Emmanuel Day 4
Emmanuel, God with the “worthless”
“When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD.”
Hosea 1:2
It doesn’t seem to matter what century it is or what circumstances surround our outside worlds. There is a longing in every human heart for perfect, whole companionship. When God calls Hosea into a life of being a prophet, He kicks off the calling with one of the most interesting commands in the Bible. If you knew Hosea, and he told you that God had told him to take a prostitute as a wife, would you believe that he heard right? I’m not sure I would, to be quite honest! I might encourage him to pray a little longer and make sure he heard God right, because I just don’t know that God would… (But of course I would have been wrong!)
The story of Hosea and Gomer is a much longer story than we have time to unpack right here, but I think there are many who can identify with the wounded feelings of Gomer. I was recently reading the book of Hosea in a 1970’s version of the New English Bible. In that version Gomer, Hosea’s wife, is called, “a worthless woman.” Now, I’ve never been a prostitute or an adulteress, but I think there’s a little piece in most of us that identifies in some way with this title of “worthless.” It seems that most are so desperate to chase worth because the idea of being considered “worthless” is one of the titles we fear the most. As we grow older, or have seasons of being sick, isn’t part of the frustration and heartbreak because we have times where we feel worthless compared to who we used to be? Humankind has been trained to find worth in who we are and what we do. We desperately seek worth in our appearances, possessions, titles, positions, and places of belonging. In this season we’re prone to seek worth in the biggest display of Christmas lights, or in finding the perfect presents. But the problem with chasing after the world’s view of worth is that it’s transitory. Youth fades. Wealth can be lost. People change. Relationships falter. And the Christmas season ends; lights come down, and even great gifts end up in a pile of things we have to find a place for.
The story of Gomer and Hagar is a beautiful love story that depicts the lengths our Emmanuel will go to make sure every worthless piece of us is redeemed and made whole within His love and His presence. Emmanuel, God with us, doesn’t view us as someone to avoid, steer clear of, or hide from. To Him we are not a bother, a waste, a horror, or a whore. No longer do we have to chase our worth in what others think of us, because our worth is fully found in the Worthy One alone.
On our own, our righteousness is as filthy rags. On our own there is none good no not one. On our own we are bent toward the passions of stealing, killing, and destroying. BUT EMMANUEL, GOD with us… He takes the ones like us who are tarnished, wrecked, despairing, too busy, too tired, too overwhelmed, and too small, and He places value upon us by placing His loving presence within us.
Our value and worth comes from the truth that God; our Maker, our Husband, our Emmanuel was willing to die in shame and torture upon a cross to win our love forever. Much more scandalous than a small prophet from a tiny town marrying a prostitute is the story of the pure, holy, righteous, Most High God declaring His love every day for the un-loveable, un-worthy, and un-qualified before the entire world. The love, boldness, and tenacity of Emmanuel, God with us, is mind blowing and astounding. God shows up in the worthless moments of our feelings, where we seem to go unseen, unwanted, unneeded, and unheard. and He runs boldly to those places to declare His love for us by drawing us close with His presence. He puts His arms around us and walks beside us with His gaze of love upon us, for all the world to see.
Emmanuel, God with us. This title of God makes all the difference to our days. It’s the title that changes every moment of loneliness we could have. Can I encourage you today, if you have a moment of feeling a bit lonely, left out, worthless, or unwanted to listen to the song O Come, O Come Emmanuel? Have you listened to that song yet this Christmas season? Pull up the lyrics, turn the song on, and sing this prayer to remind your heart of just how precious you are to God. You are loved, you are wanted, you are anything but alone. He hears your prayers, hears your pleas, and answers with His presence. I’m not sure if it’s cold where you are, but I pray that His presence would wrap and warm your heart like a snuggly blanket on a freezing cold day.
Emmanuel; with us IS GOD.
Verses to think upon as you sing
O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
“’And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
Matthew 1:21-23
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot- yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
Isaiah 11:1
“When He ascended on high, He led captive the captives, and He gave gifts to people. (Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above the heavens, so that He might fill all things)”
Ephesians 4:8-10 (NASB)
O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heav'nly home; Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.’”
Revelation 3:7
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.”
Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV)
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11