3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
Hosea 3:3 (NIV)
My name is Israel. And I’m a caffeine-aholic. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a serious addiction like others might have. I’m not drinking cups of coffee, nor espressos. My secret caffeine habit is tea. But it’s not that bad. I only engage in this drug twice a week. That’s not bad, is it? All I know is that when I overdo it I get a little weird in the head. I start thinking that everyone else is out to get me. That’s why I have to keep my intake to a minimum.
I can control this. I can stop any time I want. I just don’t. Maybe I can’t stop. I get up early, I’m tired, and I have something important to do that day and I don’t think I have what it takes to handle it on my own. So I enlist the help of my little friend in the cup. I just plan to have one cup. But it’s never one cup. The first one is so easy. The second even easier. By the time I know it I’m under the magic spell of the liquid devil, the “crutch” (that’s what I use to call her when I’d mock others addicted to her before I was hooked), and she has me right where she wants me. I choose to walk away for a time. Yet like a Siren’s song she beckons me back into her web of caffeinated bondage.
Today’s verse is an interesting one. The NIV doesn’t give it the proper justice it needs. It literally says: “You are to wait for me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will wait for you.” “Wait for” is different than “live with.” It completely changes the meaning of the verse. Hosea is saying, “I’m allowing you into my life once again but for a probationary period. We’ll wait to see how you’re doing. During this probationary period, don’t be a prostitute or intimate with anyone else. If you prove to be faithful than we’ll reevaluate the relationship then.
The same goes with our relationship with God: He doesn’t pour out all the benefits of His relationship early on when someone comes back into fellowship with Him. He holds back some of the token of his benefits until they’re ready for the blessings. Some are not ready to be blessed by God. It’s not until they shown themselves faithful that He pours out more of His favor.
Are you experiencing all God has for you? Is there more? Does He desire you to be more faithful in areas of your life? Can you walk away from what you need to walk away from so you can experience all He has for you?
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