“I will take you to be My wife forever.
I will take you to be My wife in righteousness…”
~ Hosea 2:19a-20
I’m so excited to start digging into these precious vows that God made to us over 2700 years ago![1] My prayer is that you fall even more in love with your Lover as you learn how deeply He loves you…
“I will take you to be My wife forever.” Forever. Not for as long as you obey, or for as long as it pleases Him, and not even for as long as you’re living. Forever. This means continually, for all time. As a believer, you are God’s beloved forever. That will never change. He has vowed to us that it won’t.
However, this verse must also be seen in its context. This is a promise to the Israelites, God’s chosen people, in a time of apostasy. Hosea’s life is an allegory of how Israel treats God. Just as Gomer, Hosea’s wife, had flagrant affairs, so too Israel prostituted herself to other gods; but like Hosea, God always takes his wayward wife back. Even though Israel rejected the Messiah, God’s vows remain steadfast to Israel: they are His forever, and He will always pursue them.
And that, my friend, should give us a great deal of hope as well. If God is that steadfast, then surely we have nothing to fear.
“I will take you to be My wife in righteousness…” This very much reminds me of the traditional vows, except it’s missing the second half. In traditional marriage vows, we say we’ll remain true “in sickness and in health,” etc. God, however, does not promise to love us in our righteousness and our unrighteousness. He only gives us on option: righteousness. However, as Paul points out, “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). The Old Testament knew the same truth, and called our righteous acts “filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).
At first glance, it would seem God’s initial promise of “forever” is null and void immediately. I’m sure it seemed that way to Hosea’s peers. However, we must remember the nature of vows. This vow is not about us or our righteousness. It is a promise of Hope for our future that focuses on what He will do for us.
Hosea 2:19 is a beautiful and intimate vow to provide a Messiah to be righteous in our stead. Our righteousness only comes from God’s righteousness found in Christ (Rom. 3:22).
And if He can fulfill that impossible vow – to take us in righteousness – then surely He can fulfill all the others He has ever made.
Sources
[1] http://biblehub.com/timeline/old.htm
