Hearts and Much Love

THIS WEEK we are getting ready to celebrate St. Valentine's Day. Another recently popular name for it is "Singles Awareness Day." It's a whole day dedicated to romance, or, in many cases, a reminder of the lack thereof.

I have been asked this week whether I have a Valentine. Nope.

I am okay with this. I'm going to get chocolate anyway. I'll wear my shirt that has a big heart made of the words of Colossians 3:14. I'll give my roommate her present. It will be a fun day. But I think one important thing that makes Valentine's Day good for me is that it reminds me that I'm living forever with the greatest romantic of all time, and that's God.

It could be odd to think about. God as romantic. A lot of the time we don't picture Him that way. If we know Him we could think of Him as a Father and a King, and that He truly is. If we don't know Him He might seem like a cosmic rulemaker or an imaginary friend. What's romantic about God exactly?

A look into His word can show us how full of passionate love God is. I was looking there this week, and I was caught off guard by just how good He is. I mean, I knew He is overwhelmingly loving and kind and just and merciful, but I stumbled upon a couple of things that expanded my understanding of how that looks.

First I found Ezekiel 16. I don't even remember how I found it. I was just trying to find something to learn from. And I saw this long, nasty story from God's point of view, comparing Israel to an unfaithful wife. He made a covenant with her, and gave her wonderful things, and took good care of her. It was the best situation a wife could ask for and more. But she cheated on him with other men - the gods and ways of other nations - and used all the blessings He'd showered on her to sin against Him. To God, idolatry is the same as adultery because He is jealous for our hearts.

God begins to mention things He could do to this treacherous girl. She could be humiliated and stoned and cut to pieces! He has the right, doesn't He? A husband has the right to get revenge on a cheating wife, a woman who dishonors him in every imaginable way. He could strike her down in her shame, and he should! Shouldn't he?

v.59 "For thus says the Lord God: 'I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.'"

Reading the end of the chapter, I saw that's not what God does. He gets even greater revenge on that girl. It's really hard to deal with. Look:

v.62-63 "'And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,' says the Lord God."

How could God do that? That's tremendous. Imagine giving all your love to that person you care for, pouring gifts and tenderness and friendship on him/her, and watching that same lover turn around and cheat on you with everyone and give away your gifts. Could you still love him? Could you forgive her? Could you even contemplate renewing the promise he broke? If you could, you'd get the sweetest revenge of all: forgiveness. Mercy is romantic.

Proverbs 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you."

In Hosea 11 God is talking about Israel's unfaithfulness again. His response of faithfulness blows me away.

v.6-7 "And the sword shall slash in his cities, devour his districts, and consume them, because of their own counsels. My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him."

Wait for it!

v. 8-9 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not exercise the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror."

Is your heart melting yet? HOW COULD I EVER LET YOU GO? Look at this. Have you ever loved someone so tenderly that no matter how much you hate him for the evil things he has done to you, you just won't give him up? Why does God do this? Is He a pushover? Is He giving in to the influence of Israel's sad puppy dog face? I don't think that's it. I think God's love, and His hope that one day His love will return, makes Him reluctant to act on His great anger. He shows mercy instead, showing that His love really is the greatest of all. I think He wants to use a tragedy as an opportunity to show the height of His faithfulness to anyone who loves Him. He is the most magnificent lover of all time.

He is still going to punish people, but He doesn't wipe people out without cause. He is still justified in letting us have what we deserve for sin, but He is gracious in giving us what we don't.

I'd have to say that Jesus is my Valentine. He says "Here, have my life." And we say "Thank You! Have my heart." One of the reasons God was so persistent about Israel was that He had this plan to use them to raise up a Savior for the world, to expand His kingdom as a New Jerusalem full of all kinds of people. It's not like this world is a lovely, sweet thing, but He sees what we can be and loves us. He sees we need redemption and dies to give us His righteousness. He would call that group of people the Bride of Christ. Is there anything more romantic than that? A real live forever love. A true, unbreakable, unlimited love. The kind we sing about and wish would happen. The kind that floats in the air on Valentine's Day.

His sacrifice is the biggest way anyone has ever said "I LOVE YOU!" And He will chase us down to the ends of the earth if we take a single step toward Him. He won't make us love him, but He won't give up on trying to save us from ourselves. he wants the glory and our good. And He will give us every chance to say "I LOVE YOU TOO!"