotten and they were starting over. In verse three Hosea, goes on to tell Gomer that they will be together from that point on, and she will not have ANY MORE AFFAIRS. In Verse 4 and 5 we are told how Israel will live, how they will later return to God, humbly seek His will, and be restored and blessed as they learn to appreciate the power and presence of the Lord.

Now obviously the story of Gomer and Hosea speaks to how God leads His people, and how He has a plan for all things. The important thing to notice is how God’s people follow Him even when it does not make sense. If Hosea had been less of a Godly man he may have never married Gomer to begin with, or he may have not restored their marriage after the separation and affair/s. God does always have a plan in where He leads us, and those that truly seek Him will follow Him even when the world would advise them to do otherwise.

There is a great lesson for all Christians in how Hosea follows and trust God. Hosea followed through with God and His call no matter how it impacted his (Hosea’s) personal life. It obviously had a huge impact on how Hosea lived daily to be married to a woman that cheated on him. The fact that Hosea was raising children of others as his own would also create all matters of issues. It can also be assumed that Hosea would be viewed strangely, if not ostracized, by others in the community / town that knew of Gomer and her activities. We can and should all learn from this example of faith and strength. Real Christians follow God no matter the circumstances and the view that society has of them. Real Christians are not afraid of being ostracized because of their views and faith.

Hosea’s relationship with Gomer, also relates to our relationship with God. The real key to this is found in verses 4 and 5. We, like Gomer and Israel of old, have left our true love - God - and have had affairs with other gods. Now we/you may not have actively worshiped other gods, i.e.. nature - Baal - Satan - humanism - Allah - Buddha - etc, but we/you have built the proverbial high places or places of worship in our lives. We worship money, other people, jobs, relationships, material items - like cars, boats, homes, sports, and numerous other things. We lust after things, people, and positions that are not ours. We stop thanking God our successes, and start taking credit for them ourselves. We become prideful and self glorifying. These are all affairs on God as they are placing other things, other people (including yourself), and other issues ahead of Him. If you are not doing this at the moment - great. Be honest though, you have left God in the past. We all have done this, it is in our nature to lust, be greedy, be prideful, to be dishonest, and to pursue the passions of our own heart over those of God. How can we say this, because we have all sinned.

Whenever we reach this state, or are in the state, of having an affair on God, it takes God coming in to our world and completely forgetting our past and renewing our relationship with Him to restore us. Notice that like the work of God in our lives, Hosea did the work to restore the relationship. All Gomer had to do was accept Hosea’s offer, like we have to God’s. God, like Hosea, makes the relationship new and then reminds us that we are not to return to our past lives and actions.

That forgetting of our past, and the restoration of a right relationship, is the real gift of God. That gift from God is a model lesson to all Christians, but especially Christian leaders, on how we are to reconcile and restore relationships. Christians are to be about the work or restoring and rebuilding relationships. This means that we must remember how God has forgiven us and then do the same to others. We can not continue having relationships consumed and filled with past baggage. We must build relationships on new footings, on new ground, and with new purpose and directions unlike the ones that are in our past. That method is how God restores and rebuilds, and that is what He expects His people to do as well.

SO ALL YOU GOMER’S (BOTH MALE AND FEMALE) WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO RESTORE AND REBUILD THE RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR WORLD?

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Note - Though the real point of this post is about how we have affairs on God, and damage our relationship with Him via our actions, if you are in a physical / extra marital affair here is a great site that can help you out - Marriages Restored

Also check out our marriage links section here and the marriage links on our blog.

God can, and will, restore those that seek Him and those that desire to do His will.