God is REALLY emotional

During a recent study of the book of Hosea, I was impressed with just how deeply emotional God is.
The book begins with the shocking command from God to his prophet Hosea, telling him to go and marry a prostitute. Hosea obeyed, marrying a prostitute named Gomer. The next chapters tell the saga of Hosea's love for his continually unfaithful wife. Gomer leaves their family and lives with other men, until, eventually she ends up being sold as a slave. Hosea buys her and brings her home. His demand? That she stay with him and be faithful. And he promises to continue to be faithful to her. Pretty amazing story.

God is clear that this story is to illustrate His love for Israel, and His continual faithfulness to them even as they pursue idols. The story of Hosea reveals God’s heart that breaks over His people who turn away from Him. Chapter 11 is a snapshot that summarizes the whole book.

See how tender God is toward His people.

Hos 11:1-4

  When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

The more they were called, the more they went away;  they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

But, because of their sin, God is planning judgment against them

Hos 11:6-7

The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High,

he shall not raise them up at all.

But, still, He hesitates to bring judgment because of His love. 

Hos 11:8-9

How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?

... My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger;

I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. 

God’s love is so strong.  Like a man in love, loving an unfaithful woman blindly, or like a parent who cannot stop loving his child. God does not want to turn away from Israel.

 God does not want to bring judgment against His people. He wants them to return to Him. He delays judgment so that that will. He gives them chance after chance. God's love is deep and tender. 

Some time ago theologians formulated the doctrine of God’s impassibility. They argued that God was “without passions.” Their motive was to distinguish God from the mood swings and more erratic and unstable aspects of human emotions. Unfortunately, many Christians came to believe that God doesn’t have emotions.
It’s critical that we know the heart of God. He genuinely loves and cares about us. If we believe he has no emotions, then we will never feel his love for us, nor will we experience deep love for him.

An abundance of biblical passages show that God experiences a broad range of emotions. These are just a few. 

 Eph 4:30

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

Deut 1:37

Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there. 

Judg 2:18

For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 

1 Kings 3:10

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this

Zeph 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst,  a mighty one who will save;  he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Gen 6:6

And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 

The one thing that is the overriding factor in all His emotions is His love. He love us. That love is the foundation of the way He relates to us. 

Jer 31:3

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

God does have emotions. He created us in his image, with the same emotions that he has. His are stable, dependable, not fickle, not out of balance. God's love is not a theological, vague, objective kind of love. His love is deep, tender, sweet, heart-felt. Yes, His love is stable unchanging, not fickle, but that does not make it cold and detached. We are safe and secure in His love. We don't have to wonder if He still loves us, because His love is eternal, and unconditional. AND, we are warmed and happy in His love, because His love is tender and personal.