“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.'” (Hosea 2:16)

Husbands often joke that their wife is “the boss” or “the master” of the household. On the other hand, while wives may not say it or joke about it, they may react to the demands of their husband with the heart of an employee-to-their-boss or a servant-to-their-master.

Likewise, some people view God as an angry, rule-giving tyrant, whose frustrations at our lack of listening and obedience far exceed those of the most demanding and irritable spouse.

My thoughts on Hosea 2 are more for the married people, but singles, hang with me– y’all might learn something!

In verse 16, the Lord is referring to the time when a shift in the relationship with His people will take place. Israel will no longer view God as a “master”, but have an intimate, love-relationship with Him as a husband and wife SHOULD- a relationship characterized by honor, respect, sacrifice, and surrender, that goes both ways.

Jesus bridged the gap between God the Father and us. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He brought restoration to the relationship that God had always intended us to have with Him.

For those of us who say we genuinely have a deep and personal relationship with Christ, the way we treat and love our spouse should be an overflow of that. Our marital relationship should be a reflection of our love for Christ and His love for us. Is that true of your marriage?

As Christ (the bridegroom) sacrificed Himself for the church (the bride), so should we as husbands sacrifice ourselves for our wives, for the purpose of glorifying God and leading our wives closer to God, presenting them as holy and blameless (Eph 5:25-27).

Likewise, wives- loving submission to the godly, spiritual authority (note that I said GODLY authority, not human self-seeking authority) of your husband as assigned by God, should also be a reflection of your submission to Christ (Eph 5:22-23).

This is all for the sake of fulfilling God’s natural design for marriage, that we would not be servants and masters that serve each other out of grumbling obligation, but rather husbands and wives that serve each other out of sacrificial love.

The day has come in which Jesus gives us the pathway to fellowship, right-standing, and a personal relationship with God. Though we are surrendered in love, we have freedom in that we no longer call Him, or our spouse, “master”.

[From January 23, 2019]