Love. I can't help but talk about it... after all, it's still lingering in the air. That special time of the year has come and gone once again. No, it wasn't Valentine's Day or the candy-company-concocted Sweetest Day. It was prom season! Perhaps you noticed it too... the limos, the dresses, the tuxedos, the fancy dinners, the overabundance of Facebook photo albums... it really is quite the occasion and it's no wonder why so many people get wrapped up in the emotion of it all. One of my favorite parts of the prom season is hearing about the great lengths guys and girls will go to in order to get a date or ask someone to the dance. Their creativity knows no bounds. One guy's attempt in Connecticut even made national news and sparked a controversial debate on whether or not "the punishment fit the crime." It amazes me to see how they pursue the one they love (or at least have a crush on).
The story of Scripture is a true account of a God who is in pursuit as well. It's the story of a loving Creator who pursues His creation just as a lover passionately pursues the beloved or the hormone-driven teenager awkwardly, yet determinedly pursues his prom date. While God's pursuit of His creation may seem really strange to us, keep in mind that it's a metaphor. There aren't any weird romantic feelings involved here. But passionate, even romantic, human love is powerful stuff - Scripture even describes it "as strong as death" (Song of Songs 8:6)! And so it's the best symbol we have to describe the most powerful love of all... the love of God for us. Just as a lover pursues his or her beloved, so God pursues us and will go to great lengths to make His love known. And just as those in loving relationships live in faithfulness to one another, so we are to live faithfully to God.
In Hosea 1:2, God tells the prophet Hosea (hence the name of the book) to marry a prostitute named Gomer... knowing all along that she will cheat on him, break his heart, and be the most unfaithful spouse one could ever have. Why? Because their relationship and the pain of an unkept promise served as a mirror for God's chosen people. And like a mirror, it exposes something much deeper about how our unfaithfulness today affects God. When we stop pursuing our first love, God, and settle for things of such less value and meaning; when we replace Him with our stuff, even ourselves; when we start caring more about what others think of us than what He thinks of us; when we're seduced by the promises of popularity and success... guess what... we've cheated on Him. We've broken His heart. We've been unfaithful.
Now, if you've read Hosea all the way through (spoiler alert) you'll know that it's not all doom and gloom. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Gomer is eventually redeemed. And in keeping with the metaphor, so are God's people. In the book, the prostitute-turned-wife is bought back with fifteen pieces of silver, five bushels of barley, and some wine. We were also "bought" back, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though we were unfaithful to Him, and even though we will more than likely continue to cheat on Him, God will never stop pursuing us, going to great lengths to restore and heal that broken relationship. Hosea 14:4 says, "I [the Lord] will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever." Love is a crazy thing (the rock band Queen would agree). And it'll make you do crazy things. But nothing... nothing... is crazier than the unconditional, relentless love that our heavenly Father has for us!
Happy Summer!
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