YOUR DEBT PROBLEMS AND HOSEA

If you are troubled by debt, think of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet of the one true God, my God, the God of Moses and Israel, whose son Jesus, became man through the Blessed Virgin Mary, to redeem us from the consequences of sin, so that we may have eternal life with Them in paradise. Hosea lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus and lived in the northern kingdom of Israel. The Israelites have been living in prosperity for some time because Jeroboam II was king and he extended the borders of Israel further than they had been since Solomon’s reign. Tribute money from vassal nations poured into Israel’s treasury and the people became prosperous. But with prosperity, the Israelites again forgot about our God who freed them from slavery in Egypt and fell back into moral and spiritual degradation. Idolatry was rampant as was fornication, adultery, drunkenness, perversion and debauchery. The people were fornicating in the temples that they built for Baal, their god of fertility. Indeed, even human sacrifices were offered to their idols.

So God sent Hosea to tell the people that He was much displeased with them. They had broken the first of the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” God viewed Israel’s idolatry as spiritual adultery. God considered Israel to be His Wife. When Israel worshipped other false gods, it is spiritual adultery. To let Hosea feel the emotional pains of adultery so that Hosea could accurately explain to the people of Israel what they had done to God by their idolatry of the golden cows and Baal, God told Hosea to marry Gomer who by her nature was an unfaithful woman, a woman who easily gave her herself to men for material things. The LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.”

You think your debt problems are bothering you? What if you were Hosea and God told you to marry a woman who is known to be unfaithful, a female Tiger Woods, but without the money of Tiger. Your problems are nothing compared to Hosea’s. So Hosea married Gomer and they had two children. After Gomer had their third child, Hosea sensed that Gomer was getting bored at home and that their third child was not his. God told Hosea to name his third child “Lo-ammi” meaning “Not mine.”

Gomer told Hosea, “No wayah I’m staying with you Hosea! I’m moving in with the father of our third child because he gives jewelry that you can’t afford to give meah.” Hosea is heart-broken because he really loves his wife Gomer, just like God loves Israel, even though both are unfaithful and unworthy of being loved.

While Gomer was living in adultery, Hosea secretly provided her with money, food and clothes. He loved her so despite her adultery. I don’t know how many men can do what Hosea did. But Hosea finally realized that his secret support of Gomer would not help unless Gomer’s heart changed for the good. He made the difficult decision of stopping to support her. Without the money from Hosea, her lover eventually sold Gomer into slavery. Gomer has now become skin and bones, with boils and rashes all over her body, her hair full of lice. At her auction sale, nobody bids for her. Nobody wants such an ugly and sick woman to be their slave. A man offers one wooden penny for her. But Hosea shows up and offers all his money, 15 pieces of silver for Gomer, and Gomer is sold to Hosea, the highest bidder!

Hosea never stopped loving Gomer, no matter what she did and how low she sank, so God never stopped loving Israelites despite their evil ways and turning their backs to Him by worshipping golden cows and pagan gods. God loves us even though we are unworthy of His love!

Lawrence Bautista Yang is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been in law practice for thirty years.  He specializes in bankruptcy, business and civil litigation and has handled more than five thousand successful bankruptcy cases in California.  He speaks Mandarin and Fujien and looks forward to discussing your case with you personally.  Please call (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S Fremont Ave Bldg A-1 Suite 1125 Unit 58 Alhambra, CA 91803