““But now bring charges against Israel—your mother— for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts. Otherwise, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a dry and barren wilderness. And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution. Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’ “For this reason I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way. When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’ She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has— the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal. “But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool and linen clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness. I will strip her naked in public, while all her lovers look on. No one will be able to rescue her from my hands. I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath days— all her appointed festivals. I will destroy her grapevines and fig trees, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them grow into tangled thickets, where only wild animals will eat the fruit. I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me,” says the Lord.”
Hosea 2:2-13 NLT
The God that people worship in the modern American church is often thought of as a God of pure grace and love, and although this is a true statement, it is not dynamic enough. He is not nebulous and without form, but instead, has feelings and emotions that are justified, rationale and intense. He feels strongly about everything and is a good communicator to those who pay attention. In Hosea, we find God communicating again how he feels. It is significant because the example given is meant to be visceral rather than sterile. He isn’t angry because a law was broken. He is angry because his feelings are rightfully hurt by someone he loves. Many Christian’s don’t have a theology that is large enough to encompass this possibility in God’s character. However, the Bible refers to him as a jealous God for a reason. We must consider that when we are sinning, it is more than simply, “breaking the rules.” Hosea shows us that God takes our sin very personally. If more Christians factored in how badly it would hurt or please God when they acted, perhaps they would have a better and more fulfilling relationship with him in general.
JOSH McGARY. COM 