My wife and I have recently moved house and are still waiting on our recently purchased TV. In the mean while we have taken to watching movies on YouTube. Last night we watched Amazing Love: the story of Hosea. As I watched, it came to me that there was a truth that I have come to believe shining through this story, I want to share it with you this Good Friday.
Pattern and Example
Hosea was a pattern of God, and his adulterous wife Goma was a example of unfaithful Israel.
Hosea went about telling the people of Israel of their impending doom because of their continued worship of other gods. God’s anger was unstoppable and His Judgment was a certainty. Then we look at The relationship between Hosea and Goma, every time she was unfaithful he would bring her back, his love was relentlessly unconditional. This is to show how God loves His people.
God’s Judgement as Diagnosis
Notice though, God’s judgment is not one of Him forcing and punishing Israel for their idolatry. Just as Hosea never threatened to punish Goma. It was more like a warning given to a loved one. Hangout with evil influences would undoubtedly bring them down. Or as a Doctor would investigate and diagnose a condition and based on his judgment encourage you to stop your unhealthy lifestyle so as to heal and not get worse.
The natural consequence of living outside the design Law of Love
This is what happened with Goma, the men she was enamored with lured her and became the very ones who enslaved and abused her. Here we see the way prophecy works, God warns us that moving away from Him leads to pain and suffering. We were made to live with Him in a love relationship (it’s the way we were designed), moving from this pattern which is the law of love always causes pain.
We see the law of love shared perfectly in a marriage relationship. It operates harmoniously between a husband and wife in an exclusive commitment of love and fidelity. When we move away from the way of love we go out of harmony and things fall apart. The law of love works perfectly because it’s the one law that best reflects the character of God Himself.
The Better Way
Love is other focused not selfish and self seeking, it’s giving and not expecting anything in return, alway giving freedom, for love and freedom coexist, the one supports the other. For love to work it must be reciprocated or it’s no longer love, 1 Cor 13 puts it well. If we apply these principles to all of life we will capture God’s vision of His Kingdom of love and thus become loving, kind neighbors and friends of God.
God’s Way
At Easter, we see in the Passion the way God shows this principle of love in action. Dying on a cross for love as Hosea died each time Goma took off with another man, shows how love trumps power to have your own way. If He was to exert power, coerce or force to control the object of His Love, Hosea/God would be no better than the abuser/Satan who take love rather than give it.
Of Love and Freedom
On the cross we see the one who knows His Loving Father and trusts Him, He wasn’t dissuade by lies, or lured by riches and fame as was in the story of Jesus temptation in the wilderness, or at the cross by death at the hands of the abuser/Satan.
Love and freedom keeps the channel of truth open whereas lies believed break the cycle. Love always wins!!
Happy Easter