The Least Rash Marriage Proposal Ever

I’m devoting the next few weeks to working on a project that’s going to demand most of my mental energy. So apart from the usual Mon-Fri Checkout which will continue, I won’t be writing an additional daily article. Instead, I’m going to post a series of daily devotionals on Hosea that I wrote a few years ago.

I will betroth you to me in judgment. (Hosea 2:19)

Judgment? Surely this cannot be good for me! The last thing I need is judgment. Surely, this word of danger is out of place among all these other words of encouragement? Well, the context is one of encouragement and comfort. So it is unlikely that the word carries its common meaning of guilt, sentence, and execution.

There are three possible ways to look at “judgment” positively. First, it can describe God’s intervention for His people against their enemies. In this sense, God is the “Judge” of the widow (Ps. 68:5). If that is the meaning here, then God is promising His covenant people that He will intervene on their behalf against their enemies, thereby better securing them to Himself.

Second, “judgment” can describe the process of re-ordering what has been disordered. Therefore, perhaps here God is promising not only that He will remarry Israel but will re-order the chaos of the Israelites’ lives. He will put things back in their proper place.

Third, we might say of someone, “We respect his judgment.” What we mean is that this is not someone who acts rashly or thoughtlessly, but, rather, acts wisely after due deliberation. This is the most likely meaning here. Some people marry hastily, later regret it, and try to escape. However, God is saying that His people need not fear this of Him. His marriage proposal is well thought out—an eternity of planning! “I will betroth you to me in judgment.” He knows all about Israel and He knows all about you, your past, present, and future. He weighs it all, thinks it all through, and after due consideration of all the factors involved, still says, “I will betroth you to me”!

Some people may wish they had waited longer or had known certain things before they decided to get married. They might not have proceeded if they had. However, God knows everything and has known us longer than we have known ourselves; and yet He says, “I will betroth you to me.”

Doubting Christian, the Lord did not make a mistake in the day of your espousals. He does not regret His decision to propose to you. Lost and lonely soul, here is a divine Husband who knows everything you’ve been or will be and yet deliberately and determinedly proposes marriage. What do you say?