ON THE VANGUARD

BOUGHT BACK
"So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek
of barley. Then I told her, 'You are to live with me many days; you must not
be a prostitute of be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.'"
Hosea 3:2-3

There's a story told of a boy who crafted his own toy boat. He took great
concern with all the details involved. At first he worked to find the right type
of wood to use. Then he carefully widdled out the boat's basic design. After
hours of sanding, scraping, chiseling, and fine detail, his boat was ready for
the water.
So excited was he as he placed the boat in the water for the first time. As the
first waves crashed on the bow of his toy boat, his smile grew from ear to ear.
He was so proud of his creation. With a string tied to the rear of the boat, he
lay on his belly on the edge of the dock and watched as the water would take
his boat out and then bring it back in. The waves played this routine over
and over. But as the repetition continued, the boy fell tired and eventually
gave in to sleep.
He woke with a startle as he now heard other voices by the lake side. His
memory then came back to the joy he had been having as he watched his
boat on the ebb and flow of the lake. But then he realized that the string was
no longer in his hand. Panic stricken, he rose quickly and began a search.
The boat was not under the dock, nor along the banks. He even looked out
at the horizon, but the boat was in sight. His panic soon turned to sadness.
With tears flowing down his cheeks, he returned home.
Days passed by and still the pain of loss was felt by him. But as he walked
by the pawn shop, he couldn't help but do a double-take. There, on the shelf
in the window, was his boat. He opened the door with eagerness, setting off
the bells in hysteria. With determination he half walked, half ran to the
counter and exclaimed, "That boat...in the window...its mine!"
Not sure of the full story, the shop owner replied, "We just got that boat in
yesterday. You're welcome to take a look at it."
"No sir, you don't understand. That's my boat."
"I do understand son, and if you would like that boat, you will have to buy
it."
"Buy it?," questioned the boy. Buy something that he himself made?
The owner answered back, "Yes son, you can have it for $8. The work put
into it is so grand that even selling it for $8 is a deal."
As the boy reached into his pockets and began counting his money, the
owner walked over to the window shelf and grabbed the treasure. He laid it
gently on the counter. The boy also laid all his money on the counter, only
to be a dollar and some change short. Seeing the look of hope on the boy's
face, the shop owner agreed to the new price.
Holding the boat tight in his arms, the boy turned to leave the store. As he
opened the door he stared down at his creation and said, "You are my boat
twice. Once because I made you, and second because I bought you back."
In many ways this little story reminds me of Hosea. God had asked to marry a prostitute, and in obedience he did. But as her behavior was so engraved in who she was, she found herself reverting back to harlotry. When God spoke to Hosea again concerning his wife, Gomer, God told Hosea to buy her back. Again Hosea obeyed.
But isn't that the way God works? You see, whether we are the boat, or we are the harlot, the facts are the same. First, God loves us and crafted us as the apple of His eye. However, as we are prone to sin, we like the boat and the harlot drift away from our maker and lover. The awesomeness is that God sent His Son as a payment for us. He gave all He had to buy us back.
The boat was created, lost, and bought back. Gomer was loved, lost in sin, but bought back. We have been fashioned in God's image, have been lost in sin, and have been bought back. It is safe to say then, that the words of the boy are the words that are spoken over us. "You are my child twice. Once because I made you, and second because I bought you back."