Contrast: The Mighty and the Loving

The Mighty:

"The Lord thunders

at the head of his army;

his forces are beyond number,

and mighty are those who obey his command.

The day of the Lord is great;

it is dreadful.  Who can endure?"

-Joel 2:11

"The sun and moon will be darkened

and the starts no longer shine.

The Lord will roar from Zion

and thunder from Jerusalem;

the earth and the sky will tremble,

But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,

a stronghold for the people of Isreal."

-Joel 3:15,16

The Loving:

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

But the more I called Israel,

the further they went from me.

They sacrificed to Baals

and burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephriam to walk,

taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize

it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,

with ties of love;

I lifted the yoke from their neck

and bent down to feed them."

- Hosea 11:1-4

"I will ransom them from the power of the grace;

I will redeem them from death.

Where, O death, are your plagues?

Where, O death, is your destruction?"

-Hosea 13:14a