This is a short review on the book of Hosea which tells us more about/reveals the unconditional love of God. God surely loves us, and He revealed this the more in the book of Hosea. You can read the whole book of Hosea to get a detailed story of this revelation..
Demonstration of Gods Unconditional Love: Hosea 1:2-3; Here God told Hosea (a prophet ,righteous man)to take a wife of harlotry, ''for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord''. Hosea thus married Gomer (her name means ''cease ,come to an end,fail; completion, perfection'' .i.e she was perfected in harlotry because she was fully experienced in sinning and in rebellion; also completed in realm of failure. Being a daughter of Diblaim (this is the name of her mother) means''dried, rotten, corrupted figs'' i.e. not only was she a failure but also rotten. God also told him not only to marry her but also to love her. (Think of this for a moment, can you really love someone that despite all you did to show your love to the person, the person still continues to hurt you more and more (like cheat on you, dupe you, etc)?). This demonstrates Gods love towards us, He takes us, and then lavishes His Love on us despite us being failures, perfected in sinning, living under the dominion of the devil, and living out of the drives of the flesh. Eph 2:4-6 says that while we yet in this condition (as sinners), God loved us, He saved us, and raised us up together with Christ, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
Gods Love is alluring: Hosea 2:13; Here, Gomer (symbolising Gods people) has totally forgotten the Lord, and went after her lovers, but instead of God to say that He will destroy her, He said; ''..Thus, I will allure her,will bring her into the wilderness (an environment that causes her(us) to feel her(our) need) and speak comfort to her (so as to win/save her soul)''.
Its a convenant love: Hosea 2: 19-20 ; Here despite the people's condition (this condition is such that they have neglected their Lord), the Lord says; ''I will betroth you to me forever'' .i.e. he definitely has plans for them(us); plans for a future marriage, and union with Him(And Jesus is coming back to take the prepared brides along with Hi,m back to Heaven where the marriage is going to take place. How prepared are you for this?).
Meaning of this Unconditional Love: Hosea 3:1; At a time, Ephraim was addicted to idols. An idol is anything that replaces God, and usurps God in our life, it does not have to be a statue of Budha, it can be automobile; watching televesion; can be anything that gives us pleasure in our flesh, may give us pleasure but it can actually be idolatry. Also covetousness which refers to an inordinate, sinful, pleasurable desires that are directed towards some objects. But God said; ''Let him alone'' (This alone period is the time of dopping Ephraim with the Love of God), then Ephraim came under the allurement, and attraction of the Love of God, that after observing, bearing, and enjoying His love shall Ephraim say, ''What have I to do anymore with idols?''.
Gods Love is Dependable: Hosea 6:1-3; v3 says that His going forth is as established as the morning (i,e, His love is absolutely dependable ,it is as established as the morning). Just as you can depend upon the fact that there will be another morning, so also is Gods Love. You can always count on the fact that Jesus Loves you, not because your condition merits His Love, but rather, its because Gods love issues out of Himself, unrelated to our condition (Out of His own good pleasure, He choses us, and selected us).
Gods Love is Gentle: Hosea 11:1-4; Here,though the isrealites purposely sacrificed to other gods, and were filled with idolatry, and addicted to it, the Lord drew His people with gentle cords (cords of a man, not that of a beast), He comes to us with gentle cords, with bands of Love, its a stooping love; comes down to where we are, if we are under a yoke, He removes it. The nature of His love does not require that you first come up to a certain level, but just as you are, God will come down to you, and stoop, and feed you.What a gentle love.
Gods Love Is Intrinsic: Hosea 11:7. This describes a kind of religious profession that has no heart in it. It is like a person going through the motions of religion but who in reality is bent on backsliding. Often we come to a point where we feel like ''God cant love me anymore, I've passed the point of no return. He might be able to love others, but not me''. This happens to us in our experience, especially when we have continual failures, when it happens again, and again, and we seem to be bent on backsliding. Instead of analysing ourselves that God can Love us no more, lets consider His reaction to those that are prone to wander. In Hosea 11:8; here though Ephraim deserves destruction, still God loves him, His(God) heart churns within Him .i.e the nature of His love is intrinsic; not a doctrine to Him, belongs to His nature, it is the way He reacts, and feels. That though with Isreal in a backsliding condition, His sympathy, compassion is stirred. He said ''I will not execute the fierceness of My anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim, For I Am God, Am not man(Hosea 11:8b-9a)''.
Gods Love is Uncompelled: Hosea 14:4-8. Here God says; ''I will love Him freely (uncompelled). No one has to compel God to Love him(v 4). It is His nature.
The Practical Love of God: Having seen the nature of Gods unconditional Love in the book of Hosea. How does it really relate to us? We are persons with the love of God ''poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us''. Our relationship with the Lord is based upon our resting in this Love (John 15:9). Just abide, rest, and stay in His Love. In the book of Hosea, God illustrates His love towards Isreal by telling Hosea to take a wife of harlotry, and then to love her though she continues in her adultery. We just need to allow the Lord to draw us with gentle cords, and bands of Love, that our hearts may be touched. This unconditional love of God was demonstrated to us through Christs death on the cross (Romans 5:6-8). God loved the church not because the church at that time was intrinsically beautiful. We were like the rotten figs that Hosea describes, we were failures, ungodly, sinful, rebellious, addicted to idolatry. ''But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even while we were dead in tresspasses, made us alive together with Christ (Eph 2:4-5)''. We should not presume that we really know Gods character, and love. We may have had a bad childhood, being handled abusively, and so now we project our parents' way of relating to us onto God; we think that is the way God is. But we have to realise God is God for He says''I am God, am not man''. Having the revelation of how He loves us unconditionally, we just need to come to Him. Just as we are, come to Him. Have you failed?; then you are a candidate for Him to take you to Himself. Are you rotten?, You feel corrupted, and spoiled?,Maybe your humanity has gotten spoiled?, You have sinned yourself out(you feel wasted)?, whatever it is. Do you realise that Gods love, and the revelation of that love to you is not based upon the beauty or potential in you? It is just His nature, intrinsically, to love the objects of His love. He cannot help Himself but to love us (Imagine this kind of Love(You going to let it bypass you?) (Note: Even though He loves us unconditionally and forever, the chance is limited, as their is no mercy after death). Just let Him bring you to the wilderness, attract you, speak to you. Let Him woo your Heart just to love Him. It is not a matter of someone coercing/forcing you to break away from the idols you are joined to, its is a matter of just enjoying the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord from which nothing can seperate us. This Love will cause you to say like Ephraim that; ''What have I to do anymore with idols?''. Let Him come down, and meet you where you are, let Him stoop, and feed you, He does not expect you to even lift up your head, He will take away the yoke, and He will come down just where you are. This love causes us to shout with Paul that; ''nothing shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:39)''. Spend some time before the Lord, let His unconditional love gently allure you in whatever condition you find yourslef. Be certain that His love is as dependable as the morning. Let the efforts of this love reach into every area of your being, and into all your relationships. Just confess your sins to Him, ask Him to forgive, and help you, and start living a Christ-like life. Know that Christ came that you might be saved, sanctified, and made one in God (Just as the Father and Son are one).. ''Be warned whom you shall fear. Fear him, which after he has killed, has power to cast into hell''; ''And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not/did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes, but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes (but the most unfortunate thing is that this is for eternity!)''. If you have not been faithful in your commitment to God, please renew it, and if you havent at all, please do. He Loves you, and wants you to do His will, and follow His ways, so as to be like Him.. ''Shall they that fall, not arise? Shall he that turn away, not return?'' i.e He wants us to come back,to repent, and to be like Him.. ''And now, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God,to walk in all His ways, and to Love Him (with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength), and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His Statutes.. but for thy own good?''.
2 comments:
Nice one. God bless you.
Thanks. You welcome.
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