Day Nineteen – Hosea 2:14-23

Day 19 – Hosea 2:14-23

Okay so this part of Chapter 2 brought tears to my eyes. How amazing is our God? He is yearning for the day when He can woo back His people and longing to give them a beautiful and perfect world to live in forever. His love knows no bounds. When He allows us to go our own way and reap the consequences, it’s not because that’s His desire for us long-term. Nope. It’s only so we can finally see how awful life is without Him and return to Him.

The language He uses here is beautiful. He’s going to tenderly talk to His wayward ones and persuade them of His love. He’s going to give them hope for a future. Do you feel it? Do you just thrill at the changing of the names from “Not My People” to “Now You Are My People” and “Not Loved” to loved? If we are disciplined, it’s only for a season, and it’s for our good.

God’s love is steady. Even when we run away and prostitute ourselves with other gods and idols. Even when we ignore all we were given and throw it away for worthless things. Even then. He wants us back. Be amazed by this.

This makes me realize how shallow human love can be. How quickly we discard people who have hurt us. How terribly difficult it is for us to want good for our enemies and not harm. Our hurts can feel so overwhelming to us that even the thought of praying for the good of our enemies sickens us. And yet, that is what we are asked to do. Jesus, Matthew tells us, asks us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We can only do that through His strength.

What helps me in times when God asks me to love someone who has hurt me, is to remember that God created them with a purpose and they are made in His image. They’ve somehow become twisted and bent and are probably deeply broken. I can pray for God to help them recognize their sin and mess and turn to Him to be healed. If they genuinely do, they won’t act like an enemy anymore, will they? How about you? Were you moved by God’s love in this section like I was? Share your thoughts in the comments.

My verse: Hosea 2:14 “But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.”

My response: Lord, Your steadfast love is astounding. While Israel was ignoring You and doing great evil, You were looking ahead, longing for the day when Israel would be won back. Not by force. But by Your tenderness and mercy. There is no love like Yours!