"I will love them freely."—Hosea 14:4.
HIS
sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its
meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true
master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of
salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The
sense hinges upon the word "freely." This is the glorious, the suitable,
the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a
spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it,
purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which
God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts of
fitness: "I will love them freely." Now, if there were any
fitness necessary in us, then He would not love us freely, at least,
this would be a mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it
stands, "I will love you freely."We complain, "Lord, my heart is so
hard." "I will love you freely." "But I do not feel my need of
Christ as I could wish." "I will not love you because you feel your
need; I will love you freely." "But I do not feel that softening of
spirit which I could desire." Remember, the softening of spirit is not a
condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no
conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon
the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when He said,
"He that believeth on Him is not condemned." It is blessed to know that
the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation,
without fitness, without money, and without price! "I will love them
freely." These words invite backsliders to return: indeed, the
text was specially written for such—"I will heal their backsliding; I
will love them freely." Backslider! surely the generosity of the promise
will at once break your heart, and you will return, and seek your
injured Father's face.~Spurgeon's Morning Meditation
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