In a sermon he delivered on this passage, Roy Clements said:

Though [Hosea 11] is comparatively little known, I regard it as one of the jewels in the Bible, for in it we see portrayed in a remarkable and vivid way what the love of God means to God Himself.

So here Hosea is bold enough to open for us the mind of God, God’s inner thoughts. Dare we say, God’s feelings?

What do we find when we peep through that audacious window? Do we find the stern impartiality of an omniscient judge? Do we find the aloof dignity of an omnipotent sovereign? No. Astonishingly, in this passage the prophet tells us that what we find when we look through that window at the heart of God is a broken heart, the broken heart of a deserted parent.

Hosea insists that there is one very fundamental and important way in which God is like us. He loves, and loves in a way that we human beings can understand and experience. And because he loves, he feels. He can be hurt. He can suffer.12

Many historic Christian documents declare that God is “impassible.” In other words, He is emotionless. The Westminster Confession of Faith asserts the same thing.13 But is that assertion true? After reading these verses from Hosea, how can we believe it?

Does God feel pain? Does God actually suffer when we sin and show contempt for His love? Verse 8 seems to indicate that He does. Some say that this is simply God’s way of helping us understand deity in the language of humanity—the only language we understand. Was that not one of the purposes of God’s becoming a man? So that we might know God in a way we can understand? Certainly, at some level, we must concede that Jesus’ life—a life filled with emotions, pain, and suffering—helps us understand who God is.

The longer I live, the greater appreciation I have for the truth that man is created in God’s image. That means if you or I feel hurt when someone abuses our love, it is because we are made in the image of God, who is also hurt when His love is abused. I realize that man’s emotions are all too often displayed sinfully, whereas God’s emotions never are. We allow indignation to swell into rage or hurt to morph into revenge. But if God can experience the joy of love fulfilled, why would He not also experience the pain of love rejected?

Many people are afraid to love for fear of the pain of rejection. And so they hold back. But true love, unconditional love, loyal love—God’s love—is not fearful.