DAY 1

WEEK 1 – God’s Love Language for Israel

He expresses His affection in some of the strongest emotions of the human experience.

Your Maker Is Your Husband

“For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the LORD has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer.” Isaiah 54:5-8 RSV

God expresses His love for Israel in marital declarations. A happy and lifelong marriage seems like a universal aspiration of the human heart. The desire to find a good and faithful spouse springs from the depths of our humanity. Stories of love fascinate young and old, male and female alike.

God chooses to use such passionate love language to convey the intensity of His love for Israel. Your Maker is your husband! This declaration is so strong, so personal, so intimate! The Creator of all things declares that He is in a covenantal relationship with the sons of Israel. He is Israel’s faithful Husband. God is her Strength, Defender, and Provider forever.

God doesn’t want Israel to misunderstand Him. He has not forsaken her. His love is everlasting; His anger only lasts for a moment. His temporary discipline is part of His eternal commitment and zeal toward Israel. "With great compassion, I will gather you. I will have compassion for you with everlasting love," says the Lord, your Redeemer.

Prayer

Our Father,

We bless Your Holy Name. We praise You for Your everlasting love for Israel. You are a Husband to her. We thank You because, in Messiah, we have been grafted into the Olive tree. Thus, we share the inheritance of Israel. We thank You for Your Son, the Bridegroom, who gave His life for His Bride (Eph 5:25).

We pray that You will encounter the Jewish people through Your Holy Spirit. Let them see that even when they felt that You had abandoned them in the Holocaust, You have kept Your everlasting love and compassion for them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.