The Book Of Hosea. Day 8, Reconciliation, Part Three

We ended yesterday's study with the Lord speaking of a day in which His relationship with Israel will be restored. He said, "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)

The Lord has been faithful to His wife (Israel) but she has not been faithful to Him. She has gone after her "lovers" as the Lord referred to the pagan gods she's served. But although she has not been faithful to Him, He will court her once again and in time she will respond appropriately to His overtures and give her heart back to Him, forsaking all others. In turn, He will respond to her faithfulness with prosperity.

"'In that day I will respond,' declares the Lord---'I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for Myself in the land; I will show My love to the one called, 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called, 'Not my people,' 'You are my people;' and they will say, 'You are my God.'" (Hosea 2:21-23)

The promised land will flow with milk and honey in a way it never has before. I think the majority of this prophecy will be fulfilled in the kingdom age when the Lord reigns over the world but it cannot be denied that the Lord has kept a protective eye on Israel. For many centuries she was ruled over by one master after another (enemy nations), but she is very much an independent nation in the world again. I believe she will remain an independent nation until the day the kingdom comes---until the day the King of kings takes His throne and rules over the world in righteousness and justice. She will cling only to Him then and forevermore.

In the concluding verses of Chapter 2 we find references to the three children of Hosea's household. Jezreel was his firstborn and the only child we can be certain was actually fathered by him, for the Bible told us that Gomer "bore him" a son. His name means something like, "God sows," or "God scatters", which is a reference to the sowing of seed in the manner of a farmer scattering seed in the fields. This name was part of the prophecy the Lord gave Hosea; He is soon going to scatter Israel among the nations. But when the promise of full reconciliation comes true, He is going to sow Israel in her own land. This has already come true in part but in the kingdom age there will be more Jewish people living in the land of Israel than there has ever been since Old Testament times. The use of the name "Jezreel" will be a positive thing in that day. It will no longer mean being scattered among the nations but will mean being planted---and flourishing!---in their own land.

Two other children were born to Hosea's wife and the Bible does not specify that these were fathered by Hosea. It says that Gomer "gave birth to a daughter" and that the Lord instructed Hosea to name her Lo-Ruhamah which means "not loved". Just as the majority of Israel did not love the Lord in the days of Hosea, Hosea's wife did not love him. This made it impossible for the Lord to bless Israel, for she had forsaken Him and He cannot bless sin, and it made it impossible for Hosea to shower blessings upon his wife, for she ran around with other men and will even leave him for another man in the next chapter. But a time will come when Israel will love the Lord in the right way and He will be able to pour out blessings the way He wants to pour out blessings. Then it cannot be said that He is "not loved" by Israel or that Israel is "not loved" by Him.

When a third child is born into the household of Hosea we are told that "Gomer had another son". Again we take note that this child is not said to be the child of Hosea. The Lord instructed Hosea to name him Lo-Ammi which means "not my people". This child is almost certainly not Hosea's and, in the era of Hosea, the Lord could truly say of most of the Israelites that they were not His people. He wanted them to be His people just as Hosea wanted this baby boy to be his son, but that was not the case. But in time the Lord will say to the descendants of Jacob, "You are My people". They will join themselves in fellowship with Him as never before and it will be clear that they are His because they will be so much like Him. They will obey His precepts and take joy in honoring Him. Just as you or I may clearly look like our earthly fathers, if we are truly the children of God we should resemble Him.