Affairs, unfaithfulness, infidelity, adultery is all too common in today's culture. Having an affair or a fling just sounds more like an adventure or possibly a vacation than the latter words. Call it what you will, it doesn't mask the abandonment and betrayal of a spouse. Having sex with a person other than your marital partner breaks the oneness and intimacy of that marriage. Even excuses like, "We didn't mean for it to happen" or "It was only a one time thing," doesn't dismiss or minimize the severing of trust. First of all, neither excuse holds water. It's not like you spilled a cup of coffee. Jumping into bed with someone who's not your spouse means that there's been a build up to that point. A "one time thing" stops at the flirtation stage and even that shouldn't have happened.
Let's be honest about it. Having an affair is being unfaithful to your husband or wife to whom you promised to be faithful. Having an affair is breaking your commitment. Let's call it what it is, having an affair is adultery. Committing adultery is sin. You sin against your husband or wife. You sin against their husband or wife or future husband or wife. You sin against your children. You sin against their children. You sin against God. And the Bible says that you sin against your own body. Sexual sin is different from any other sin.
Interestingly, God compares adultery to our abandonment of Him. Here in Hosea, He uses the adultery of Gomer to portray Israel's behavior with God. He calls Israel an adulteress. He tells Hosea to go get her, buy her back, bring her back and love her. He says be everything to her. Don't let her prostitute herself or hook up with another man. It's supposed to be a demonstration of how God loves and pursues us even when we've betrayed Him, abandoned Him, and embraced someone or something else.
Several time Hosea has to go fetch and redeem his wife. It's a picture of God's persistence with us. Yet at some point, God divorces Himself from Israel because of her unfaithfulness, her adultery.
Why would Gomer leave a husband who passionately loved her, cared for her, coddled her, protected her, gave her a secure home? Why did she keep going after other men who only wanted to use her for what they could get? Why did she want to sell herself to who knows what? Why walk away from her kids and family? Weird, isn't it?
So why do we walk away from God? Why do we betray Him? Why do we prostitute ourselves, sell ourselves out? Why do we give up life, love, security, protection, empowerment, eternity with Him? Weird, isn't it?
God, thanks for passionately loving me. Thanks for bringing me back and reminding me of your grace and mercy and genuine love. Thanks for forgiving me. Thanks for looking past my faults.
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