HOSEA 2
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
– Hosea 2:14-18
HOSEA 2 GOD’S MERCY ON ISRAEL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If God chose you to be his bride, he will never break his promise
Even if that wife is unfaithful, God stays uncompromised
He is a God of mercy, he will pardon the deceitfulness
He will do everything to lure back his wife to their declarations
He will never give up because he is steadfast in his love
Even if she betrays him, he can never stop loving her.
In the beginning of this chapter, we hear how God rebuked Israel when she was unfaithful to Him by worshiping Baal and using all the resources God gave to them to serve this pagan god. We learned God’s discipline on those whom he loves. He will never let them be endangered by their ignorance and he reminded them of those consequences that resulted in their infidelity to him.
In these following verses, we see a shift from God’s rebuke to his alluring them back to him. He does this by gently making them see how much he could forgive them for being weak not to see the enticement of the world. Just like how parents would do anything to ensure their children are not perishing with the choices they make, God does the same unconditional love for his people. This account focuses more on the relationship between a husband and wife. God is the husband and the Israelites are his wife. Many marriages where one spouse has been unfaithful can still be restored if it’s based on true love.
REFLECTION
- What’s the difference between the world and God’s view on adultery?
