March 2024
It is almost impossible for many Christians today to believe that God said this about His children, Israel. They have been brainwashed into believing that God has only one attribute, and that is unconditional love. And that love is a permissive and enabling kind of affection, whereby everything is acceptable. This is the word that God gave the prophet for the people of Israel.
“All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings, I will drive them out of mine house. I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. My God will cast them away, because they did not harken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.” Hosea 9:15-17 KJV, emphasis added.
How often have you heard a pastor or Bible teacher talk about the unconditional love of God? A response of “All the time” would not surprise me. I bet they have never used this passage, for it teaches something very different.
Claiming that God’s love is unconditional is very popular today. Who doesn’t want to believe that God loves them no matter what they do? That is the gospel message of our time, proclaimed in many churches. God loves you so much that He will never stop loving you, no matter how sinful you remain. Come to God just as you are and don’t worry about changing anything. God’s love for you is unconditional.
Out of all the people groups, God chose the Jews and gave them many promises of protection, health, and prosperity. But the nation of Israel forgot that these covenantal promises were conditional. They presumed on the grace of God by assuming that God would love them regardless of their continued sins. They believed the love of God was unconditional. Hosea, the prophet of doom, had a message from God for them.
Have you ever heard a pastor or a Bible teacher say anything about God ‘hating’ people? These two unpopular messages are spoken by the prophet Hosea in this passage. Hosea declares that God came to hate the people of Israel because of their many sins that they refused to repent of. Hosea then adds this statement from God, “I will love them no more.” Hosea knew nothing about the unconditional love of God. The Bible consistently teaches that God’s salvific love is conditional. However, there is also an aspect of God’s love that is unconditional. For instance, the atonement of Christ is for all men and women. Salvation is available to everyone, but only those who repent and believe will find salvation. Conditions must be met before the gift of salvation is ours.
The word says that the children of Israel and their Kings desecrated Gilgal, where God had extended His mercies many times in the past. But now it had become a place of idolatrous worship as allowed by Israel’s leadership. Would God still bless this place and the people despite their many sins? Hosea answered that question with the words quoted in this passage, “for there I came to hate them”.
Likewise, the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day (Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC) claimed that God would never destroy the temple of the LORD and Jerusalem, the place where He put His name. Jeremiah told them God was going to destroy the temple and the city, and that those who survived after Jerusalem’s destruction would be sent to Babylon for 70 years. The nation’s leaders and unrepentant people hated Jeremiah’s message. (It is no different today!) They also knew about the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel around 721 BC. Many had probably heard Hosea’s message. Despite that, they followed their wicked sister, Israel, into God’s judgment by presuming on His grace. They too believed the love of God was unconditional and that they could sin without worrying about God’s condemnation.
I don’t know about you, but I find these stories about Israel incredibly enlightening. This is very similar to Christianity in the USA today. Many spiritual leaders and their followers believe they can presume on God’s grace and live in unrepentant sin without facing His condemnation. Would God be just if He condemned apostate Israel but not us for committing the same sins?
We must not follow Israel’s example. The good news is that we do not need to because God is our helper and our guide. He is for us and not against us. He is not willing that anyone should perish in hell. God wants to save us, not destroy us. He truly loves us, for God is love. But His salvific love is conditional and depends on our willingness to turn away from our sins. That is a very small thing for God to ask from a bunch of rebels and sinners, don’t you think?
