In our Sunday School class we are studying the “The Twelve” (another way of saying ‘The Minor Prophets), and we have been challenged to read through all the books during the course by reading just one chapter a day.  Today I was reading Hosea 2 and came upon the most wonderful of statements by the Lord:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.”

How utterly amazing!

In the context of the story, the Lord is talking about the very adulterous Israel who has turned from Him so many times.  He has given her all she could ever need, and yet she insists upon throwing herself to other gods.   There would be punishment and her way would be “hedged with thorns,” but it wouldn’t end there.  It would, however, end as He “allures her” into the desert – not to punish her further, not make her desire Him in contrast to the desolation all around her, but He would “allure her” to the desert to “speak tenderly to her” – to get her alone with Him, to get her focus off all that she thought she had from the other gods and help her get her heart back in line with His.

So often we do the same thing.  We look to the world around us for our satisfaction.  We admire all we have and give credit to ourselves for getting it.  We are the bride of Christ, but have we been faithful to our covenant relationship?  Most of us would have to admit – not fully.  By every right, God could make us miserable to get our attention and then fiercely walk away.  He could drag us out into the desert to give us a firm talking to and then abandon us there.  But instead of those things, He choses to “allure” us to a quiet place where He can “speak tenderly” to our hearts.  What an amazing God!