Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


9.27.2004  

Dressed in white

The book of Hosea? Absolutely beautiful. God strives with us, with His unfaithful bride, and though we run away time and time again, He always gets us back. In fact, through Hosea He shows us the lengths to which He'll go to redeem the Church, His wife of harlotry, and make her His bride once more.



God's overtures of love toward us are often misunderstood. I know that I often feel frustrated and hurt by the situations the Lord brings my way; yet, it's His right to act thusly. He's the Creator, the Maker (Romans 9:20, 21; Job 38, 39), the One who forms us fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:13 - 16). When His acts of love are painful, they're still for our own good (Romans 8:28), still in accordance to His unfailing (Romans 8:38, 39), abiding (1 John 4:9 - 14), covenantal (Gensis 15:17), sacrificial (Ephesians 5:25), sanctifying (Ephesians 5:26), and glorifying (Ephesians 5:27) love.



So then, what's the response to God's unique love for us? Hosea 6:1 - 3 puts it beautifully, for amidst the angst of God's affliction toward His beloved, we see a glimpse of the hope and glory to come:



1 "Come, let us return to the LORD.

For He has torn us, but

He will heal us;

He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.



2 "He will

revive us after two days;

He will raise us up on the third day,

That we

may live before Him.



3 "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.

His going forth is as certain as the dawn;

And He will come to us like

the rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth."



Even here, we see how He will ultimately heal us: Christ. The second verse speaks of God raising us up (with Christ) on "the third day." Wow. How beautiful it is to look and see and savor the glories of God in the midst of us, His unfaithful bride. He reclaims us, He dies that we might live, He sheds His blood to cleanse us and make us His pure spotless bride dressed in white.

posted by Bolo | 4:14 PM
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