Better Off

“She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’”

Hosea 2:7

Strong words in this passage where God has painted the Israelites such as a wife that has committed adultery. If God’s people do not repent of their adultery with idol worship, they will be punished and judged severely. Their children will also receive the consequences of their adultery with idols and face severe punishment for the sins of their ancestors. To bring the Israelites to their knees for their adultery, God will put up thorns as walls that will hurt the Israelites when they attempt to run to their idol to commit adultery. It is only then when the Israelites face severe consequences that they will recognize their sin and return to the Lord. The Israelites will remember that it was the Lord who remained faithful to them in His love and He is the One who provided for them.

I first got my driver’s license when I was 16 years old. I was excited to start driving right away my sophomore year at Torrance High. Honestly speaking, I thought having driving privileges meant that I could get away from my parents and do what I wanted to do. Oh how wrong I was! I remember one time getting into a huge argument with my mom about my grades and I decided I was going to run away for the night in my small Scion xA. At 10pm, I packed a few clothes and I put it into my car and drove to Del Cerro Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, at the end of Crenshaw Blvd. I was still fuming as I put down the back seat in my small hatchback so I could lay down and go to sleep. Again I was a sophomore in high school. 

The word “sophomore” comes from the Greek compound word “sophia” which means wisdom and “moros” which means moron. It means “wise moron”. Little did I know that Ranchos Palos Verdes gets extremely cold at night and I didn’t have any jacket or blanket in my car nor the bag I packed. The inside of the car was not warm and I wasn’t going to turn on my car and leave it on overnight. I began to shiver and it was so cold, one of the coldest nights I have ever experienced. It was a long night before I finally gave up and came home. My mom was awake and she said “oh you’re back?” I apologized about the argument and for driving away. I said, “Sorry I didn’t come back home for so long,” and my mom replied, “You were only gone for an hour.” We laughed about it after but I was still grounded and had my driving privileges taken away from me for a few weeks. 

I learned my lesson. Have a jacket or blanket next time I run away, no just kidding! I realized my home was a beautiful place to be in. I have such an amazing family with loving parents that clearly are intentional in expressing that love towards me. Why should I run away from that? As much as I wanted to leave home during my rebellious teenage years, I didn’t recognize how good it was to have parents that love you and are faithful in being a parent to you. They provided for me in so many different ways. 

Yet greater is the love of God the Father. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even when we are in sin, He brings about trials to get our attention to help us course correct and recalibrate our Christian life. How good and amazing His grace that He teaches us when we are disobedient and disloyal to Him! Let us repent of our sins and return to the Lord for He is good, all the time.

“Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.”

Proverbs 2:16-17

Wisdom comes from the Lord and we must ask Him to grow us in wisdom. It will protect us and give us a hedge of protection around us from wicked influences. Wisdom will save us from an adulterous woman figuratively and literally. Just as this morning’s devotion in Hosea, wisdom will help us remain obedient and faithful unto the Lord instead of being influenced by external idols and factors. Wisdom will help us remain upright and with a righteous walk, this will keep us safe.