HOSEA 2:14–23 – “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. “And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. “And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ”
THEME OF THE DAY. HIS WILLING HEART. Spend time reading the Minor Prophet book Hosea. It reveals to us two clear truths about the relationship God has with His covenant people.
First, we will learn how easily we drift away from Him and get into all types of spiritual trouble. This trouble ranges from ignoring Him to creating idols that draw us away from Him. And yes, we do have idols. John Calvin said, “The human heart is a factory of idols.” We may not create idols of graven images, but we have them from material things to relationships to recreation to hobbies to investments to achievements and the list goes on and on. So, lesson one from Hosea is be mindful of our always tempted heart to drift away from the living God by idolatry. A good place to keep us aware is obeying the Apostle John’s exhortation – Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
The second truth we may learn from Hosea that explodes out of today’s text is God’s incredible love and willing heart to restore a wayward and backslidden people. Here is a way to see His far-reaching love to a far-gone people; a reach that reveals a heart of love always ready to recover His fallen people. Go back in today’s scripture and mark in our Bibles or write in a journal every account that the words of the Lord “I will” appear. Then see the immediate action by God that follows. There are fourteen and what we see are God’s amazing things He will do to restore, revive, and reclaim His people. Now take time in doing this, and as we do, watch how His willing heart is exposed. Then, watch how our own hearts melt in repentance for our idolatry, drifting from Him. As this process unfolds, we will then find our hearts turning to praise and thanksgiving for the many “I wills” from the willing heart of God.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your always willing heart to restore me when I drift from You.”
QUOTE: “God’s love is not only a saving love but a restoring love to His wayward children.”