day no. 14,553: I will love them freely

"A man must choose his love and then he must love his choice." - Henry Smith

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I came across the following verses in Spurgeon's Morning & Evening.

Hosea 14:1-4
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, 
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 
Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him,

“Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, 
and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. 
Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; 
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. 
In you the orphan finds mercy.” 

I will heal their apostasy; 
I will love them freely, 
for my anger has turned from them. 

God is the only free agent in all of existence. He is under no obligation to do anything for anyone and is indebted to no one for anything. He loves without condition. He elects because He wants to. Israel comes like the prodigal with a prepared speech in her mouth and vows prepared in her heart. Israel comes back in repentance and humility, but God's love is already theirs. He gives it freely. He isn't won over by their devotion or compelled by their sincerity. He heals because He wants to. He loves because He chooses to. He loves freely and offers water without price. He selects without condition and gives without restraint. God will not be wooed. He chooses and does the wooing. Anyone being drawn to Him was first drawn by Him.