Today we continue to read from the prophet Hosea. This book is a love story, although sometimes it may seem like a soap opera. It is the story of a spouse who is unfaithful but is forgiven and welcomed back. Sometimes this unfaithful spouse is Hosea’s wife, sometimes it is Israel. Often it is hard to tell which one it is or perhaps it is both. Both God and Hosea experience the unfaithfulness of a spouse: “When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me” (Hosea 11:1-2). In this patriarchal society, unfaithfulness or adultery brings dishonor on the husband and harsh punishment is often expected, even stoning. Instead, Hosea and God welcome back their unfaithful spouse with mercy and love.
“I will betroth you to me forever: I will betroth you to me with justice and with judgment, with loyalty and with compassion; I will betroth you to me with fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.” (2:21-22).
While such an action would be scandalous to this patriarchal society, as we hear in today’s reading, this is God’s way of mercy and forgiveness:
“My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.” (11:7-8).
The book of Hosea is a love story, the story of God’s overwhelming, prodigal or wasteful, love and mercy. This book teaches that mercy trumps justice. God is more merciful than he is just. This teaching of Hosea becomes the key to the teaching of Jesus:
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6). I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)
“Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ (Hosea 6:6) you would not have condemned these innocent men.” (Matthew 12:5-7).
The rest of the NT reiterates this message. God desires mercy, love, and compassion above all else. St. Paul echoes this teaching of Hosea in this message to the Ephesians:
“All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) …For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:3-8).
Image: “<div class=’fn’> Plaque with Seated Prophet from a Reliquary Shrine: Osea (Hosea)</div>” is marked with CC0 1.0.