#DailyDevotion The Lion Of Judah Has Roared & We Have Followed Him
Hos. 11 8How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I abandon you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah and treat you like Zeboim? I’m relenting; My sympathy is stirred up. 9I will not carry out my fury. I will not destroy Ephraim again, because I am God and not man, the holy One among you, and I will not come with terror.
The LORD looking down on the destruction He is about to rain down upon Israel because of their sins, He questions if He is going to do it. He had made covenants and promises with the patriarchs. The destruction will be extensive. He recalls Admah and Zeboim. What are those places? Those are two cities swept up with Sodom and Gomorrah. Their destruction was part of the extended destruction of these two cities.
It seems the LORD wants to relent of this destruction. But the LORD is not like a man who changes his mind. Is the LORD changing His mind? Not exactly. He acts according to His nature, His name as declared in Ex. 36:6, “the LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, slow to get angry, rich in love and faithfulness, 7continuing to show mercy to thousands, forgiving wrong, rebellion, and sin, without treating it as innocent, but disciplining children and children’s children to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their fathers.” The LORD’s primary will, how He normally acts, is to show mercy, grace, steadfast love and forgiveness. His secondary will when His primary is rejected by men is to discipline and wrath. So the LORD wants to go to His default position. (Ex. 18:23, 33:11)
Doing this would require Israel to admit their fault, turn from their idols and look to the LORD for salvation.
10They will follow the LORD as He roars like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. 11They will come trembling like birds from Egypt or doves from Assyria, and I will settle them in their homes,” says the LORD.
It appears the LORD is looking more apocalyptic or rather Last Days and the New Creation here. We know Israel did not repent. He did bring the Assyrians to invade the country and exile most of the people there, never to be seen again.
When the LORD came to Israel in the flesh, i.e. Jesus Christ, He roared like a lion. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. His people, the true Israel, we call it the Church now, listen to Him and follow Him. As His word is proclaimed, repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name, we hear, believe and come trembling to Him. He brings us out from all the nations and gathers us into the New Heavens and New Earth where righteousness reigns. While we now experience that peace in our hearts knowing in Christ the Father is pleased with us and showers us with grace, mercy, steadfast love and forgiveness. We have eternal life now dwelling in our hearts as we await for it to dress our bodies with immortality and we live before God forever. Let his peace now govern our hearts and minds today and everyday.
Merciful and gracious Father, continually pour Your steadfast love into our hearts that we may come to Your Son, Jesus Christ, so we may be settled in the place He is preparing for us to live with You forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.