Friday, May 4, 2012

Hosea 11-12

One of the most poetic and beautiful pictures of God's love for His people is found in 11:1-4.  When an ox would lean over to feed, the yoke would slide down to his jaw, making it difficult-to-impossible for him to eat.  A caring farmer would lift the heavy yoke onto his own shoulders so that the beast could eat unhindered.

Did the ox ever turn and thank him for his kindness?  Did the toddler ever thank the loving father for holding him up as he tried precariously to walk?  Never.  The beast and the child remain blissfully ignorant of the kindness being shown to them.  They are unaware of how dependent they are on their caregiver.  They imagine that they eat and walk on their own strength.

So Israel remains stubbornly unaware of God's love and kindness.  How about you?

Read it here.

1 comment:

  1. That is profoundly deep and powerful in communicating the grace and love of God in Christ. The ox and the child never think to ponder their ingratitude, but even if they did, they would still likely fail to recognize the heights and depths of God's love for us in Jesus.

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