Word of the Week: Betroth

Sunday was one of the heavy ones, wasn’t it? Adultery. We know it’s among the Ten Commandments, but it’s probably one of them that we get least excited to talk about. We’re unenthusiastic because deep down we all know we aren’t as faithful as we should be. We aren’t always faithful to friends, family, spouses, or God. We’re ashamed of our unfaithfulness – and we’d rather not talk about it.

That’s bad news, but do you remember that it’s followed by good news? God already knows and he covers our shame. In the first three chapters of Hosea, God told his prophet to love and marry an unfaithful woman. As he did, he modeled the love of God for his unfaithful people. Hosea models the God who marries himself to unfaithful people. In Hosea 2:19, God says:

“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.”

When God spoke these words, he was speaking of Jesus. In Jesus, our faithful God pursues his unfaithful people. He puts a ring on our unfaithful finger and marries us to himself. He scoops up unfaithful people and works in their hearts to make them faithful. That’s the gospel.

I hope you’ll reflect on these verses this week. How do you think of your relationship to God? The Bible gives us many different images for it. We’re children in his family. We’re sheep in his pasture. We’re soldiers in his army. We’re citizens in his kingdom. But how many of us think of ourselves as the wife in his wedding pictures? Even when you’re unfaithful, he remains faithful. That’s how God loves you.