One of my all time favorite passages of scripture is Hosea 11. The author changes the metaphor for God’s love for his people from husband and wife, to parent and child. The language is full of love and tenderness. The tender and doting love of a parent is responded to with rebellion and rejection. God loves Israel and demonstrated that love by calling her out of slavery–freeing her. But the more God loved (called vs. 2) the more Israel went away. God reveals through the prophet that, like a doting parent, it is God who taught her to walk and who healed her. It was God who led her with cords of human kindness and with ties of love, lifted the yoke from thier neck, and bent low to feed them (vs. 4). Vs. 5-7 describe Israel’s obsinate response. But again in vs. 8-11 God expresses his longing to be in a close and loving relationship with them. Though they turn away, he cannot give them up (vs. 8). His heart is “changed” and his “compassion is aroused.” And his “roar” will not frighten them, but bring them home to be settled and cared for.
A careful read of this chapter reveals the deep and abiding love of God for his people. The tender and doting love that a parent has for a child, so God feels toward us! What amazing love this is!
The grand finale is in chapter 14. Beginning in verse 4. God will heal their waywardness and love them freely. He wll be like “dew” to them. They wil blossom and the roots will be strong like the cedars of Lebanon
Then the author asks, “Who is wise?” (14:9) The one wh is wise will “realize these things.” The message is clear. God’s love is deep and tender toward us. As broken as we are, we can run away or we can run into his loving arms.