Jeremiah 31:3 express the same feeling of God towards His people. As we see at the context of the Passage, this particular chapter was written in the time when Israelites had turned their head away from God. As the result, they have to go through the exile and invaded by different foreign kingdom. Yet, God gave them the assurance that His love appeared from the past or far away (in more modern translation) for the people of His heart.
God's love was defined in the word 'ahaba olam' or everlasting love in NIV. The word 'ahaba' often referred to described the loving relationship between husband and wife. The love of Jacob over Rachel, was described with 'ahaba' and that is the reason why he endures the bond he has to go to redeem her from Jacob's father in law. The same expression can be found in the book of Songs of Solomon where Solomon describe the feeling of 'ahaba' over his bride.
However, when the word constructed with the additional word of 'olam' it brought the word meaning furthermore. 'Olam' is the word that describe the vast and unmeasurable distance or intensity. Yet God's love here, was described unmeasurable.
Reflecting on this verse, Stevie's song "For Your Love" suddenly rang on my head once again. God of the universe, wants to have the best relationship with us once again. In the context of Jeremiah, the Israelites had abandoned Him once, but He wants to rebuild that relationship once again. In our context, we might been in the place,time, action, or even attitude that against His desire for us but yet, He said i want to love you with the love that cannot be measured.
Those of us who are married, or in the serious relationship, this verse surely can be something that you can experience yourself. When you say i love you to your spouse or partner, that feeling of happiness when your partner is around, that explosive feeling when they hold your hand, or probably just that awkward emotion when they sit beside you. That is the feeling that God have for each one of His people. God is in love, 'ahaba' with His people. This is the reason why, often God is described as 'jealous' in other verses because the love that He has is indeed possessive, a love that require the other side to be faithful to the commitment that has been made but on the same time redemptive when the other side fall short from the standard and ideal of that relationship.
With this kind of love, isn't it hard not to feel joyful and grateful? That God of the universe, the creator of heaven and earth, the owner of every single cell of the organism, the Lord of all Planet and Galaxy, yet fell in love so deep with us? That despite His business of taking care of planet, yet He still takes His time to write a love note for us, sending a bouquet of flower at our table, and if He has a Facebook account, He is proud to write at His status as "In a Relationship" with us, and His Interest is "Human Being"
It is hard for me to comprehend this wonderful message of the Bible, yet grateful that He is indeed in love with me.
1 comment:
Thank you. This post is meaningful indeed. God bless you.
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