The Heart of God (Part 2)
Text: Hosea 11:7-11 Date: 10-18-26
How do you know the depths of your sin? What brings us to acknowledge the reality of our sin?
What brings us to recognize the depths of our sin and depravity is a correct view of God, His righteousness and holiness. When I compare my life to Jesus Christ, I see how short I fall of the glory of God.
2. The abounding dimensions of God’s devotion (Hosea 11:8).
How do you know what love truly is? Do we know love by the way we love others? Do we know what love is by seeing others love? We know love because God is love. We love because He first loved us.
God loves people so much that He will tenderly reach to them when they are the worst of sinners. Just as hard as God will judge sinfulness, so He tenderly loves sinners. This isn’t to minimize His wrath and judgment. This is, though, an emphasis on His heart. God fiercely will judge unbelievers, but He fiercely loves those who follow Him and choose Him.
Jesus Christ felt the weight of sin as no one ever will as He bled and died for our sin.
God never rejoices in judgment. In fact Isaiah calls God’s judgment a strange work (Isa. 28:21). God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). His heart pleasures in showing mercy and favor.
It is in the midst of all this sinfulness that God’s heart of love reaches out to them. Listen to the words: “How can I give you up?” That certainly isn’t how we would normally respond to people who have wronged us. God goes on: “How shall I deliver you, O Israel?” The word deliver means to surrender someone or something over to another, to hand over. God’s heart was to deliver and not cast off his people. Jehovah did not want to surrender His people to anyone.
Though the people revolted and left God, He refused to give them up. If God loved them as a child from the beginning, and He loved them to beneficially and graciously give and guide them thus far, how much more does His heart reach out to them in their deep sinfulness. This love is what guided Him to send His Son to die for His enemies. In our unworthiness, we need this love even more.
Application: God’s love spurred Him on to have a change of heart where His tender compassions were aroused. That is love, and that is how He loves us, too.
3. The amazing demonstration of God’s love (Hosea 11:9-11)
Did Israel’s actions deserve punishment? Oh, yes. Did their deeds deserve His wrath poured out in annihilating them? Yes! But, God says I will not carry out to its fullness my complete anger. Could God destroy them? Yes. But, He refuses to.
This truth remains: Apostasy does not take full root in the nation. Israel always has a faithful remnant. Those people of faith and obedience remain the apple of God’s eye (Deut. 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Zech. 2:8). Those who are the apple of God’s eye are closely watched, deeply cherished, and carefully protected. God knows that one day His remnant people will return to Him in belief. Hosea 3:4-5 tells us that His people will return and they will seek and walk after the Lord.