From Egypt I Call My Son

One small pikin dey shake as e dey waka cross di floor, im hands open, e almost fall. Di hands of im parent catch am, hold am steady, and lift am up to dia face to kiss am. Na dat picture God choose to describe im love.

Hosea na prophet for di northern kingdom of Israel, about seven hundred and fifty years before Jesus. Na time wey some people get plenty money, but di people don turn dia back on God. Dem dey worship di Baals, di gods of di Canaanites, and dem dey burn incense give idols. Di whole life of Hosea become message. God tell am make e marry one woman wey dem dey call Gomer, wey no go stay faithful to am, and make e still dey love her. Dat heartbreak na picture of how Israel don treat God. And for chapter eleven, God no talk as husband, but as parent wey dey remember im child.

When Israel be small child, I love am, and I call my son comot from Egypt. God dey look back to di very beginning. Israel be slaves for Egypt, nation of nobodies wey dey make bricks for Pharaoh. And God call dem comot. E carry dem pass through di sea enter di wilderness and make dem im own. No be because dem great, but because e love dem. Like parent wey choose child, God talk: dis na my son. And then, with sadness, God continue. Di more I call dem, di more dem dey go far from me. Dem sacrifice to di Baals. Dem burn incense give carved images.

But God no stop for di pain. E remember di tender moments. Na me teach Ephraim how to waka, I hold dem by dia arms. Ephraim na another name for di northern tribes. God talk: I teach dem to waka. I hold dia arms as dem dey take dia first steps. But dem no know say na me heal dem. Dem no even realise who don dey take care of dem. I draw dem with ropes of human kindness, with bands of love. No be with whip, like farmer wey dey drive cow, but with ropes of human kindness. I be to dem like person wey remove di yoke from dia jaw, and I bend down give dem food. Like person wey lift di heavy wooden yoke comot from animal neck, and bend down to feed am.

Di rest of di chapter talk di truth. Because Israel refuse to come back, Assyria go rule over dem, and sword go come dia cities. But even then God cry out: How I go take give you up, Ephraim? My heart don turn inside me. Di love of God no dey let go easy. E promise say one day im children go come back dey tremble, like birds from Egypt and doves from Assyria, and e go settle dem for dia houses. Judgement dey come, but love go get di last word.

Di warnings of Hosea happen for im own lifetime. For di year seven hundred and twenty-two before Christ, after siege of three years, di Assyrian army capture Samaria, di capital of di northern kingdom. Di book of Second Kings record am, and di inscriptions of di Assyrian king Sargon di Second record am too. Sargon boast say e carry more than twenty-seven thousand people comot from di city go exile.

From Egypt I Call My Son. You go find am for Hosea chapter eleven, verse one to four. Hundreds of years after, Matthew tell how Joseph carry Mary and di young child Jesus go Egypt to run from King Herod, and bring am back again. And Matthew write say dis one happen to fulfil wetin di Lord talk through di prophet: from Egypt I call my son. Di God wey love Israel like child send im own Son, wey waka di same road wey Israel waka. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God describe imself as person wey dey teach im child to waka and dey lift am up reach im cheek. How e be for you to know say God love you like dat?