God’s Love for IsraelEsimerkki

Day 3 – Israel is God’s bride

The prophet Jeremiah uses the imagery of marriage to describe God’s relationship with Israel. That’s quite something! Israel is God’s bride. The time in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt was their honeymoon. God promised to be faithful to Israel and asked Israel to be faithful to Him.

This same image is frequently used in relation to Israel’s idolatry. The Bible often compares idol worship with adultery and prostitution. The exclusive bonds of love and faithfulness to God are broken, and God’s love is rejected. You can probably imagine that this causes God pain and grief. And yet – here we hear the gospel again – this is not the end. Despite His anger and despite Israel’s unfaithfulness, God remains faithful in His love for His people. He does punish Israel, but not in revenge. Anappeal sounds through the punishment, “Return to Me!” That also means returning to the land that God had promised because Israel had been driven out of the land into exile due to their sins. But they remain God’s people. “I have married you,” says God.

God promises that He will give Israel new leaders. He will bless the land with fertility. Jerusalem will be called His throne. God dwells with His people: That is how close He comes; this is how He wants to be present in this world.

Something to think about: Today, we also see Jews from around the world returning to Israel (especially since the State of Israel was founded in 1948). Isn’t this great evidence of God’s love and faithfulness towards His people?