Speaking for God into the midst of the corruption of the latter kings of Israel, Hosea gave us this poignant declaration from the Lord: “When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). Although Matthew would later cite this as a veiled hint that the Messiah would be in Egypt for a time, it is not immediately obvious that this passage is about the Messiah at all. It goes on, “The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols” (11:2). This doesn’t sound messianic; this is about a rebellious nation: though “I took them up in my arms” and “I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love,” nevertheless “they did not know that I healed them” (11:3-4).

So in the face of their stubbornness, God declares judgment: “They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king” (11:5); they shall experience a sword raging against their cities, and their false priests will be consumed (11:6). The Lord has spoken, with raging judgment, and that is that.

Except it isn’t. God has a hard time staying angry. Immediately after this ever-so-vivid expression of frustration, we find one of the most emotional passages in the Bible: “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?” (11:8). God had just declared that they are doomed to warfare and slavery: yet now “My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger” (11:8-9).

And why is that? Because “I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath” – or perhaps “I will not come to destroy” (11:9). The meaning of the Hebrew for that last phrase is not quite certain, but it is probably pretty close: God does not intend to come to us for wrath or destruction. But then: what is it that the Lord will come to do? In the silence we can perhaps hear the hint of an answer: not to destroy us, but to redeem us.

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O Lord, you are the one who has lifted us up and healed us and walked with us along the way: and we are so slow to recognize you and your sustaining love. We give you thanks for your astonishing patience: despite all the frustration we cause, you have not come to destroy us, but to call us back, to redeem us, to restore us.

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