The Book Of Hosea. Day 7, Reconciliation, Part Two

The Lord is foretelling a day of reconciliation between Himself and Israel. As we closed yesterday's study we found Him saying she would serve Him in love, willingly, and not compulsorily out of fear. We found Him saying she will serve Him and no other, forsaking her false gods forever.

As we pick back up in Chapter 2 He says, "I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety." (Hosea 2:17-18)

The complete fulfillment of the verses above won't take place until the Lord Himself reigns over the earth from Israel but some of this restoration has already occurred, in part. Israel is a sovereign nation in the world again today, after many centuries of being under the rule of this or that heathen nation. 

Another way in which some fulfillment has already taken place is that there is no evidence that the Jewish people ever turned to idolatry again (at least not in any widescale fashion such as we've seen in the Old Testament) after the Lord allowed the northern kingdom to fall to Assyria and the southern kingdom to fall to Babylon. He said in verse 17 above, "I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips," and we cannot today find any state-sponsored idolatrous religion in Israel. In the Old Testament there were kings who forsook the Lord in favor of other gods (or who worshiped Him along with other gods) and they sponsored those heathen temples and heathen priesthoods out of the royal treasuries. Idolatry was not only encouraged but was often enforced. But we don't see that in modern-day Israel.

The Lord has been speaking of Himself as Israel's husband. His wife has been unfaithful to Him but He is saying to the people through Hosea that there will come a time when she turns wholeheartedly back to Him, never speaking the names of false gods again. We will learn in our next chapter that Hosea's wife has left him for another man but the Lord will tell him to go and woo her back, just as the Lord plans to woo Israel back.

Hosea and his wife Gomer will recommit themselves to each other. The Lord and Israel will recommit themselves to each other too. The Lord reaffirms His vows to Israel as we close today's study session. "I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord." (Hosea 2:19-20)