Maintaining the adulterous woman imagery Hosea 2 likens Israel to an unfaithful wife betraying the Lord with Baal and other pagan objects of worship. God rather retorts: "I will block her path with thornbushes... so that she cannot find her way... she has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her everything... I will stop all her celebrations, festivals and feasts... I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals... and me she forgot". Despite all Israel's unfaithfulness however God still loved her "and will speak tenderly to her... I will give her back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope... there she will sing as in her youth... in that she will call me my husband... not my master... I will remove the Baals from your lips... and I will betroth you to me forever... and you will acknowledge the Lord... and I will show my love... and I will say to Israel you are my people and they will say to me you are my God!"
No comments:
Post a Comment