The unforgivable sin? (Hosea 2)

Have you ever had sex with another man’s wife, or you know somebody who did? Quite probably they got into a lot of trouble with the husband who had been cheated on. Indeed, the wisdom of Proverbs tells us (6:32-35), Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self-destructive. Expect a bloody nose, a black eye, and a reputation ruined for good. For jealousy detonates rage in a cheated husband; wild for revenge, he won’t make allowances. Nothing you say or pay will make it all right; neither bribes nor reason will satisfy him.

When the Lord was looking around for imagery to help us human being understand just how much it hurts him when we are unfaithful to him, what did he choose? He hit upon the imagery of the cheated husband. And Hosea’s life is a concrete expression of this image. The sense of betrayal and wounding when unfaithfulness in a marriage comes to light is perhaps unequalled, for this is a relationship where God himself has joined two human beings together (Matthew 19:4-6). It is that same intensity of feeling that the Lord experiences when we are unfaithful to him.

Over the centuries churches have often had an uncomfortable relationship with sex - in some cases it has even been prohibited, or relegated to the realm of the dirty and profane. Certainly sex could have nothing to do with religion. But the Lord has a totally different perspective: instead of banning sexual imagery, he raises it up to portray the ardent love and fidelity which are the essence of his relationship with human beings.

The first 13 verses of Hosea 2 are a lament by the Lord over the unfaithfulness of Israel, whom he had treated as his own bride, giving her everything she needed. He threatens to take it all away from her, in order to bring her back to her senses - rather like the prodigal son, who came back to his senses only when he was reduced to looking after pigs and eating their food (Luke 15).

Then comes the shock in this chapter: there is a complete change of tone, and the Lord declares, Therefore, I am now going to seduce her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give everything back to her and will give her a door of hope (verses 14-15)! If you have been a Christian for some time, you will know, as I do, what it is like to be unfaithful to your Lord Jesus, to let him down, to fail.

Sometimes, maybe, you have wondered, ‘Could he really forgive me for what I have done this time?’ and you have heard an accusing voice saying, ‘That’s right, this time you have really blown it. There is no way back.’

That is a lie. For, the wonderful message of this chapter is that, however unfaithful we may have been towards the Lord, however much we have let him down, however much we have messed up, he still wants us to come back to him. And when we come back, confessing our unfaithfulness and asking him to help us stay close to him, he will welcome us with open arms and give us even more than before, as the promises of verses 16-23 show. It was the same when the prodigal son came back to his father: he was welcomed with kind words, a new set of clothes and a celebratory party.

If you are worried that you have committed a sin that cannot be forgiven, read this chapter and see how great is the Lord’s love for the human race; open yourself to him, so that you can receive that love. Israel in the time of Hosea had committed some of the foulest crimes, but still he wants to attract them back to himself and give them good things. Hosea lives this out by rescuing his own wife from a hopeless lifestyle of prostitution and giving her the security of his own home (chapter 3). If you are concerned that you may have committed the unforgivable sin, the fact that you are concerned shows that you have not.

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good cause someone might possible dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus Christ’s love is always greater than our unfaithfulness and sin.

And he is always ready to receive us back, not reluctantly, but with arms wide open in welcome and generosity.