Real Love
Hosea 5 and 6 don’t seem like much of a love letter from God to Israel and Judah. God is informing them through the prophet Hosea that their disobedience and sin has caught up with them and judgement is coming. Hosea 5:4 says,” their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.” For us on this side of the New Covenant, who are allowed access to the throne room of God because of the debt Christ paid for us, not being able to return to God seems harsh. We want to shout, “What about the love?”
Isn’t it interesting that we tend to comprehend love only in the context of what feels good or happy or fun. That’s how Valentine’s Day is presented. Shower those you love with gifts of candy and flowers! Spoil the ones you love! Be mushy-gushy! Don’t get me wrong, expressing our appreciation with excitement and joy to the ones who make our lives more worthwhile is a good thing to do. The difficulty I see is love is a greater emotion than happiness and demands a deeper commitment that being nice.
Hosea 5:15 reads
“I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.”
God isn’t shutting His people out forever. God isn’t acting differently from His character. God IS loving them; God is demanding they live in the way that is best for them.
l have recently been working to lose some excess poundage so that my clothes fit appropriately and I maintain good health. I have been recording what I eat in an app on my tablet, and counting those nasty calories. There have been times that my husband has questioned my food choices (and not in a mean way I must clarify). I don’t always take his inquiries well. I have to remind myself that he isn’t being critical of me, he knows my goal and wants me to be successful and happy with who I am. He is truly loving me. Though my example is very simplistic, God loves in a similar fashion.
God desires the best for us. As the one who designed and created us, God knows what that best is -always. God continually works in our lives to bring us to the place where we live a life that is truly full of fulfillment, purpose and blessing. Sadly, we often get in our heads that a different life than what God suggests is going to be better. And that’s what’s happening in the book of Hosea. God’s people are thinking they know best and God-out of true love – is speaking harsh realities into their lives.
To celebrate Real Love on this Valentine’s Day, I challenge you to let God honestly love you. Even if it seems hard or uncomfortable. Even if you perceive He is asking difficult or harsh things of you. His love is always about giving what is best for you. Trust He is good, believe that the One who created you knows how to give you the love you long for.
Live out Hosea 6:1-3 as stated from The Message
“Come on, let’s go back to God . He hurt us, but he’ll heal us. He hit us hard, but he’ll put us right again. In a couple of days we’ll feel better. By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new, Alive and on our feet, fit to face him. We’re ready to study God , eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground.”
