08:46
Unknown
The symbol seems a strange one, considering the
Christian reluctance to embrace romantic love. Yet it is distinct
throughout Scripture. God desires Israel for his bride: "For, as a young
man weds a maiden, so you shall wed Him who rebuilds you" (Isa. 62:5;
all quotations from the NEB). He fondly recalls the days of harmony,
"the love of your bridal days, when you followed me in the wilderness" (Jer. 2:2).
Yet Israel is unfaithful—God is the unrequited lover. "Will a girl
forget her finery or a bride her ribbons? Yet my people have forgotten
me over and over again. How well you pick your way in search of lovers!"
(Jer. 2:32).
God is a passionate lover, and passion can fuel anger. Like the country
singer who wonders, "if I saw you, would I kiss you or want to kill you
on sight?" God storms at his lover for her prostitution.
After all, He rescued her as a newborn baby lying in her
own blood, raised her to full womanhood, gave her fine clothes and
jewelry, provided for her the best of foods, and presented her with sons
and daughters (Ezek. 16:114). In return, she imperviously fornicates. "How you anger me!" shouts God (Ezek. 16:30).
He threatens to turn her over to her many lovers, to strip her naked
before them. The lovers will rob her jewelry, stone her, and hack her to
pieces (Ezek. 16:39-40).
Which is it, then, kiss or kill?
Wait, for God is the perfect lover. He vents his anger,
then whispers: "But now listen, I will woo her, I will go with her into
the wilderness and comfort her" (Hos. 2:14).
He follows her through fires, floods, dark woods, wherever she goes,
then pleads "How shall I deal with you? Your loyalty to me is like the
morning mist, like dew that vanishes early." Don't you see, he adds,
"loyalty is my desire, not sacrifice" (Hos. 6:4-5).
Love will heal: it will reveal the eternal identity and make all things
new. Come, God says, and Israel may be "fair as the olive" and
"flourish like a vine" (Hos. 14:6-7).
Then the persistent lover takes another tack. He is not
out to woo only one tribe, one people, but all, and all of creation.
This wild lover will stop at nothing. He condescends and assumes the
nature of a slave. He walks among us and heals and proclaims peace and
routes demons (and takes up a whip to show some of that old anger too).
He demonstrates his power over death by raising the dead, He tells story
after story to win our trust. He looks on us adoringly, and yearns,
"How often have I longed to gather you children, as a hen gathers her
brood under her wings: but you would not let me" (Luke 13:34).
And still we will not let him. He is embarrassing us. He
keeps company with prostitutes, for one thing. Sometimes He acts too
happy, and he eats and drinks more than a holy man should. Worst of all, He makes outlandish claims that He is the same God who has been chasing
us all along. Finally, cruelly, we turn our backs on him once more, and
nail his back to a cross.
But he is God, and mad in love enough to bear it, to
take all our anger and guilt. Three days later, He is backand this
shocks us into trying to love him better. Our infidelity is long and
habitual, though, and we still slip often. There are yet many other gods
winking at us, seducing us. Our resolve to be unfaithful is weakened,
just the same.
We have been betrothed to our "true and only husband" (2 Cor. 11:2).
We have seen that love really is stronger than death, stronger than
life or angels or principalities or powers or anything else. In the end,
there is no fighting it. We already hear fiddles scratching away at a
distant feast, and we wonder more and more why we ran so hard from this
lover. "Happy are those who are invited to the wedding-supper of the
Lamb!" (Rev. 19:9). Written by Rodney Clapp
