God’s Love for the Unfaithful

 

“I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy;  I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.” – Hosea 2:19-20

In a day when so many had turned away from God to serve idols and gods of their imagination, God’s love never ended.  His mercy did turn to punishment, but His love endured the pain of having so many of His children turn from Him to worship others. 

I love the way God expresses that He will bring those that have been scattered and taken into captivity back to Him in Hosea 2:21-23. 

“It shall come to pass in that day
That I will answer,” says the Lord;

His silence will break, and He will hear the cries of those who repent.

“I will answer the heavens,
And they shall answer the earth.
The earth shall answer
With grain,
With new wine,
And with oil;”

God provides for us in ways that are so simple and common to us that we sometimes overlook how great His method of providing is.   God says that he will answer the heavens.  

Clouds don’t know how to gather themselves together and create rain.  God provides that.  Friend, I cannot think of a single thing on this earth that can live without water.  But we so often forget that it’s God’s design for the clouds to rain.  So the clouds rain down in answer to a dry earth. 

The earth then, out of God’s ability to create life from dry seeds, will answer the clouds and create food that we need to survive.  That food will provide fruit, which produces wine, corn, and even oils for cooking.

“They shall answer Jezreel.
Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth,”

Jezreel was Hosea’s first son, whose name meant “God will disperse” or scatter.  This was the time punishment through captivity endured by those who turned from God and worshipped Idols.  But now Jezreel in this chapter brings new meaning.  It means “God sows”.  There’s a difference in scattering seeds and sowing seeds.  Scattering is like the wind blowing them to various places.  But sowing is intentional, as a farmer plants rows of seeds for crops.  The name Jezreel has therefore been redeemed to mean something much greater than scatter.  It’s God’s work to sow.

“And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy;
Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ “

Hosea’s second child was named La-Ruhamah, which meant “not having obtained mercy”.  And his third child, Lo-Ammi, meant “not my people”.  But now that God’s grace has been extended  they have obtained mercy and become God’s people once again.  And this time the people answer and say “You are my God”.

Backslider is a name often given to those that walk away from church and God.  God does at some point begin the same process He took His people through when they were taken into captivity to Babylon, Egypt, and other countries.  

He will make those that walk away from Him see how rocky that road is.  He will go as far as not giving mercy and extending grace.  He will let you walk away because He doesn’t want you as a slave, but as a son or daughter.  But when you return you are no longer scattered! God will plant you, and once again grant mercy and grace.  He receives back His wayward children with His love unchanged. 

Friends, I’ve been one of those wayward children, and I know this to be true.  You can’t hide from God.  You are His beloved!  If you are like I once was and find you are walking a different road than the one of peace that God laid before you, there’s no time better than the present to return to Jezreel, and let God sow you.