July 26
A CHANGE OF NAME
"And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call
me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali; for I will take away the
names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered
by their name." Hosea 2:16 , 17
That day has come. We view our God no more as Baal, our tyrant lord
and mighty master, for we are not under law, but under grace. We now
think of Jehovah, our God, as our Ishi, our beloved husband, our lord
in love, our next-of-kin in bonds of sacred relationship. We do not
reverence Him less, but we love Him more. We do not serve Him less
obediently, but we serve Him for a higher and more endearing reason.
We no longer tremble under His lash, but rejoice in His love. The
slave is changed into a child, and the task into a pleasure.
Is it so with thee, dear reader? Has grace cast out slavish fear
and implanted filial love? How happy are we in such an experience! Now
we call the Lord's Day a delight, and worship is never a weariness.
Prayer is now a privilege, and praise is a holiday. To obey is Heaven;
to give to the cause of God is a banquet. Thus have all things become
new. Our mouth is filled with singing, and our heart with music.
Blessed be our heavenly Ishi for ever and for ever.