Experiencing God - God's Tenderness 187

"Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding plenty of fruit.  But their heart is a divided heart". 
Hosea

Hosea spoke to Israel during its long and violent struggle with Assyria who would later over run their little country, and send its people into exile.  Hosea (750-725 BC) was one of the prophets who formed a bridge between the early prophets that we read about in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, and the later prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  

Like Amos, Hosea saw the injustices, deceit, violence and cruelty that was common among the people of his time; but he spoke of it quite differently than the other prophets.  He spoke about it by describing their lack of fidelity or faithfulness, their lack of tenderness towards each other, and their lack of knowledge of a God who wanted a loving relationship with them, a relationship as a father would have with a child.

Hosea is the prophet who describes Israel's relationship with God as being similar to his own painful experience of a marriage with his wife Gormer.  They had made their pledge of love to each other - "you shall be my wife, you shall be my husband" - but Gormer would then repeatedly reject his love and go off with someone else.  To Hosea, the people of Israel showed this same lack of fidelity, this same lack of tenderness that was meant to generate friendship, affection with a desire for union. A covenant with God would require Israel to grow in mutual trust, affectionate love, and tender admiration.  It  would express itself in mercy, kindness, tenderness, and so on; but this was sorely lacking in the hearts of the Israelite people.

Hosea gives the beautiful instruction:  "Sow integrity for yourselves, reap a harvest of kindness.  Break up your fallow ground.  It is time to go seeking the Lord until He comes to rain salvation on you."

In the gospels, we discover this reformed image of the people of Israel in the person of Jesus whose faithfulness, gentleness, and tenderness is not only directed to the One He calls Father, but also directed to all those He meets.  In the Gospel of Matthew, He calls forth His disciples to whom He is entrusting that same faithfulness to God, a faithfulness that will begin a new Kingdom, a new reign.

Jesus calls his disciples, not from the elite of society - those with power, education, or importance - but from the ordinary; those whose hearts can be molded through Grace and love of the Spirit.

In the same manner, He calls each of us to be His disciples, to be faithful in building of God's Kingdom, not for ourselves, but for the glory of God.

"Sow integrity", we hear Hosea saying. "Reap a harvest of kindness.  Break up your fallow ground" - that part of you that lies dormant. "It is time for seeking the Lord until He comes to rain salvation on you".