Day 23—Monday, March 31, 2025

Hosea 11:4

I led them with cords of human kindness,

              with bands of love.

I was to them like those

              who lift infants to their cheeks.

              I bent down to them and fed them.

God had led the people of Israel to the promised land and had a covenant to protect and bless them as they followed God’s commandments. The people were breaking this covenant by worshipping false gods, acting selfishly, and relying on their own power. God was heartbroken and angry but remained committed to the people and chose to continue to try to heal them and bring them back with relentless love and compassion despite their ungratefulness and disobedience.

The ideas of “cords of human kindness” and “bands of love,” for me, evoke the image of a dog on a leash even though some translations of this passage state “I lifted the yoke from his neck.” In my less-than-successful efforts to train my hound dog, I did learn some useful techniques. One is the “tug and release.” When leading the dog and trying to get him to go in the direction you want, give the leash a firm tug then give it slack. The tug on the leash is a reminder that the dog should pay attention. The release is the dog’s chance to respond and follow. If one is constantly pulling on the leash, the dog’s likely reaction is to pull against that leash with equal force. Not much forward motion is accomplished that way. Over time with consistency, the animal will figure out that responding to the tug will result in forward progress together.

God chose to keep a gentle unbreakable tug on the hearts of the people of Israel and pursued to renew the covenant with them because of God’s love, faithfulness, and compassion. God’s mercy and covenant love would open a way to a new future for them and for all nations. This certainly is not a linear process. We see God’s people disobey and disappoint over and over, yet God chooses love and gentleness even “bending down to feed them.”

God extends this same gentle faithfulness and encouragement to us every day even when we choose to pursue other gods and distractions that take us away from God’s “bands of love.” May we be aware of that tug on our hearts so we can respond and follow.

Prayer:

Loving God,

We are grateful for your mercy and patience. May we recognize your presence and unbreakable bond with us and choose your loving ways each day.

Amen

-Dawn Long