These last couple chapters of Hosea certainly take you on a journey: warning of future captivity, a declaration of God's love for His people, a reminder of Israel's sins, a description of God's wrath toward sin, and finally a promise of forgiveness for those who return to the Lord.
This section from chapter 13 definitely made an impact on me:
verses 4-8
"But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open.
Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart."
You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
7 So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open.
Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart."
God will not let His people forget about Him. If we are unfaithful, and live our lives as if we don't need Him, He will do whatever it takes to get our attention. For the Israelites, that meant captivity. They were forced from their homes and carried away as tribute to an enemy king. As we continue to read in the days ahead, Israel does repent of their sin and God is faithful to forgive them and restore their relationship... but they did this after God allowed them to be defeated and captured by their enemies. It's unfortunate that they did not listen to the many warnings they were given. They had to be hit with a storm before they realized how great their sin was and how they had forgotten about the Lord.
I was very touched by Ruth's story yesterday. As I was reading about the distracted unfaithful bride, I started to imagine if that were me on my wedding day and I was treating my husband Travis that way. I immediately became disgusted and knew that I would never behave like that. The idea that I could be so hurtful to someone I love is nauseating and shameful. But even though I did not act like that toward my husband on my wedding day, I do act like that everyday toward my God.
As always, there is good news: it is not too late to make things right. God will always show compassion and love to His forgetful children when they come back to Him. From Hosea 14: "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord... I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them."
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