Hosea 11:1-6
Never Pushy

When Israel was a child, I loved him,
     and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
     the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
     and offering incense to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
     I took them up in my arms;
     but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
     with bands of love.
I was to them like those
     who lift infants to their cheeks.
     I bent down to them and fed them.

They shall return to the land of Egypt,
     and Assyria shall be their king,
     because they have refused to return to me.
The sword rages in their cities,
     it consumes their oracle-priests,
     and devours because of their schemes.

New Revised Standard Version

Among older teenage boys, it is usually easy to figure out who has the fastest car and the most powerful car stereo system, because they are the ones who rev their engine up in the parking lot and play their stereo the loudest. When I was in high school, I felt the need to drive through the parking lot much more quietly, since my small engine and my AM-only radio couldn't compete with theirs. That's somewhat of our nature -- "if you've got it, flaunt it."

We expect God to do the same, and we get excited when we see that kind of force displayed. I think we probably would have cheered to see the fire and brimstone devour Sodom and Gomorrah, as sinful as those cities were. We also probably would have been frustrated just like Jonah to be waiting for the destruction of Ninevah that never came.

But that's how we work, not how God works. God responds in love to Ninevah's repentance, even though history shows us their change of heart didn't last long. God acts in subtle ways, longing for us to recognize God as the source of our blessings. In this passage, Hosea writes down God's lament that the people of Israel did not even notice that their guidance and healing came from the depths of God's love.

From this lack of understanding would come their ruin. Again, God had the power to act to prevent it, maybe even to send pillars of fire and rock-shattering voices to demand Israel reject their wrongdoing and turn back to God. Instead, out of love, God had to let them fall. God sent the prophets, people telling other people, because people have to make the choice to obey God or ignore God.

The God with the power to create and sustain the universe, is never pushy, because what God wants from us is our love, given freely from us to God.