So Holy, so Righteous,
still willing to give it all for His creation!
I was reading the book of Hosea today,
after hearing a lot of good stuff about it.
It is about the prophet that God calls to
merry a prostitute.
God uses this picture:
God is a faithful and jealous husband,
Israel, His people are the unfaithful wife,
or the prostitute that does not stay with Him
even when He shoves His love for her time after time.
Almost the whole book is about how Israel is being
unfaithful with foreign gods, gods of created material.
How they offer sacrifices to them, worship them and so on.
It shoves Gods rightful anger,
and how He has to punish their wrongdoings.
But it also talks about and shoves
a God that is in terrible pain because because His beloved
turns away to something that will only bring them pain
and captivity.
11:8 - "How can I give you up Israel?"....
"My heart charns within Me. My compassion is awakened."
He talks about how He wants to find a solution,
He does not want to have to place any more rightful judgements
to punish their sins.
"For I am God and not man. The holy one amongst you.
I will not come in my anger." - 11:9
And He talks about His solution:
13:14 - "I will redeem you from the power of death.
I will free them from death.
Death, where is your punishment?
Death, where is your destruction?"
This takes about what Jesus Christ came to do several
hundred years later!! He took the punishment for the people
(also for us!!) and died in our place.
(And rose again so that we could live with Him in the eternity!!)
Here it talks about how He wants to bring His people back to Him:
14:5 - "I will rise them up from their fall,
I will love them from My heart,
for My anger has turned away from him."
Only because Jesus choose to take the punishment for us,
the rightful anger of God is no longer pointed towards us.
Before it ends with a hope that the people will turn back to God it sais:
"Repent, Israel, to the Lord, your God.
For you have fallen in your integrity.
Take words with you and repent to the Lord.
Tell Him: 'Forgive all integrity! Except us in Your goodness,
then we will sacrifice the fruit of our lips to You."
Isn't this just a really strong example of what an
AWESOME GOD have?
And He wants to call us His children!
As a good friend said yesterday:
"Wow! I am the daughter of GOD!!"
