The prophet Hosea uses his personal tragedy as an analogy to understand the relationship of God with the people of Israel. His inability to preserve his marriage serves as a metaphor for God’s inability to keep Israel faithful to the divine covenant despite all of the effort God has expended. Hosea wants to recapture his “first love,” to back to the starting point of the relationship to try to recover what his marriage meant. So God calls the people back “into the desert,” back to the founding experience at Mount Sinai. Then the people will recall how precious is their relationship with God. Our own prayer today should be to go back to our “first love,” to remember the moments of enthusiasm and hope that started our journey of faith.
JULY42016
By Church Staff