Title: Hosea

Many of the lions I paint are named after prophets in the Bible.  The book of Hosea tells the story of God’s love for a people who do not love Him.  It is about His constant love for those who aren’t even looking for Him, and who turn away and even run back to their old lives after He has shown them the faithfulness of His love.  God asked Hosea to marry a temple prostitute, and he did.  She went back to that life, and committed adultery and idolatry, and still God had Hosea go and get her and bring her home again.  This is just like the gentle and unrelenting love of our God toward us, and so I tried to put gentleness into the expression of the king of beasts, making him appear, not fearsome, but huggable.

No matter where you’ve run or how many times you’ve run, God is faithfully holding out His arms to draw you into a loving embrace.  He is strong, but He is also gentle.

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