God is not Baal

In the middle of today's beautiful first reading from the prophet Hosea (Hosea 2:16,17c-18,21-22), in the midst of this poem of love between God and his people, there is this odd sentence:

On that day, says the LORD,
she shall call me "My husband,"
and never again "My baal."

As usual, there is more than one level of meaning to be found in this verse.

On one level, "baal" literally means "master." Indeed, some see God as a cruel and capricious slavemaster, before whom they either grovel or rebel.

This passage from Hosea reminds us that the relationship between God and his people is not one of cruelty and caprice but rather a relationship of love and commitment originating from God himself.

I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD.

God is not Baal: he is not the ultimate slavemaster.

God is our lover.

On another level, "Baal" was the name of a pagan idol whose cult was often quite popular in ancient Israel's part of the world. Unfortunately, many ancient Israelites were rather fuzzy about the differences between the God of their fathers and the god that everybody around them was worshipping. Their knowledge of God had been shallow and it was overwhelmed by their desire to "fit in."

Such religious indifferentism is not uncommon today among Christians and even among Catholics. It dampens enthusiasm for studying and spreading the faith. Tragically, it even opens the door for some to turn their backs on Christ himself – may God have mercy on them – and to embrace the dogma of agnosticism or a non-Christian religion.

God is not Baal.

While God reaches out to all people, perhaps sometimes (as in the case of Baal-worshippers) in mysterious ways we do not understand, there is a uniqueness and an efficacy in the revelation of God in the Judeo-Christian tradition and most especially in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (without whom no one can be saved).

When we downplay that uniqueness, we not only imperil ourselves but also the non-Christians we are trying to "respect" - we do not respect people by lying or by hiding the truth from them.

God is not Baal: he binds himself to us uniquely through our Lord, Savior, and lover Jesus Christ.

I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD.

Amen.

Praised be Jesus Christ.

Laudetur Jesus Christus