READING: Hosea 2:14-8:14
It’s surprising. Unexpected.
There is no real transition between the words.
The contrast between the messages is jarring, even.
On one hand, God announces judgment on His people. Hosea 2:13, the final verse in yesterday’s devotion, clearly shows God’s displeasure. Indeed, it’s hard to read the words without hearing God’s judgment and wrath: “’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 lover but forgot all about me,’ says the Lord” (2:13). The people had forgotten the Lord and sought other gods.
Then, Hosea 2:14 follows—and the focus and tone are decidedly different: “But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.” Without transition, the words just change. “I will punish her” in verse 13 becomes “I will win her back” in verse 14. The people went out to look for other gods in verse 13, but God leads them in verse 14. The message of verse 13 is a holy word of judgment, whereas the message of verse 14 is a loving word of God’s speaking tenderly to His people. The people forgot God, but He did not forget them.
It’s all quite different in the verses noted—but that’s the way God works. At His prerogative, He pursues sinful rebels and transforms them into loving children. Everything changes . . . sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes jarringly, but always graciously and gloriously.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Have you thanked God lately for the way He saved you?
DAILY PRAYER: “Father, I can only praise You today. Thank You for speaking to me with tender words.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Hosea 9:1-14:9
