She will seek them but won’t find them.
Then she will say, ‘I will go
and return to my first husband;
because things were better for me then
than they are now.’
10 (8) For she doesn’t know it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine and the oil;
I who increased her silver and gold,
which they used for Ba‘al.
11 (9) So I will take back my grain at harvest-time
and my wine in its season;
I will snatch away my wool and flax,
given to cover her naked body.
12 (10) Now I will uncover her shame,
while her lovers watch;
and no one will save her from me.
13 (11) I will end her happiness,
her festivals, Rosh-Hodesh, and shabbats,
and all her designated times.
14 (12) I will ravage her vines and fig trees,
of which she says, ‘These are my wages
that my lovers have given me.’
But I will turn them into a forest,
and wild animals will eat them.
15 (13) I will punish her for offering incense
on the feast days of the ba‘alim,
when she decked herself with her earrings and jewels,
pursuing her lovers and forgetting me,” says Adonai.
16 (14) “But now I am going to woo her —
I will bring her out to the desert
and I will speak to her heart.
17 (15) I will give her her vineyards from there
and the Akhor Valley as a gateway to hope.
She will respond there as she did when young,
as she did when she came up from Egypt.
18 (16) “On that day,” says Adonai
“you will call me Ishi [My Husband];
you will no longer call me Ba‘ali [My Master].
19 (17) For I will remove the names
of the ba‘alim from her mouth;
they will never again be mentioned by name.
20 (18) When that day comes, I will make
a covenant for them
with the wild animals, the birds in the air
and the creeping things of the earth.
I will break bow and sword,
sweep battle from the land,
and make them lie down securely.
21 (19) I will betroth you to me forever;
yes, I will betroth you to me
in righteousness, in justice,
in grace and in compassion;
22 (20) I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,
and you will know Adonai.
23 (21) When that day comes,
I will answer,” says Adonai
“I will answer the sky,
and it will answer the earth;
RG AUDIO 050915"Love, Discipline, and Mercy" by Author: Maureen McClain
Can you imagine the shock if you named your new baby “I Don’t Love You” or “You’re Not Mine”? Some might even claim child abuse! Nevertheless, God chose these names for Hosea’s children. Why would He give them such alarming names?
God warned His people of the consequences of not following His teachings, and the names given Hosea’s children were symbolic of what would happen. In a similar way as we love our children despite their failures, God loves His people. It is His promise that, when they repent and return He would show His love to the one called “Not my loved one,” and He would again acknowledge those He called “Not my people.” We teach our children that actions have consequences. “If you don’t pick up your toys,” we say, “I’m going to take them and put them away for a week.” Then we do it, to teach them to take care of their things.
Proverbs 13:24 teaches that truly loving our children involves discipline. God’s discipline of His people may seem harsh, but He disciplines out of His great mercy, because of His love for us.
Hymn for Today: "Now the time of grace has come" by Author: Marty Haugen
Refrain: Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
1. Now the time of grace has come, the day of salvation;
Come and learn now the way of our God.
Refrain: Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
2. I will take your heart of stone and place a heart within you,
A heart of compassion and love.
Refrain: Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
3. If you break the chains of oppression,
If you set the pris’ner free;
If you share your bread with the hungry,
Give protection to the lost;
Give shelter to the homeless,
Clothe the naked in your midst,
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.
Refrain: Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
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