Crush (#KuwentongJollibee)

In this second installment of the cheesy #KuwentongJollibee ads (pun intended), “Jollibee’s YumBurger was used to convey a secret admirer’s feelings” [1] through post-it notes on (what else?) the burger, which is dropped at strategic locations for the object of his love to find. “The ad was dedicated ‘to those who never gave up on love’, but as expected, Filipinos managed to inject humor between those buns and patties.” [2] I saw a lot of memes showing burgers with funny notes on top of it.

Seriously, God has already sent His “love notes” to us not through pithy sentences on post-it notes but through His Word, the Bible.

Yesterday, we already saw how Hosea’s faithful relationship with his unfaithful wife Gomer reveals God’s faithfulness towards Israel’s unfaithfulness.

Hosea’s personal tragedy is an intense illustration of Israel’s national tragedy. It is a story of one-sided love and faithfulness that represents the relationship between Israel and God. … Because of his own painful experience, Hose can feel some of the sorrow of God over the sinfulness of His people. His loyal love for Gomer is a reflection of God’s concern for Israel. [3]

Hosea gave this indictment against the nation.

Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. (4:1-2, emphasis added)

Note that Israel has “no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God”. I think that love for God and knowledge about Him go hand in hand. Because they have no knowledge of God. they have no love for Him. That’s why the prophet declared, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.” (4:10)

God already gave us His Word. We should accept the knowledge of God instead of rejecting it. We are to grow in His knowledge instead of being destroyed for lack of it.

[1] Kat Domingo (10 February 2017), “Aww to ouch: Jollibee's Valentine ads spur memes, ‘hugot' lines,” ABS-CBN News, retrieved from http://news.abs-cbn.com/.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), 236, 237.