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Depends on the Name

What would you do if you heard God telling you to go share your faith with the biggest bully you've ever seen? Oh, and God warned you ahead of time that the bully would cause you severe pain. Would you still listen?

What if, after picking your teeth up from the ground, God asked you to go share your faith again? Same bully. Same result. Lots of pain. What kind of conversation would you start having with God?

That's what I wonder about the prophet Hosea. He's told to go take an adulterous woman for a wife. 'Oh, thanks God, a wife...what kind again?' I never want to be accused of taking a sermon illustration too far again. Hosea does what he's told and goes and finds Gomer. First, what kind of female name is Gomer? Second, can you imagine the proposal? 'You seem like the cheating kind...how about we give it a go?'

The sermon illustration that is Hosea's marriage continues as kids come and are named. They have a daughter, which Hosea is instructed to call Lo-Ruhamah, meaning Not-Loved. I mean, that has to have some affect on the girl growing up, right?

'Hey, you're Lo-Ruhamah, right? Do your parents hate you?' And that might be the comment from her youth pastor. 'Yes, I'm Not-Loved, and this is my brother Not-My-People. We think God isn't very happy with our family right now.'

Gomer cheats, Hosea buys her back, a nation is warned. But along the way lives are likely changed due to their names. God goes to great lengths to make His point. We should probably pay attention. He has called us His children. We should probably act accordingly. Lives will be changed due to our names.
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Wes said…
Im sure if God called us to preach to a bully, that he would give us the strength to deal with whatever happened.
June 22, 2010 at 1:37 PM
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