First, the word therefore. What would you expect after that? Maybe something like: she forgot me and therefore I will put an end to this people. But no: therefore I will lead her to the wilderness! God is doing the opposite of what you would expect. Actually, there is no reason why he would do this. He lets his heart speak again. He cannot abandon his people for good. For his heart is still overflowing with his love for Israel. That is God!

The second surprise is what he does: he lures his people into the wilderness! They are familiar with that wilderness: the area between Egypt and Canaan where they had wandered under the guidance of Moses for forty years. God is redoing history, so to speak. There is a new exodus on the way. The wilderness is the place where idols have nothing to do and nothing to offer. Nothing grows there, there is hardly any water. Idols are fair weather gods. They leave you out in the cold when life gets tough. That is why God is taking his people into the wilderness: the place where he is all alone with Israel.