Of H&M, Ben & Jerry’s and HDTV
The world is full of alluring things. That was true in the days of the Puritans in the 16th and 17th Centuries just as it is today and was in the days of Hosea. The world has been populated with attractive things since the day it was made, since the Triune God made fruit good to look at and juicy to taste, since he made the “hairless bipeds”1 with all their curvy gangly bits that fascinate human eyes and captivate our hearts. Beauty leads our hearts in all kinds of directions but what should most win us?
Preaching from:
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.” (Hosea 2:14 ESV)
Jeremiah Burroughs, in Of Lovers and Whores2, writes:
The Hebrew word translated “allure” signifies to entice. It is often used to mean deceive by subtle enticing. Some have translated it, “I will deceive her” (LXX) or “I will seduce her” (Vulgate). God uses the word to express the sweet and gracious ways in which he intends to deal with them from his gracious affection towards them.
The Allurement Of The Gospel
What God means by alluring his people, when he has been reconciled to them, may be expressed in these three things:
Unfolding beauty
Firstly, I will unfold the beauty and excellency of the infiniteness of my goodness and loving-kindness and set in array before their souls the exceeding glory of the riches of my grace.
Outbidding all others
Secondly, whereas before they went whoring from me because their hearts were allured by their lovers, giving to them various contentments, and so subtly beguiling their minds; I will dwell with them in a more powerful manner than their lovers possibly could, and outbid them all. Did their lovers offer to them comfort? I will bid more than they. Did their lovers offer gain? I will bid more gain. Did they offer more honour and respect? I will outbid them in this too; so that I will persuade their hearts that they shall enjoy more in me, than they possibly could in all that their lovers could do for them.
Today we might translate this: “My people pursued their lovers: They went after KPMG, PwC and Lloyds TSB, for money offered comfort and control. They went after celebrity gossip, social media status and pornography for they offer intimacy. They went after H&M and Ben & Jerry’s and HDTV for retail therapy, over-priced ice-cream and Brian Cox talking Science on the BBC break the numbness of life.”
And indeed, then the gospel has the true, full and gracious work upon the heart of a sinner, when it yields to its invitations, finding that all that the world can bid is now outbidden and that there is more gain in Christ than in all else besides. You know, when one comes to offer so much for a commodity, and another outbids him, he carries it away. So when the world and sin offer to the soul such and such contents, if God comes and outbids all, the bargain is made and God carries away the heart.
Heart-winning
Thirdly, I will come upon them even unawares, and as it were, steal away their hearts, with a holy guile. Paul tells us that he caught the Corinthians with guile (2 Cor. 12:16). I will secretly insinuate myself and draw their hearts in such a sweet and hidden way that I will take them before they are aware. God deals thus with many a soul, taking it before it is aware, and the soul afterwards comes to understand some of the dealings of his grace.
Can you imagine the impact of hearts won, wooed, drawn out after Christ? Quickly harassing people to change their ways, beating them with instructions and threats might bear more immediate fruit, but changed hearts truly change lives.
Footnotes
1 CS Lewis’ Screwtape bemoans that “The Enemy really loves those hairless bipeds”. The LORD really does love us!
2 Of Lovers and Whores, Jeremiah Burroughs (Edited by Dave Bish, 2012) available from: http://thebluefish.org/p/sibbesian.html
This is part two of a short series on Hosea.
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