Hosea 11
by David Groendyk

As Pastor Mark said yesterday, this chapter has some of the most tender verses in all of Scripture. At the same time, we still get a few verses in here reminding us of how far gone Israel is and how dreadful their punishment will be. If God were a man, I would be tempted to say that he has a real internal struggle going on inside of him. He loves his people so much, and he refuses to let them go; yet his people’s sin is so ugly, and they show no signs of turning away from it. The good news of this chapter, however, is that God is not a man. His love does not waver; he does not retaliate when he is wronged; he does not give up so easily.

Hosea is mixing a lot of metaphors here to describe the Lord’s relationship with his people. The Lord is a father and Israel his child (vv. 1–3); the Lord is a farmer and Israel his cattle (v. 4); plus, there’s the ongoing metaphor of husband and wife. In all of these, the Lord’s heart is open wide to his people. He has committed himself to his people and loves them deeply. He called Israel his son. He helped Israel learn how to walk. He carried them in his arms. He healed all their wounds. Likewise, he is a gentle master taking care of his work animals. He does not overwork or exhaust or oppress his cattle. He makes the yoke on their shoulders light and easy. He bends over and feeds them by hand. The harnesses and reins he uses to guide them are kindness and love.

These are incredible pictures of God. He doesn’t just love you from afar, but he stoops down low from his throne in heaven to pick you up and to take the burden off your back. He is intimately involved and personally invested in your life. What an amazing God! And all the more reason that our sin is so heinous! When we sin, we are not just breaking a rule; we are wayward children slapping the Father who carried us in his arms for so many years. Some of you reading this know this pain. Some of you have children who have rejected you as parents despite years of giving them nothing but love and support. It is a terrible pain. But I’m sure if you’re child called you out of the blue and wanted to come home, you’d be out on the front step with open arms.

That’s how God is with us and our sin. We are all wayward children whom God is waiting for to come home, if only you would repent of your sin and turn back to him. He has every right to disown us and pour out his wrath upon us; but he has set his love on us, and because of that, he chooses to pour out his wrath on someone else for you. Praise God that he is not like us! So often, whenever someone wrongs us, we want justice poured out on that person immediately. Isn’t that a natural reaction—to want justice? Isn’t that what we’ve seen lately in the protests around the country—cries for justice? It’s one of the most basic human instincts, and it’s not wrong to want justice. But praise God he comes up with the most un-human-like plan rather than sending us to hell like we deserve. He loves you enough to pour out his wrath on Christ instead of you in order that you would return to his open arms. What sin is keeping you apart from God? What grudge might you be holding against God that is keeping you from returning to him? How have you spurned his tender love and care? Confess it to him, and find mercy and forgiveness in him.