Rooted in Love. Daily Devotional by Yechiel Eckstein
I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord. Hosea 2:19-20
At times, it is difficult to read the words of the prophets. Repeatedly, they convey mes- sages of warning and dire consequences if God’s people do not turn from their sinful ways.
Sometimes, such harsh messages obscure the very reason God sent prophets to warn his people—because of his deep love for them.
When we talk about the covenant that exists between God and his people, Israel, it is more than a formal, legal agreement between two parties. It is a pact rooted in love.
Jewish literature often portrays the covenant between God and Israel as a marriage—established through vows and built on a foundation of mutual love and commitment. Through the prophet hosea, for example, God addresses Israel as a husband would address his intended wife:
“I will make you my wife forever. . . . I will be faithful to you and make you mine” (hosea 2:19-20).
This covenantal relationship between God and Israel is a powerful force in Jewish life. observant Jews renew their commitment to God daily by observing his com- mandments and by linking themselves to the chain of Jewish tradition.
They acknowl- edge their personal relationship with God and spend time nurturing it.
Every morning, Jewish worshipers don ritual objects called tefillin, which consist of black leather straps and boxes containing biblical verses. Worshipers fasten the tefillin to themselves as an outward expression of their being bound to God.
As they wrap the tefillin around their fingers, they recite today’s verses from hosea. Wearing the tefillin is like putting on a wedding band; it daily reaffirms their love for God.
Christians and Jews differ on many points of theology, but we share this powerful bond—that we are called into an intimate, mutual, and loving relationship with God that requires us to seek his face daily in prayer, listen to his voice by studying his Word, and obey him.
A Christian Reflection on Our Intimate Relationship with God
The hebrew Bible’s teaching that our covenant relationship with God is more than
a legal arrangement is continued in the new Testament’s depiction of our relation- ship with Jesus as a marriage.
In Ephesians 5:31-32, Paul quotes from Genesis 2:24 “a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one”—and then applies this verse to our relationship with Christ:
“This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.” knowing we have such an intimate relationship with God should lead us to respond with prayer, listening to his Word, and obedience.
Yechiel Eckstein
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, has devoted his life's work and ministry to building bridges of understanding between Christian and Jews.
