- God, in His hesed love, corrects. Rather harshly, in the case of Israel and Judah. But He shows His love and ultimate redemption.
A discipleship group of mine just started a run through the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. First up – Hosea. And is it ever convicting!
Hosea is the account of the love of God that pursues an unfaithful spouse (Israel) during a time when the spouse is enjoying economic prosperity and political stability. From the peoples’ perspective, everything seems great. But internally, there is moral rot, emptiness, idolatry, and spiritual damage. Throughout her history, God persistently pursued Israel. The Hebrew word for His love — hesed — means unfailing, steadfast, merciful, ever-advancing, covenant affection.
But Israel rebuffs.
So – what is God to do after repeated rejections? What. To. Do?
The hammer of the Lord, proverbially speaking, does fall. The people are either absorbed into a pagan nation (in the case of the northern kingdom, Israel) or exiled to Babylon (as happened to southern Kingdom, Judah).
At one time or another, all of us have experienced consequences of wrong or dangerous behavior. Sometimes we may the one in a position of authority who has to administer those consequences.
A parent must discipline. A coach must correct. A boss must reprimand. A pastor must admonish. A judge must gavel justice. If they do, there is a shot at redemption for those under their care. If they refuse to call others to account, damage and loss ensues.
God, in His hesed love, corrects. Rather harshly, in the case of Israel and Judah. People at the time, within and beyond those two nations, were shocked. Indeed, we are shocked today reading about it. Assyria deports Israel. Judah gets dragged to Babylon. Jerusalem and the Temple are laid waste.
But He allows those consequences because of His love and ultimate redemption.
Years ago I heard James Dobson read from a book by surgeon Richard Selzer, titled Mortal Lessons on the Art of Surgery. Selzer describes being in a hospital room with a patient after an operation to remove a tumor. In so doing, he’d had to cut a nerve in her mouth, leaving it slightly crooked. She asks, “Will my mouth always be like this?” and Selzer nods. As the patient and her husband absorb that news, the man bends over his wife’s body and twists his lips to accommodate to hers.…to show her that their kiss still works.
Eventually, a remnant of Judah comes back from exile and becomes the launchpad for Jesus. It was He who “bent” His body over ours, twisted His life and limbs to accommodate our need — to show that the kiss between God and man, by grace, can still work.
A theologian friend of mine suggested to me one day that Hosea is first of the minor prophets because they wanted the collection to begin with this crazy, stubborn covenant love of God. The editor of these writings made, I think, a good choice.
Matt Friedeman
