#soap # Hosea 03 ## Title: The Scandal of Grace ## Scripture: (Hosea 3:1) The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery. Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” (NET) ## Observation: It appears, at some point, Gomer left Hosea and went back into prostitution. I love how God no longer refers to her as a prostitute as He did in chapter one. Now God refers to her as Hosea’s wife. He tells Hosea to go get her and love her again. Can you imagine the shame of having to go barter for his own wife? He has to pay to redeem his wife from bondage. This is devastating for Hosea but a miracle for Gomer. It was a miracle the first time when Hosea rescued her from the bondage of prostitution. For Hosea to be willing to rescue her a second time is even more amazing. This is what God does for us. Have you ever thought about what it is like for us to be redeemed by the Lord only for us to walk back into the bondage He has rescued us from? God is under no obligation to save us the second time… yet He does again and again. This is the scandal of grace. ## Application: Take time to celebrate the relentless love of God. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for never giving up on us.