The Wedding Supper: Celebration of Jesus and His Blood Bought Bride!
Hosea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_as9yxrf6E
Wedding Day, by Casting Crowns
Wedding Day
The celebration is ready to begin! The groom has conveyed that His Bride is faithful and true and the celebration may begin. (John 3:29) A party that will last seven years! Seven! Can you even imagine a wedding celebration with ALL your family that would last seven hours much less seven years??
Bridegroom’s Family
The Bridegroom’s family now welcomes this new daughter home. She will become the future matriarch of the family. Her role is to care for the house and procreate offspring. No child is a curse for it shouts she is unfruitful in her duties. It labels her a failure in the eyes of the community. She will do anything to fulfill this role.
Responsibility to his family
I wonder, do I feel this weight of responsibility to produce fruit for the Lord of love? Am I satisfied to just have Him for myself? Do I love who He loves? Is His agenda mine? Am I content to just be married and have the benefits of marriage without the desire to fulfill my commitments to this Bridegroom?
Hosea’s example
Hosea the prophet was asked to live out this kind of marriage. (Hosea 2:19-20) God asked him to marry a girl from the red-light district. Take her off the streets and honor her as his wife. Forgive her, accept her, and love her completely! He did and she went back to her old life because she felt unworthy. We are Gomer! We are the harlot bride of Christ because we are distracted by our past, we are drawn to our idols, and we are uncomfortable with love without strings attached! We find it hard to believe ANYONE could love us like this!
Am I Gomer?!
Gomer is me! Uncomfortable that someone could love me completely, regardless of my past; forgive me in advance for everything I have done and will ever do. Intimidated by the love I cannot reciprocate no matter how hard I try, I go flying back to where I came from just to feel “normal!”
Hosea Type of Christ
Hosea is a TYPE of Christ. He searches for me-Gomer! He goes places He should never go, gives more than He ever should, and suffers and dies for a “me” -a woman so unworthy of this kind of grace!
Why is Gomer me? To know what is right and not do it is sin! (James 4:17) To throw away the grace of God at the first sign of difficulty and go running back to where I felt guilt 24/7 because guilty is who I am. The Word says God knows us. The word know in Hebrew is the kind of intimate knowledge of a husband and wife: naked, fully exposed, vulnerable, and looking into the depths of our eyes that cannot hide secrets. Christ wants us to love Him eyes wide open! (Matthew 6:22-23, Acts 26:18) Closed eyes indicate something we want to hide: our thoughts! The Spirit searches the heart and exposes it so it can be healed! Gomer runs away because she is more comfortable being abused and used. She is totally at a loss for how to accept this kind of unconditional love. Gomer’s rescue is not complete until she embraces it fully. Only then, will the marriage be fully consummated and grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k
No Longer a Slave, Jonathon David, and Melissa Helser
How could God ask Hosea to do this?
I used to think Gomer was an idiot! That idiot is me! How much time have I wasted listening to the lies of the enemy who will do anything to keep us on the fence of grace? We cannot be harlot and be married. We must choose. Not choosing is a choice for the enemy!
Thankful, Grateful
I am so very thankful the Lord has asked me to chase this rabbit for the last three years. I learned so much about myself, my own marriage, and the kind of person I really am, and most importantly, I learned just how much Jesus, the Bridegroom loves ME, His Bride! Yes, I am His Bride!
My revelation
So, this revelation has caused many emotions and much has changed in my heart. Am I perfect as He is perfect? Not a chance! But here is the most beautiful part…………He says I am perfect because He made me so! Nothing, in heaven or hell, can change this and NOTHING can steal me out of His hand! I am His! He loves me! He is mine for eternity!
(John 3:16, John 10:22-42, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 6:4-6, Revelation 21:1-7)
Celebrate
Let’s celebrate! This is what we celebrate until He returns and then for the rest of eternity we will live in His Presence! No more tears, no more pain, no more disease, disability, destruction, deceit, or death! Doesn’t this make you just about explode with JOY?
Redemption
This is the thread of redemption that runs from Genesis to Revelation. God’s love for all of His “made in His image,” creation. He wants to restore us to the Garden to walk in harmony with Him and all men. It is not a cheap grace. It cost Him His ONE and only Son. He has not chosen His Bride lightly. He went to the depths of hell to rescue her!
Thank you, Father! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Your Bride awaits eyes wide open and fully yours!
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/the-bridegroom-returns-jennifer-oakley-delaplante.jpg
With written permission and our deepest gratitude!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DqlLAVm0cg
Your Love is Extravagant, by Casting Crowns
