Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Assignment 2 - Essay Example As well as in Hosea 3:1, wherein the passage goes: â€Å"The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’† In the Old Testament, the Israelites repeatedly rejected God and did wrong, but God continued to love them, and all other people. God’s character and actions show that He makes a covenant with His people to love them continuously, yet inspire fear in them so that they may not turn away from Him; and those who do His bidding will be rewarded in the highest form, just as stated in Jeremiah 32:40-41. Even those whom God may seem to speak against are still loved by Him, just as it is in Jeremiah 31:20, which say: â€Å"‘Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,’ declares the Lord.† Much is made of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, however, when He punishes, he does with reluctance – which still shows His love for His people. Lamentations 3:31-33 writes â€Å"For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.† Such of God’s character is also evident in Ezekiel 18:31-32 wherein God asks His people to repent. To repent and live, so that He may not punish them, for He takes no pleasure in punishing them. He asks them to rid themselves of their offenses and get a new heart and spirit. God often pleads the Israelites to repent so that He may give them blessings. Anyone who was experiencing God’s punishments could end it immediately just by simply repenting. In the Old Testament, Jesus has not come yet, and therefore God arranged for His