Devo: Hosea 2:2-13

Grabe ang pagmamahal ng Panginoon sa mga Israelita. Kahit na idolatrous sila, kahit na they went and worshipped other gods, the Lord still provided for them. Even if we are unfaithful, God remains faithful.

“God gives to man the trees of the forest and the iron in the ground. He gives man the brains to make an axe and nails from the iron, and the energy to cut down the tree, the skill to fashion the wood into beams. God gives man the cleverness to make a handle from the wood, and head from the iron, and combine it into an effective hammer. Then man takes the beams, the nails, and the hammer and he nails God to the cross – where God willingly stretched out His arms, dying on the cross to take the guilt and penalty man’s sin deserved – and to make a new, restored relationship between God and man possible.” — enduringword.com

I like verses 6-7:

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and wall her in. So she cannot find her paths. She will chase her lovers, but not overtake them; yes, she will seek them, but not find them.”

The definition of “hedge” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees”.

The hedge serves as a barrier–as a form of protection. Here in the Philippines, houses have gates. It shows people that somebody owns the house and they cannot go inside the gates. God’s children are like gated houses. We are God’s property and He serves as our protection. We are safe because He surrounds us.

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” Psalm 125:1-2

I like the explanation given on enduringword.com:

“To bring Israel to repentance, God promised to set a hedge of thorns on the sides of her path, so that it would hurt whenever Israel went off the correct path, and so the wrong paths would be hard to find.

When God hedges our way with thorns, we usually don’t like it. We sometimes think God is against us when the thorns hurt and we can’t find the wrong paths. But it is really one of the sweetest expressions of God’s love to hedge up your way with thorns and to wall us in.”

God was good to the Israelites even when they forgot Him. He still protected them. God still provided for the Israelites despite their sin of idolatry. It must be painful for God to see the Israelites offer to Baal what He gave to them. It was an insult to God and yet, He still loved them. The people went after other gods but He still loved them.

“Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better for me than now.’ For she did not know that I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold–which they prepared for Baal. Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time and My new wine in its season, and will take back My wool and My linen, given to cover her nakedness.” vv. 7-9

“This principle shows how offensive idolatry really is to God. Whenever we give to an idol, we have received from God.” enduringword.com

There is nothing we have that we did not receive from the Lord. We have nothing to boast before the Lord.

Do we all not have the tendency to commit the sin the Israelites did?

“When the passing pleasures of sin are finished, we often then see how good it was to follow the LORD. In a marriage sometimes the grass can seem greener even with the best spouse; in our walk with the LORD our idols seem attractive until God exposes them. Then we are ready to return to our first husband, the LORD.” enduringword.com

This brings tears to my eyes. I know that God is loving, but sometimes I don’t understand how deep God’s love for us is. He is always ready to take us back despite the pain we cause/d Him.

We tend to stray from the Lord and return to Him when we realize it’s better in His presence than the fleeting pleasures of the world.

He provides for us and we use the things He gives to hurt Him… And He loves us still… 😭😭😭 We don’t deserve anything from God. He is so merciful and kind and gracious and compassionate.

When I pray, I always ask God to keep me and my loved ones in the hedges of His protection. I pray that He won’t let any of us go outside His will. I want to stay under His protection. I want to be covered by the Lord.

Father God, give me a heart that does not offer Your gifts to idols. Help me never to be an adulterous wife to You.

Hedge up my way with thorns, and wall me in. I want and need Your protection, Lord. Without Your guidance, I will most likely stray from You. I will most likely lose my way.

Help me to always put You first. Help me to never forget You. I don’t want to forget You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.