Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, But he never acknowledged my help, never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, That I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek, that I bent down to feed him. Hosea 11:3-4 (TM)
Hosea uses a metaphor of God being a parent with a rebellious, ungrateful child. Raising teenagers makes this metaphor hit the target. You realize with teens that they are firmly planted in the center of their own universe, you are taken for granted and there is no realization or acknowledgment of how much you have done and continue to do for the. An apt metaphor for Israel, and a decent reminder to me that I shouldn’t treat my heavenly Father like a teenager.