Day 4

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. “In that day I will respond,” declares the LORD…“I will show my love…”—Hosea 2:19-21, 23

God is a God who responds. He watches over us; He listens to us; He moves on our behalf. The Lord declared, “In that day I will respond.” But what day? Under what circumstances does He respond? It is the day of betrothal for marriage—the day of covenant and intimacy with God. It is His Bride that He hears—His Bride that He dotes over, listens to, caresses, seeks out, longs for.

How interesting it is that God promises on this day to pay a bridal price! What is the bridal price He promises? It is righteousness, justice, love and compassion. It is covenant relationship. When God married His people, the bridal price He paid was a promise of relationship based on these four critically important relational terms: righteousness, justice, love and compassion. For the marriage covenant is not just a contract, nor an agreement involving monetary payment, but rather, it is a deep, abiding relationship. Isn’t it interesting that we think of a bridal price in terms of monetary compensation? But God thinks first in terms of relationship.

If these four terms are essential ingredients in God’s marital relationship with His people, then these four terms are integral to any marital covenant relationship. They demonstrate more than any other terms the way a husband should treat his wife.

Among these four relationship gifts promised by our Bridegroom, one word stands out. It is the Hebrew word “hesed.” This word means a loyal love—a kind of steadfast, devoted love that forms the bond of covenant relationship—an indissoluble relationship no matter the failures or unfaithfulness of the spouse.

Covenant love demands commitment and loyalty. Without that loyal love, there can be no intimate relationship, for covenant relationship requires an unconditional trust. When trust is established through commitment and loyalty, then relationship results. The deeper the commitment and trust, the deeper the relationship becomes.

This is what God means when He says He will show His love. He is eternally faithful. He is eternally loyal. He will never compromise His fidelity to the covenant. In Hosea’s prophetic words, and in the prophetic example of his own marriage, we find the kind of love every bridegroom should emulate!

Prayer Topics: Covenant Relationship; God Shows His Love; God Responds; Righteousness, Justice, Love and Compassion; Loyalty; Marriage.