Love For No Reason

Love for no Reason Hosea 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for my anger is turned away from them. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In the prophetic word of Hosea we see the promise, and in John’s record we see the fulfillment and revelation of the meaning of that Divine Promise. A number of issues are raised in both verses of Scripture that would be of benefit for us. Firstly it is significant that the name of the prophet who announced the promise was named Hosea. Names of people in scripture have meaning; Hosea means; “Jehovah Savior”, “The Lord is Salvation”. The use of this prophet to utter the promise would thus make the hearer or reader aware of what the Lord is saying – the Lord alone is our salvation. Secondly we face a word little understood today; backsliding. Maybe you have heard this word thundered by preachers warning of punishment to come for this practice; or maybe heard the offer of pardon and forgiveness if you returned to the Lord. But what the word basically means is resisting or “pulling back” – like a dog on a leash that would rather be at liberty than follow you. The word was used in scripture where the Jewish mind saw it in the resistance offered by cattle when dragged along – sitting back on its haunches and resisting. So backsliding is nothing more in a man’s life than resisting the “tug” of the Lord’s Spirit at the heartstrings of his or her life and conscience. It is a dire disease of man’s soul that will ultimately cause his ruin if he doesn’t yield to the wooing of the Holy Spirit. This word can be applied to both sinner and saint; all have been guilty at some or other time of “backsliding”. Thirdly the Lord promised to “Love freely”. What is implied in this simple statement defies understanding. We tend to love when we perceive something in the object of our love that appeals to us. But God’s love cannot be comprehended; He loves when there is no cause or reason for Him to love us! “God is Love” declares the Apostle John. The entire life and ministry of the prophet Hosea was a demonstration and object lesson to the nation of Israel of the Love of God – as it is to us today as well. Hoses 1:2 this is the beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea: And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take yourself a wife who is a prostitute and a child of prostitution: for the country has committed gross prostitution by departing from the LORD.

Can we see in this that the entire human race is so viewed from a spiritual standpoint? We are so apt to see “others” as sinful and lost, but consider ourselves to be “acceptable” and “loveable” – “we’re not so bad”; “I don’t think God will judge me”; “Because you’re worth it!” – An often used phrase. Dear reader, in God’s eyes we fall very far short of our own estimation of ourselves. Listen to God’s estimation as uttered by the prophet Isaiah: Isaiah 64:6 for we have all become as one that is unclean, and all our supposed righteous acts are as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Before we can perceive our need of a Savior or begin to comprehend the Love of God, we need to see ourselves as God sees us apart from His Work in us – lost, filthy, unfaithful, rebellious, backsliding, selfwilled – in actuality quit nasty! Yet He loves us even in that state! Maybe you are a child of God and now think “God owes me”? Apart from His Grace we still fail miserably. Israel had it all; yet kept wandering off. Again the life of Hosea exemplifies the Love of God for

us. Hosea’s harlot wife Gomer went back to her “trade”; even after marrying and bearing children for Hosea. She became unfaithful and once again prostituted her body to others. In this the Lord was showing what His people were doing. Our natural response would be to abandon such a one. But God! God is so different to us. Hosea 3:1 And the LORD said unto me “Go yet and love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods.”

He told Hosea to woo his harlot wife and take her back again – to love her as if nothing had ever happened. Can you even comprhend such love? This again an object lesson of God’s love for His people. He loves freely! No reason whatsoever to show this kind of love – but He does! His anger for our deeds is momentary; His wrath is assuaged by the death of His Son. “For God so loved… that He gave His only Son” – to die for us and take the penalty for our waywardness. Have you availed yourself of God’s love for you yet? Have you seen how you cannot in any way please God enough to be acceptable to Him? Are you aware that He has put the goodness and perfection of Jesus to your credit on basis of you merely believing and accepting it? This simple act of faith gives you new life – a spiritual “re-birth”! Don’t wait till you’re “good enough” or think you’re “worthy” to receive His freely offered gift of eternal life. It is an unattainable goal that will slip further and further away – the striving to become acceptable. Merely acknowledge your condition and cast yourself at His feet and believe and accept what He says. Lost one; run to Him. Wayward believer; run to Him. No matter how you may feel or think; He loves you!