God designed marriage to be a covenant—one man, one woman, for life. In the same way, He bound Himself to His people. But what happens when the bride is unfaithful? When love is betrayed, pain is born. The prophet Hosea shows us that our sin doesn't just break rules; it breaks God’s heart.
Professor
Bruce C. Birch writes,
“We are forced to understand God as pained and vulnerable. Covenant cannot remain some abstract, judicial matter... it is a matter of commitment... that requires faithfulness.”
(Hosea, Joel, and Amos, p. 23)
God’s love
is not indifferent. It burns with holy passion. His anger is not the opposite
of love—it is what love looks like when it sees oppression, idolatry, and
betrayal. Rolf A. Jacobson puts it this way:
“God’s anger is not the opposite of God’s love, but a part of God’s love... God is provoked to anger when a person or persons cause others to suffer.”
(“What
Every Christian Should Know about Amos and Hosea,” Word & World)
Look
around. We in the West have not only rebelled—we have bragged about it. We
claim God's blessings while scorning His commandments. Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno
understood Hosea's warning:
“‘Lo-Ruhamah’ means God will not show mercy—not because He has changed, but because Israel has severed herself from mercy through rebellion.”
Even now,
God may be handing us over. Charles Spurgeon once warned:
“O my hearers, God is very gracious, but his Spirit shall not always strive with you... Repent, and turn unto the Lord with full purpose of heart.”
(“The
Lord’s Own Salvation,” 1888)
We
attribute our prosperity to idols: success, sex, self. Yet the gifts came from
God alone. Spurgeon reminds us:
“All things that we possess have been bestowed upon us... from the great Distributor, who openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing.”
(“The
Unknown Giver and the Misused Gifts,” 1890)
And still,
the voice of Hosea echoes today: “I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). God
desires love, not lip service. John Calvin understood that it is only by
tasting God's mercy that we are truly drawn to Him:
“‘With thee is mercy, that thou mayest be feared’... men will obey God... only if they determine that he will not reject them.”
(Commentary
on the Twelve Minor Prophets, Vol. I)
But when
God moves to heal, our sins are exposed. We live in a culture that flaunts what
once brought shame. Our politics celebrate depravity. Our hearts are
half-baked, like the bread Hosea condemns. Our leaders stagger like drunks. And
still, no one turns back.
Love is not blind—it sees sin and still offers mercy. But mercy spurned becomes judgment. The book of Hosea is not just a history lesson; it is a mirror held up to our own age. God is not content to be a forgotten benefactor or a tool for national slogans. He desires hearts that return to Him with sincerity and faithfulness. The question is not whether God still loves us, but whether we will respond to His love before it's too late. Let us tear down our idols, turn from our rebellion, and seek the Lord while He may be found. For only then can the West—and each of us—know what love truly is
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