THE LOVE THAT GIVES HOPE (2 OF 2)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Hosea 2:14-15
This content is part of a series.
Sermon: The Love That Gives Hope (2 of 2)
Series: Relentless Lover
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Hosea 2:14-15
In Europe, there's something called "Lock Bridges". They are bridges where young lovers will take padlocks, engrave their initials or messages on them, and then lock them onto a bridge in the city, throwing the keys in the river.
There are 20 "Lock Bridges" all across the world, and in 2015 there was a pedestrian bridge in Paris that had so many of these locks attached to it that they weighed nearly 45 TONS. The city was forced to have the locks removed because they feared the bridge would collapse.
Legend has it that the practice started in Hungary when a woman - who'd lost her boyfriend during World War I - started to attach padlocks on bridges where they used to meet in the city. It was her way of expressing that her love was unbreakable.
(https://citywonders.com/blog/France/Paris/paris-love-lock-bridge-story#:~:text=The%20'lock%20bridge'%20is%20a,ritual%20symbolizes%20love%20locked%20forever.)
The book of Hosea describes God's love for His people as being unbreakable.
God was a relentless lover of Israel
(PAUSE) But Israel's love FOR GOD wasn't nearly as secure. They had broken and torn away from God because they wanted to be like other nations and worship their gods.
In the midst of the book of Hosea God makes this declaration: "Behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt." Hosea 2:14-15
Now this was an interesting statement by God because He started out telling Israel that He would "allure" her and speak tenderly to her - but then he talks about... the valley of Achor.
What's that all about?
Well, the Valley of Achor was a place. A place of sadness. In fact, "ACH ...
Series: Relentless Lover
Author: Jeff Strite
Text: Hosea 2:14-15
In Europe, there's something called "Lock Bridges". They are bridges where young lovers will take padlocks, engrave their initials or messages on them, and then lock them onto a bridge in the city, throwing the keys in the river.
There are 20 "Lock Bridges" all across the world, and in 2015 there was a pedestrian bridge in Paris that had so many of these locks attached to it that they weighed nearly 45 TONS. The city was forced to have the locks removed because they feared the bridge would collapse.
Legend has it that the practice started in Hungary when a woman - who'd lost her boyfriend during World War I - started to attach padlocks on bridges where they used to meet in the city. It was her way of expressing that her love was unbreakable.
(https://citywonders.com/blog/France/Paris/paris-love-lock-bridge-story#:~:text=The%20'lock%20bridge'%20is%20a,ritual%20symbolizes%20love%20locked%20forever.)
The book of Hosea describes God's love for His people as being unbreakable.
God was a relentless lover of Israel
(PAUSE) But Israel's love FOR GOD wasn't nearly as secure. They had broken and torn away from God because they wanted to be like other nations and worship their gods.
In the midst of the book of Hosea God makes this declaration: "Behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt." Hosea 2:14-15
Now this was an interesting statement by God because He started out telling Israel that He would "allure" her and speak tenderly to her - but then he talks about... the valley of Achor.
What's that all about?
Well, the Valley of Achor was a place. A place of sadness. In fact, "ACH ...
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