Riches found living in poverty for Christ
Friends, unlike what we heard in the prophet Hosea’s prophesy last week—that harsh indictment, judgement and swift execution against the Israelites—we get a totally different portrait of YHWH. We hear about how God loves us like an infant, holding us cheek to cheek, teaching us to walk, nurturing us with food, healing us when we don’t know it, wrapping us up in kindness and with bands of love. Yet, the human tendency, failure, and sin in our relationship with God is to not recognize the persistent love of YWHW and honour that. Remember this nation was stubbornly set on trying to use a currency of sacrifices to persuade the Gods of Baal to ensure prosperity, power and primacy. Yet, God, in this parent/child simile, continues to nurture and sustain their existence beyond all rational thinking—YHWH will not give up. That is why the child parent analogy is a beautiful image. In a certain sense, we as parents will do whatever necessary for our children’s safety