Meditation
WITH BANDS OF LOVE
Text: Hosea 11
24 March 2024
GOD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL REMEMBERED
Tenderly, the Love of the LORD was remembered. How gracious the LORD had been to His people from the very beginning!
1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
3 “I taught Ephraim to walk,
Taking them by their arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
4 I drew them with gentle cords,
With bands of love,
And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck.
I stooped and fed them. Hosea 11:1, 3-5
- A long history of love
a) From early childhood, God loved Israel
b) From the days in Egypt, God calls Israel, His son
- Earlier years
a) When Israel (Ephraim) learned to walk
b) God was there
i) To teach him how to walk
ii) The first steps were taken in the presence of God
- With deep love
a) God was there to heal when Israel was sick
b) He was there undergirding the nation
c) He drew the nation to Himself with bands of love
d) God freed Israel from his yoke of bondage
APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
What was the least that Israel should have done? Three basic things may be considered:
- To love the LORD
- To be grateful
- To be faithful