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Leaving First Love

Years ago a child was born, no one bothered to cut her navel cord, nor cleanse the blood and wrap her in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied her, to do any of these things for her, to have compassion on her, but she was thrown out into an open field to die. The child was loathed on the day she was born! But someone passed by and seeing her lying in filth said, Live! Spreading their wing over the child and covering it's nakedness, washing, clothing, and nurturing the child. The father swore an oath to the child and entered into a covenant with her and she became his, an adopted child. The father adorned the girl in jewelry of silver and fine clothes of costly fabric and embroidered cloth. She became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. Her fame spread among the people on account of her beauty and her beauty was made perfect by the splendor the father had given her.

 But she trusted in her beauty and used her fame so that others would love her and not the father. She lavished her favors on anyone who passed by and her beauty became theirs. Everything the father had given her she set before them for sweet savor so that they would love her. She took other children of the father and sacrificed them to her own devotion, a devotion so insatiable she sought elsewhere to fill it. She was like a harlot, spreading her legs to anyone, but unlike a harlot she scorned payment. She was like an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. Therefore, the father stretched out his hand against her, diminishing her allotment, and giving her up to the will of those who hated her. The father said to her, "How degenerate is your heart, seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot."

Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated me with all these things, surely I will repay you with your own deeds. And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations. They will say of you, ‘Like mother, like daughter!’ You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. Your elder sister is Samaria and your younger sister Sodom, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways. Neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Your sister Sodom and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abominations before me, therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

The father went to Hosea, seeking someone to understand how he felt of the child leaving his love. The father told Hosea, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry. So Hosea went and did so, and it came to pass that he had children of a harlot; a son was born and a name was given which meant, I will bring an end to your kingdom. Then a daughter was born, her name given, I will no longer have mercy. Another son was born and the name given, for you are not My people, and I will not be your father. Hosea's wife continued in her harlotry, committing adultery. Eventually her beauty faded and she was despised and rejected by all, no one wanted her. But Hosea picked her up in her filth and loved her.

 And so the father loved the girl he had adopted years before. And he said to her, the number of your children shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’ I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you shall know who I am, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done, so said the Father.[1]

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.2

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