In the movie 10 Things I Hate About You (a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew), Heath Ledger is a headstrong guy who successfully woos – or wears down, depending on your perspective – Julia Stiles, who plays a stubborn “shrew” of a woman who is equally headstrong and unwilling to be caught. She sees the shallowness of so many of the relationships around her, and she’s been burned by guys who promise a lot but give little. And she refuses to get hurt again, working hard to run Ledger and any other guy off. In the end, though, Ledger simply won’t be moved, and eventually he wins the “love war” when Stiles’ character realizes that – hate it though she might – she’s been caught.
This is not a bad story of God’s pursuit of us. A word that (fittingly) shows up over and over throughout the Hebrew Bible is hesed. It’s usually translated “steadfast love,” although Pastor Phil maybe put it better as “stubborn love.” Like the shrew, we fight Him, rejecting His hesed – but He refuses to be moved.
In the video from Sunday, we saw a scene bursting with emotion. In handcuffs and having truly hit rock bottom, Hosea’s unfaithful wife calls the one person she knows will come for her. Hosea – who has faithfully showed up at the counseling sessions, waiting to reconcile – does not disappoint. But what does he feel when he gets the call, when he hears what she’s been arrested for? Surely he’s conflicted. His heart breaks for her, hearing her tears… but at the same time, part of him has to cry out for justice. That part would be easy: tell her she got herself into that problem, she could get herself out. “Call one of the guys you chose over me,” he could have said. But he doesn’t.
Instead, Hosea redeems her. In the biblical account, Hosea literally buys her back, both wooing her and purchasing her from bondage. Imagine what that would look like in a small town: everyone knew she’d run out on him. What would the walk to her house have been like for Hosea? He went to buy her back – not as a slave, but as a bride. He wants her heart (Hosea 6:6, Matt 9:13), and so Hosea gets vulnerable and offers his heart to her – even though he knows her heart is at best conflicted… She’s not fully his, even when it’s clear that he’s the only one she’s always been able to count on. And that’s gotta hurt Hosea.
But Redemption always costs the redeemer dearly. On the Cross, Jesus – in incredible physical and emotional pain – looked down on the people spitting curses at Him, and begged His Father to forgive them. In an “all-out love war,” God, through His Son, will not be moved. He is steadfast, not allowing us to chase Him off – no matter how bad it hurts Him to love us. Like Hosea, God won’t give up on you. The only question is how long we’ll continue to hold out, how hard we’ll fight Him, how long we’ll reject His advances, refusing to be caught.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
– Lamentations 3:22-24
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