I Betroth You

Hosea 2:19-20

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.



Have you ever been to a wedding? I've been to one and it is filled with love. The bridegroom waits earnestly for the bride to enter through the wooden door of the church and once she appeared, everyone stands in awe at her beauty and certainly there would be some who will whisper out their amazement at one another. The bridegroom smiles ever so broadly like never before in his life and with each steps his lovely bride takes, he said to himself, "she is the one and I shall betroth her."



This is how deep the love God has for us. Hosea, the prophet of God uses the word "betroth", signifying a wedding ceremony. A wedding ceremony is so special and wonderful not because the bride looks beautiful outwardly or that the bridegroom has been to the gym for many months to have a super good looking body but it is because they have made a commitment to be under a covenant of love. That is why when the minister reads out the wedding vows, you said "I do" with a commitment to live together forever in any circumstances.



And it is true with God. When we are called to be his people, we are betrothed forever. Under this covenant, we have his righteousness and justice. We are born as sinners and there is no way we can go back to God without being holy and perfect. It means that we are destined to eternal destruction. However, Jesus Christ has offered us the perfect righteousness and has taken God's wrath as a mean to fulfill God's desire for justice through the crucifixion on the cross. Therefore, when we meet God. we are clothed with the righteousness that has been bought by the blood of Christ and no longer being under God's wrath because Jesus has taken that punishment on himself.



Under the covenant, we have his love and compassion. God's love now abides in those whose life has been justified by Jesus. It is His love and compassion that we are accepted into the kingdom of God and being called as children of God. It is also because of His love and compassion that we are being made clean in His presence. And it is His love and compassion that we are able to serve others in self-sacrificing service as a mean to glorify God.



Finally, under this covenant, we have God's faithfulness. We are faithful because God's faithfulness sustains us. When we are faithless, God always remains faithful to His promises. It means that He will always be righteous, just, loving, compassionate and faithful because of the character of faithfulness He has. He can never be what He is not. As a result, we will acknowledge God. There is only one God and one who deserves ultimate acknowledgment for all that He has done. What He desires is a heart that worships Him in spirit and truth.


It is not by my strength and wisdom by which I saved myself from this wretchedness but it is by God's righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness.