Monday: Unrequited Love
Daily Lesson for Monday 30th of December 2024
God’s striking instance of His love for fallen humanity is found in the story of Hosea. God commanded the prophet Hosea, “ ‘Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord’ ” (Hosea 1:2, NKJV). Hosea and his unfaithful wife were to be a living object lesson of God’s love for His people, even despite Israel’s unfaithfulness and spiritual harlotry. That is, it is a story of God’s freely bestowed love on those who do not deserve it.
Indeed, despite God’s faithfulness and love, the people rebelled against Him, again and again, too. Accordingly, Scripture repeatedly describes God as the unrequited lover of an unfaithful spouse. He had loved His people perfectly and faithfully, but they had scorned Him and served and worshiped other gods, deeply grieving Him and breaking the relationship, seemingly beyond repair.
Read Hosea 14:1-4. What do these verses reveal about God’s steadfast love for His people?
In the aftermath of repeated rebellion by His people, God declares: “ ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely’ ” (NKJV). The term “freely” in the phrase “ ‘I will love them freely’ ” translated a Hebrew word (nedabah), which connotes that which is offered voluntarily. It is the same term used of the freewill offerings in the sanctuary system.
Throughout Hosea, and throughout the narratives of Scripture, God shows amazing commitment and compassion to His people. Even though they repeatedly went after other lovers, breaking the covenant relationship, seemingly beyond repair, God of His own free will continued to bestow His love on them. The people did not deserve God’s love; they had rejected and forfeited any rightful claim to it. Yet, God continued to bestow love on them without any compulsion, moral or otherwise. Here and elsewhere, Scripture consistently displays God’s love as free and voluntary.
Many people think of God as a distant and harsh ruler and judge. How does the imagery of God’s being scorned and grieved as the unrequited lover of an unfaithful spouse help you see God differently? How does it change the way you view your own relationship with God? |
In my youth, a young lady with stars in her eyes pursued me with serious intent. Unfortunately for her, I did not respond and in the end, I had to tell her I was uninterested. She was a very pleasant young lady and I have run into her a couple of times in more recent years and we greet one another as old friends. But, I am happy with my choice, and I know she has been happily married too. Ultimately it was not the fact that the love was unrequited but the reason behind it
We will probably spend a lot of time quoting verses about God's everlasting love but it is pertinent to think why that love is rejected.
I think there are four reasons - there are probably more and even these reasons overlap:
For most of us, the idea of God's everlasting love is a given. The issue for us is how that love is passed on through us to others. We are not theologians standing on the sidelines, but rather, active participants in the love supply chain. It is no use praying for the Holy Spirit to convince others of God's love if we are unloving and uncaring Christians. At a very personal level we must ask ourselves how our actions contribute to ignorance, rebellion, misinformation, and obscuring for others.
See if we can get the meaning of unrequited out of this message to our Churuch. Now Battle Creek of which I visited several times, with my loving aunt and uncle, and cousins touring me around the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and where the old publishing house used to be, and much other history of our church, we even went to my grandfather's grave site. He died when my mother was 4 years old.
We could substitute the name of most any city today that applies to the following message of God's love freely.
"The Saviour has oft visited you in Battle Creek. Just as verily as He walked in the streets of Jerusalem, longing to breathe the breath of spiritual life into the hearts of those discouraged and ready to die, has He come to you. The cities that were so greatly blessed by His presence, His pardon, His gifts of healing, rejected Him; and just as great, yea, greater, evidence of unrequited love has been given in Battle Creek. Has Christ not loaded down His church with benefits and blessings? Has He not sent His servants with messages of pardon and righteousness, to be freely given to all who will receive them?" Volume 8 of Testimonies To the Church page 67.1
Thought provoking question indeed. I do believe unrequited love definitely has something to do with our storicales this week.
I am so thankful and grateful that God’s way is not our way and that God does not love the way we love. We are aware that one-sided, and non-reciprocated love does not last and when this happens it results in heartache, and emotional turmoil. There are so many stories from Genesis to Revelation that reveal the love He has for us and as we reflect on 2024 we are reminded of the love He has for us, and the grace He bestows on us that “while we were yet sinners He died for us.” Thank you God for forgiving us, loving us, and being graceful to us this year 2024.
How do you love freely when the love is not reciprocated? Seems hard, and an unnatural thing to do. Would you mind sharing your personal testimony of how you were able to do this?
I was married to a man who lived a double life as a serial cheater, yet he was the one who introduced me to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Through him, I came to know Jesus, was baptized, and became an active member of the church—a decision that forever changed my life. Despite the betrayal and pain he caused me and our children, I never allowed hatred to take root in my heart.
I saw him not just as a man who hurt me, but as a child of God, flawed like all of us. Who am I to cast a stone when God, in His infinite mercy, forgives me for my own sins? How could I hate the man who gave me three beautiful children, who are among my greatest blessings? My love for Jesus empowered me to forgive him, not because he deserved it, but because I know how much I have been forgiven.
I refused to assassinate his character, even when I had every reason to, because I wanted to honor God in how I responded. Sin is sin, and we are all biological sinners. If God can extend grace to me, how could I withhold it from someone else? My faith taught me that forgiveness is not weakness—it’s strength. It’s a reflection of God’s love working through me, and it set me free from bitterness.
This journey wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. Through it all, I held onto my faith, trusted in God’s plan, and chose to focus on the blessings He gave me, even in the midst of my pain.
Christians love freely because they are focused on eternal rewards, not earthly outcomes. By loving others, they store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).
Wow, and Thank You, Ms. Myrtice, you are speaking to my heart. You are teaching me how to forgive. Thank you.
We have people in our lives who have needed help financially, and because of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us we were willing and able to help. One paid us back and others were unable to. We have no idea how much as we’ve never written any totals down. All of that is a gift from God.
What a beautiful testimony. Thanks for sharing. I believe many others who read your story might be going through the same struggle. God worked through you to demonstrate what it means to "freely love"
One of the great paradoxes in the Bible is man’s unresponsive attitude towards God’s abundant love. Right from the beginning, Adam and Eve exercised their free will contrary to the love of God. Through the ages, God has abundantly and overwhelmingly demonstrated love beyond measure (John 3:16, Romans 5:8), but sadly, we human beings always look on the other side. How can we possibly start to explain this paradox? The Bible gives glimpses of our true nature. There is absolutely no good in us! The human heart is inherently corrupt and delights in doing what is not right (Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3: 10-11). We are bent towards evil (sin); this is what excites the depraved human heart (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Praise and glory to God who is persistently pursuing us regardless of our stubbornness to go our way. This love is a mystery. It is so high, so wide and so deep that the finite human mind cannot understand it without the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, John 16:13). When the Spirit of Truth dwell in us, God will give us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) with the capacity to know, understand and do the love of God. Till then, our fallen nature will remain impervious to the love of God. Like David (Psalms 51:10 -12), we need to cry out to God for a pure heart and renew steadfast spirit to reciprocate to the matchless love of God. Like David may we genuinely desire for spiritual renewal, even so as the Day of the Lord draws ever nearer than when we first believed.
I wonder if Maurice could express the statement, “God freely bestows Love on those who do not deserve it,” in a formula. It would be an intriguing exercise, assigning value to symbols that represent actions to illustrate an outcome. Perhaps something like: Love = Justice = Grace = Love.
To me, the manifestation of God’s Love has a profound metaphysical dimension in addition to its practical one. It reveals itself as the capacity to return love — a reflection of the most fundamental yet deeply mysterious aspect of our relationship with God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our fellow man.
Why did His people scorn Him? Why did they still seek after other gods? Was it easier to worship gods of stone and wood than to follow an invisible God who 'tells' them that He loves them? God knew that reaching mankind required addressing not only our will, but also our emotions and something still deeper - we needed to be transformed. His ultimate desire was for us to 'love Him' in return and, through that special, spiritual but practically expressed love, become His spiritual children.
God chose to express His Love to us by His Son - His Way, His Truth and His Light. The Father and Son are One in Spirit. Only by applying Their special, from heaven sent Love, can hearts and minds be transformed to enable us to love Them in return. When we experience Their Love, we are empowered to reciprocate, which marks the beginning of our transformation: a wholehearted, free, and unreserved acceptance of Them.
God’s decision to love us "freely" was His promise from the Beginning. Now, He no longer counts our transgressions against us, because He gave us His Son and His Holy Spirit, making it possible for us to encounter Him in His Grace through our Faith.
In Jesus Christ, God’s Love took on a form we can relate to in thought, deed, and emotion. This allows us to put His Love into action, emulating the example of Christ. Now, Jesus Christ as our Judge, mediates God’s Justice for our sins because They both love us freely. Through Their profound and undeserved Love, we are transformed spiritually, able to participate in our relationship with God to reflect His Love for all mankind.
God's love for me is super patient. I fall, and He continues to long for me —amazing God! When I give Him a chance (which is always quite the opposite), I genuinely feel His love! This change in me, caused by God's steadfast love, is incredible! God's love is the force that makes me overcome my limitations!