Faithful God (Part Five): A Reclaimed Bride

Transcript

JROT 5
Faithful God (Part Five): A Reclaimed Bride
10/30/2022
Hosea 2:14-23
Jesse Randolph

“ . . . she forgot Me.” That’s where we left off in our study of Hosea a couple of weeks ago with God saying, in Hosea 2:13, “she forgot Me.” Jarring words. Sad words. Avoidable words. Leading up to this point in Israel’s history God had given His people every reason, every reason to remember where they had come from. To remember who it was who had provided for them. To whom it was who watched over them and protected them and who it was who loved them. And, knowing that His people were not perfect. And knowing that His people were sinful. And knowing that His people were stiff-necked and prone to wander God had given warning after warning to His people about the perils of forgetting Him.

Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen, and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life.” Deuteronomy 6:12 “. . . watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy 8:11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today.”

Warning after warning. “Give heed to yourself.” “Watch yourself.” “Beware.” It didn’t matter. Time after time notwithstanding God’s repeated warnings to them they forgot Him. They forgot Him at Sinai when they forgot the first and second commandments. When they made a “god” for themselves that they could see. We see the narrative of that incident known as the golden calf incident in Exodus 32. That account is later recounted in Psalm 106:19-22. It says, “They made a calf in Horeb And worshiped a molten image. Thus, they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, Wonders in the land of Ham And awesome things by the Red Sea.

They forgot Him during the time of the Judges. Judges 8:32-33, “. . . the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.” They forgot Him at the end of the unified Kingdom, under Solomon. 1 Kings 11:4-6,
“For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been . . . Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.” They forgot Him in Judah during the period of the divided Kingdom. Jeremiah 18:15, “For My people have forgotten Me, they burn incense to worthless gods.” Jeremiah 23:27, They “forgot My name because of Baal.” Now, here in Hosea we have God saying, “It happened again.” “They forgot Me.” As we’re going to see this evening though they had forgotten Him He had not forgotten them. Which brings to mind Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a woman,” this is the Lord speaking, “forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget,” the Lord says, “but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” Yes, Israel was going her own way, but God was still firm in His commitments to them. Yes, Israel was proving themselves yet again to be faithless, but God was and is, and ever will be faithful.

Turn with me in your Bibles, if you would, to Hosea 2:14. Tonight, we’re going to be going through the second half of Chapter 2 and, Lord willing, finish chapter 2 as we work our way from verse 14 of Hosea 2 all the way to the end of the chapter in verse 23.

As you’re turning there, because of how complex a book Hosea is, and to make sure you’re tracking with where we are in the book and the place where really, we will be going tonight in its proper context. I think a bit of review on the front end is going to be helpful. We already have been, in the few sermons we’ve worked through this text already, on a rollercoaster of highs and lows as laid out in the book of Hosea. Well tonight is no different. We’re going to jerk in the opposite direction from where we were last time. Now we’ve already seen in Hosea chapter 1 how Hosea’s household was formed.

We’ve seen that “the word of the LORD” came to Hosea in chapter 1, verse 1 and in giving Hosea that “word” we saw that God commanded Hosea in chapter 1, verse 2 to “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry.” God ordered Hosea to do so to take this harlot, this prostitute for a wife so that God could teach a lesson to Israel about her own spiritual harlotry, her own spiritual whoredom. Chapter 1, verse 2 says “for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.” We saw in chapter 1, verse 3 that Hosea immediately followed the Lord’s command. You’ll recall it says there “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim.” In verses 3-9, we saw that Gomer, Hosea’s wife, the prostitute gave birth to three children only one of whom was Hosea’s. The other two of which came from her other lovers. God directed Hosea to give the children specific names. Names that were portentous and depressing Jezreel meaning “bloodshed,” or “scattered.” Lo-Ruhamah meaning, “no mercy.” Lo-Ammi meaning, “not my people.” The names given by Hosea to these children were completely devoid of hope. Bloodshed, No Mercy, Not My People.

A few weeks ago, as we moved into in Hosea 1:10 into chapter 2:1, we encountered a bit of hopeful interlude in this otherwise dark account. Starting with the first words of verse 10 all the way into 2:1. That first word of verse 10, chapter 1 really was the pivot point. The word “Yet.”
Then over those next three verses we saw the tone change. We saw the focus shift to this hopeful future day for Israel. We saw from that text that God hadn’t given up on His people. He still had a plan for them. As we saw from those three verses a couple weeks ago, God was promising a future restoration of His people. He was providing a future renewal of His promises. He was predicting a reconciliation of the divisions that existed between Israel and Judah. He was promising reinstatement of the king, their Messiah. He was promising a return to the land. As we saw from those future-oriented prophecies those would one day come to fruition ultimately in the future Millennial Kingdom. When the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the World, the Lord Jesus Christ reigns.

Last time, a couple of weeks ago, the scene turned negative again with Yahweh, through the lens of his shattered marriage of Hosea and Gomer portraying the judgment He was about to bring on His people Israel. That section starting Hosea 2:2 started with this lawsuit-like language. It reads as though divorce papers were about to be served. “Contend with your mother,” it says, “contend, for she is not my wife, and I am not your husband.” Then after those ominous words of contention God proceeded to issue threat after threat against His people.

Note all of these “I will” statements in the section of Hosea 2 we covered last time which indicate that judgment had not yet come on Israel. Judgment was yet in the future. Judgment was to come at another later day. Hosea 2:3, “I will strip her naked,” it says, “and expose her as on the day when she was born. Hosea 2:6, “I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.” Hosea 2:9, “I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.” Verse 10, “I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers.” Verse 11, “I will also put an end to all her gaiety. Verse 12, “I will destroy her vines and fig trees and I will make them a forest and the beast of the field will devour them.” And finally, verse 13, “‘I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them.” The last few words of verse 13, the words we started with tonight, “‘so that she forgot Me,’” declares the Lord.” “She forgot Me.” Israel had forgotten the LORD.

Now, notice, as we get into our text for tonight, starting in verse 14, that this is now God speaking directly to Israel. Gomer was already sort of progressively fading off the scene and from the picture last time when we worked our way through Hosea 2:2-13. But by the time we get to verse 14 at this point in Hosea’s prophecy Gomer has fully faded away from the scene.
In tonight’s text the relationship that we’re going to see, that’s being spoken of is between God and Israel. In this section, we are going to see three things. We are going to see a renewed love in verses 14 and 15. We will see a renewed marriage in verses 16 through 20 and we’ll see a renewed blessing in verses 21 through 23. A renewed love, a renewed marriage, a renewed blessing.

With that, let’s pick it up in verse 14, a renewed love. The text tonight begins with this word “Therefore.” That’s the Hebrew connecting particle laken which is normally as it is here translated “therefore” or “thus.” Now, considering all the words of judgment that we’ve seen in the preceding section, the words of judgment that I just read through, where the Lord was pleading with Israel and hedging up her way and laying out punishment for her wrongdoing.
What would you expect to come next after the word, “therefore?” I know what I would expect. I’d expect to see something like “Therefore, I will lay waste to her.” “Therefore, I will rain down fire and brimstone upon her.” “Therefore, I will smite, shame, and ruin her.” “Therefore, I will leave and forsake her once and for all.” “Therefore, I will abandon her, just as she has abandoned me.” “Therefore, I am done with her for good.” Right? Wrong. We must remember as we covered last time that the pronouncements that God has made upon Israel in the section, we covered in our last sermon in this series were not ultimately borne out of a desire to divorce her once and for all. Instead, were rooted in the pity He had for her. Pity that led Him not to forsake her but rather to woo her back to Himself.

So just as the language of judgment that we see in Hosea 1:2-9 is followed by these words of restoration in Hosea 1:10 to 2:1. The promise of restoration in Hosea 2:14-23, our text for tonight follows the language of judgment in Hosea 2:2-13. Hence, this word “Therefore” could also be rendered “even so” or “nevertheless” or “notwithstanding.”

Then He says, in verse 14, continuing past the word “Therefore” behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly to her.” God here has decided to appeal anew to His wayward bride. The language God invokes here is passionate. This verb “allure” here could also be rendered woo, romance, even seduce. It’s a tender expression. It doesn’t portray as we think of the word seduce like a self-centered seduction. Instead, it portrays this whole-hearted appeal based on one’s personal commitment. It’s a term used elsewhere in Scripture to describe courtship. A term also used in scripture to be winning back another’s love.

That’s what’s being described here. There was a heedlessness on the part of Israel. There was spiritual adultery on the part of Israel. There was spiritual prostitution on the part of Israel. But God here is initiating a renewed courtship and betrothal. He is winning her back over. Not because she deserves it, but because He loves her. Far from being cold and dispassionate God’s posture toward His people and toward the world in both Testaments is one of love. So, a time was coming for Israel in which He would win her back.

Now, she would still face the consequences for her sin. There was still this punishment coming to Israel that would fit the crime. She was still facing this period that we know of as the rejection or deprivation, her and exile into Assyria. Ultimately, that time would come in the future. There would be this time in the future where there would be restoration and reconciliation. Yahweh would never lose His grip. He would never lose His sight of His beloved nation. Zechariah 2:8 calls Israel “The apple of His eye.” Serving her sentence Israel here is told that she has hope for the distant future that is even more glorious than her distant past. Meaning, the focus of this passage is eschatological. More on that later. For now, I want to keep our feet on the ground of the 8th century B.C and here the Lord is saying there is a day coming. A day coming after her punishment, after her deportation, after her exile, after the Assyrians do what they will with her, that “I will allure her” He says in verse 14.

Next, He says He will “Bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.” Now the reference here to the “wilderness,” the word in Hebrew is “midbar” recalls Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus. That is portrayed at other places in the Old Testament as a time in which Israel experienced the Lord’s care in a special way. A time in which she, in return, loved Him with the devotion of a new bride. Jeremiah 2 is representative of this, of this period of the wilderness and this special nature of this time. Notwithstanding some of the grumbling that happened during that time as we will see later. Jeremiah 2:2-3 says, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals,” this is God speaking to Judah now, “your following after Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the first of His harvest.”

There’s also an interesting reversal, in fact, the first of many reversals happening here in our text tonight here in Hosea 2 especially as it relates to the wilderness. Recall that in Hosea 2:3
God said: “I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness, make her like desert land and slay her with thirst.” Now, the wilderness in verse 14 is going to become the site of God’s appealing to her and wooing her and courting her. Picture, if you will, a husband whose marriage is in trouble. The relationship between he and his wife is strained. It’s at the breaking point. It’s on the rocks. So, in one final attempt to get things right, to get things back on track he takes his wife back to the place where they first fell in love. Perhaps she will remember there where they sojourned or vacationed or had their trip away. She’ll remember why she first loved him and when she first loved him. Perhaps those old feelings can be rekindled. That’s in a sense what we have going on here.

Now, the “wilderness” had special significance for the Old Testament prophets. Though there was bad behavior and grumbling in the wilderness by the time you get to the period of the divided kingdom, the period of Israel’s wandering in the “wilderness” was for many looked back on with fondness as a time when Israel demonstrated her childlike trust in God. The “wilderness” period was unlike the period of the settlement in Canaan later when they entered the promised land when they became more ensnared with the cultures and the people of the day. Yes, the wilderness period and the wilderness wandering period was marred by defection and failure. In fact, here’s a memorable line from the wilderness period, Numbers 11:5-6. How many of you have used this line when you have complaining kids in the back seat? This is the Israelites. “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” So, the Israelites were complaining. They were bickering. They were dissatisfied. They were ungrateful. But viewed overall, by the time you get to the period of the divided kingdom when Hosea is here writing they looked back on the period with fondness. Because it was at this time in which Israel made its way. When Israel made its way albeit falteringly to the borders of Canaan, to the Promised Land. Having exited Egypt and now seeking that inheritance promised long ago to their forefathers. That’s where they went. Now what’s being signaled here in Hosea 2:14 is that the “wilderness” which for a time would be a period of desolation and punishment for Israel would later be transformed to be a place of reconciliation and redemption for Israel.

The wilderness, verse 14 says is the place where Yahweh would “speak kindly to her.” That literally says, in Hebrew, He will “speak to her heart.” Just as Jeremiah would later foresee a new covenant written on the heart of God’s people in Jeremiah 31; and just as Ezekiel would promise that God would remove their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh Hosea here is portraying God as tenderly speaking to the heart of His beloved. After “contending” with her, back in 2:2, He now says He will “speak tenderly” to her. He will offer her gentle, encouraging words such as a man speaks to his new bride.

Look at what comes next. It’s another stunning reversal in verse 15. He says, “Then I will give her her vineyards from there.” Now “vineyards” here is a comprehensive term covering all that God had previously declared that He would strip her of. Recall, last time God said, in Hosea 2:9 that He will take back, Hosea 2:9 “I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.” He also said, in Hosea 2:12: “I will destroy her vines and fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages which my lovers have given me.’ And I will make them a forest and the beasts of the field will devour them.” But now He says, in Hosea 2:15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there.” In the midst of the wilderness, He will restore to her, her vineyards which will prove to the nation both His power and His deep concern for her. Here’s Harry Ironside’s commentary on what we’ve seen so far in this section. This is Ironside, he says, “He loves to remember the days of her first betrothal to Himself, when she went after Him into the wilderness, into a land that was not sown; when she was holiness unto the Lord, and her heart was fixed upon Him alone. Those happy days of her first love are to be renewed. Once more He will allure and draw her away from the scenes of her captivity and dishonor. Alone with Himself in the wilderness of the peoples, He will plead with her face to face. Her vineyards of joy will He restore.”

These words of reversal and reconciliation and restoration continue in verse 15. He says, “And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” Now the “valley of Achor” was in the vicinity of Jericho. It’s one of the valleys leading into the mountains of Canaan from Jericho. It was a fertile region. It was a pleasant region. However, it was historically, a place of trouble. We see that in the conquest narrative of Joshua 7. There, you might recall, and I mentioned it a bit this morning, Achan wrongfully plundered some shekels of silver from Jericho and this conquest of temporarily was stalled, temporarily failed actually as the wrath of God came upon them. God’s favor only returned to them though and the conquest would resume after Joshua found out Achan’s sin and Achan ultimately was executed. Here’s how that scene concluded, in Joshua 7:25-26. It says, “Joshua said,” this is him speaking to Achan, “‘Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.’ And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day.” So, the first time Israel passed through this valley during the days of Joshua and Achan it was known as the valley of Achor and that can be translated trouble. It was a valley of trouble. Now, based on the reversal we see here in Hosea, a reversal that is rooted in the grace of God and His love for Israel we see that this same valley, the valley of Achor, will one day become a place of restoration. Instead of a place that signifies God’s punishment and judgment upon Achan’s greed it will now be a “door of hope” for Israel.

This future renaming of this specific valley is reminiscent of the renaming of people, places, and items that we’ve already seen in the book of Hosea. You know, “Jezreel” goes from “bloodshed” to being “sown by God.” We will see that a little bit later this evening. “No Mercy” becomes “Mercy.” “Not My People” becomes “My people.” The “valley of Achor” (or “trouble”) becomes a “door of hope.” This same valley that Israel earlier walked through with its head hung low they will one day walk through that valley with their heads held high. Not because of anything about them or how great or faithful they were but because of how great and faithful God is.

Look at Israel’s response, after the “valley of Achor” becomes a “door of hope” it says Israel will “sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” As in the days of her earlier devotion to the Lord as she came out from slavery in Egypt it says she will one day again “sing.” Which is representative of that early, first-love type devotion where Israel recognized who her true Provider was. What her true source of hope was and who her true God was.

Now, I always want to be careful about leaping too far from Hosea’s context in eighth century BC speaking to Israelites to our context today. There are appropriate offramps where we can take an eternal spiritual principle that we see in this book and carry it over to today. We are not Israel. We are the church. The church is not Israel. Israel is not the church. Let that be said. There are principles here that we can certainly observe and apply to our lives from this text here in the church age, and this is one of them. Look at Israel’s response here to being given this second chance by God. Right? Her devotion to Him has waned. She has failed Him multiple times. He has shown her incredible patience. He continues to pursue her. Having been shown this incredible kindness by God she responds. She sings. She sings it says in verse 15 “as in the day of her youth.” At a time when she was more devoted to the Lord. More zealous for the Lord. More committed to the Lord. More faithful to the Lord.

I wonder if there might be someone here tonight who needs that reminder and challenge. Someone here who’s lost their first love for the Lord. If there’s someone who’s become compromised in their devotion to the Lord. Or someone who is now adrift from the Lord.
If that’s you tonight cry out to Him. Ask Him to restore to you the joy of your salvation. Ask Him to take you back, to borrow from Hosea here, to the days of your youth. Ask Him to fan into flame the passions you once had for Him. Repent of your cold and stilted ways and return to your old ways of faithfully, and devotedly, and excitedly serving and living for the Lord.

Moving on to verse 16 and 17, though we have this new thought develop. And it’s actually another reversal happening where we see a renewed marriage. A renewed marriage, starting in verse 16. It says, “It will come about in that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘that you will call Me Ishi and will no longer call Me Baali. For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more.” Now this text is still future-oriented. You can see right there in verse 16 it says, “It will come about that day,” meaning, as of Hosea’s day, this “day” he is referring to has not yet come. Again, more on that later. On that day it says, “declares the LORD” “You will call me Ishi.” Ishi is Hebrew for “my husband,” “my husband.” “Ish” is the Hebrew word for “man.” Depending on the context, that word “ish” can also mean “husband.” Then when you add that little letter “i” at the end of that word it’s a first-person singular suffix. Meaning it’s a statement of possession. So that it becomes not just “husband” but “my husband.” So “On that day” says the Lord, you shall call Me “Ishi,” My Husband. He goes on to say, though they “will no longer call Me Baali.” What’s that all about? Well, when we hear the term “Baal,” we think of automatically false gods right? False worship.
Well, what we need to know is at its root that word, “Baal,” means “lord” or master.” The verb that underlies the word “Baal” means “to possess” or “to own.” What class of people “owns” things? What class of people “possesses” things? In this culture it was “Lords,” “masters.” So, “Baal,” in its original context, its original meaning was “Lord,” “master.” But as can often happen with terms that have spiritual meanings the word Baal ultimately was heathenized by the time of Hosea so that the term was now not only used to refer to lords and masters generally but instead to various false, localized deities. There wasn’t just one “baal.” There were Baalim, little gods, little masters of various municipalities and localities. So, if we put it into our context, it’d be like you’d have the “Baal-84th Street” and the “Baal-Crete” and the “Baal-Waverly” and “Baal-Bennet” and so on and so on. Don’t worry. I’m not going to do the Revelation 2 tour thing right now. Not only, though, had the various false pagan gods of the land had been called “Baal.” By the time of Hosea’s day, even Israelites were occasionally referring to God, the one God, the living God, Yahweh as “Baal.” Meaning, by this time, an Israelites could just as easily be using that phrase, that term “Baal” or “Baali” to refer not just to some false god but to the true God.

That was highly offensive to God and still is highly offensive to God to mix error with truth. To mix darkness with light. To mix corruption with purity. There is only one God. Yahweh and He will not share His glory with another. We see Him here saying in verse 16 “No more.”
Once repentant and restored Israel comes to this foretold place of reconciliation to and restoration to God, she will no longer call God “Baali.” Rather she will call Him “Ishi,” my husband. Not only that, it says she will never mention the name “Baal” anymore. Verse 17
“For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more.” Once she, meaning Israel, realizes the source of her blessing, she will no longer mention the names of any false gods and certainly will not confuse the name of the true God. The only God, the living God, with the cheap, corrupt, or counterfeit so called “gods” of the land.

As we turn to verse 18, we get further clarity about where this is headed. What future “day” this section of Hosea’s prophecy is pointing to. Look at verse 18, it says “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety.” We see two things described here: We see peace with the animal kingdom and a time of peace with and among the nations.

OK. I’ve said it a couple of times now. I’ve been sort of holding it close to the vest, maybe even hiding it a little bit behind my back. What is this referring to? What is this yet-future period of history that is coming that we see here reflected in this section of Hosea 2? In which the Lord will mediate peace between man and the animal kingdom while also bringing peace upon the earth? This refers, of course to the future, the coming Millennial reign of Christ on the earth. This reign will be a period of peace and tranquility between both, man and animal and man and fellow man and the various nations. Let’s start with that period of peace and tranquility between the man and the animals. That’s Isaiah 11:6-8 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also, the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.” Then we see Isaiah 65:25 speaking of the same period, the Millennial kingdom. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy Mountain.” During this period, the harmful beasts of the field which had earlier devoured the vines and fig trees, that we saw back in Hosea 2:12, they’ll no longer be hostile. These Millennial realities, in other words, are being referred to here in verse 18. Then it says: “I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground,” that’s referring to the future Millennium.

That’s not the only thing mentioned in verse 18, God also gives this promise: “And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety.” The Lord, in other words, will cause war to cease in the land of Israel. The nation will dwell in safely, free from the threat of foreign invasion. Now remember back, in Hosea 1:5, as God was imparting these words of judgment to Israel, He said “on that day,” a future day, “I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” Those are words of warfare. That’s referring to being taken away into captivity. Now we see a reversal of that judgment.

Now, question. You didn’t know it was going to be interactive tonight. Since Hosea’s day, meaning, the 8th Century B.C. has Israel been a place of peace and tranquility? No. Has Israel been free of wars and fighting and bloodshed? No. So what does that mean? It means that the words of prophecy here in Hosea 2:18 have yet to be fulfilled. The day on which God “will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and make them lie down in safety” has not yet arrived. That day of military peace between nations, of war and its instruments being abolished from the land, of swords being beaten into ploughshares is coming later. Isaiah 2:4 “And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.” That language is repeated almost verbatim in Micah 4:3 referring clearly not to the time in which we live today but to a future time, namely the Millennial kingdom. The 1,000-year reign, coming reign, of Christ on the earth. Now bringing it back to our passage for this evening. The return to the land that is envisioned here, in Hosea 2 while it might have had some aspects of fulfillment when some of the Israelites eventually returned from their captivity in Assyria it will not have total and complete fulfillment until this yet-future day when Christ ushers in His upcoming 1,000-year kingdom. His 1,000-year millennial period of ruling and rulership here on the earth.

Now one more thought on this section of Hosea and how it points to the coming Millennial Kingdom of Christ. You’ll recall that, back in verse 14, at the beginning of the message tonight we saw that God said He would bring His people “into the wilderness.” Earlier, we focused on the backward-looking aspect of that idea. Of taking Israel back to where she first sojourned with God when she had just come out of Egypt. Well, this phrase “into the wilderness” also has a future orientation. There are many passages that we could have choose from but consider just Isaiah 51:3 and what it says about the wilderness in the future. Isaiah 51:3 says “the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” That’s in the future. Or Joel 2:22. It says, “Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.” These are all and there’s many other passages like this that picture this lushness, this revitalization of the wilderness in the future Millennial Kingdom. Hosea is drawing upon this same idea here in Hosea 2:14 when God promises to bring His people “into the wilderness” on that future day Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

Continuing with the good news though and the future-oriented trajectory of this passage.
God says this to Israel, in verses 19-20, He says “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD.” That language is very strongly worded, and I want you to note that God repeats the same promise three times. “I will betroth you to Me.” “I will betroth you to Me.” “I will betroth you to Me.” The triple repetition of the verb “betroth” underscores the seriousness of God’s commitment. The intensity of His desire for His people. I’ve said it before in other contexts, but we have to remember that in Hebrew they don’t have this ability to underscore and underline. There were no yellow highlighters back in the day so what they did to emphasize a point, Isaiah chapter 6, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts” or like here to repeat something three times is to emphasize what’s being communicated. They had proven themselves, Israel had, over and over to be totally unworthy of God’s attention, His love, and His devotion. Here God is saying, as He commits to betrothing them, it doesn’t matter. He would “betroth” Himself to them and them to Him treating them, in some sense, as though they had never left Him even though they actually had apostatized.

Have you ever heard one of those really incredible marriage testimonies like at a Christian marriage conference or even a clip on YouTube where you see one spouse and they’re sitting there in their soft light. They’re in these comfortable chairs and they’re talking about what they used to be in a previous life. They were unsaved and back in the day before they both got saved one of the spouses was a serial adulterer. Then they both get saved and now the other spouse with these new eyes of faith knowing they have this duty to forgive as they have been forgiven through Christ, forgives the spouse that’s been adulterous. Now the marital bond between this couple is even stronger than it once was and the love they have for each other, because of the love they have for the Lord is deeper than it once was. It’s amazing. Those are the kind of videos that you hit repeat on and watch again and you say “praise the Lord” for His redemptive work. Praise the Lord for His marvelous grace. Praise the Lord for how He restores and renews an otherwise broken and disastrous marriage. That’s what we’re seeing pictured here. Yahweh is saying to faithless Israel “It doesn’t matter.” “I love you.” “I am renewing My commitment to you.” He articulates His words of commitment to Israel here in verse 19 and 20 in this language of betrothal.

Now, the practice in these days, for Israelite marriages was that this “betrothal” process would include this period of negotiation between the parents over a proper bride-price where the suitor would agree pay to the bride’s family a certain dollar amount or a certain number of livestock or you name it. After they had negotiated the bride price there’ be this interval of time between the betrothal and the consummation of the relationship. In that interval, between the interval between the betrothal and consummation, the young woman, according to Israelite law would already be considered to “belong” to the young man, to her intended. Belong to him for life by the way. In fact, under Deuteronomy 22, the Mosaic law, you would see these commands that say if a man sleeps with, has intercourse with a betrothed woman, not a married woman it would say, a betrothed woman, he should be stoned for committing adultery because he’s slept with another man’s wife. The word wife is used there even though the prior referent is to her being betrothed not married.

That’s what Yahweh is picking up on here in verses 19 and 20 is this is language of betrothal. Now there are some unique things happening here that I want to highlight in these verses, 19 and 20. First, is the intensity that’s picked up here of Yahweh’s desires behind His betrothal to Israel. Which, as I’ve already mentioned, really brought out by the fact that He mentions three times “I will betroth you to Me.” There’s an intensity in the language here of what He is stating there. Second notable fact, is that there are no negotiations happening here. It would ordinarily be the practice that the bride’s family and the suitor would negotiate a bride price between these two families. That’s not what’s happening here. Rather, God is unilaterally acting and unilaterally binding Israel to Himself. The third thing is the nature of the “bride-price” that Yahweh is paying here. It’s not lambs and goats and turtledoves. The bride-price is of a totally different nature and it’s five-fold. God here is saying He will betroth Israel to Himself in then He names five things. In “righteousness,” in “justice,” in “lovingkindness,” in “compassion,” and finally in verse 20 in “faithfulness.”

Let’s start with righteousness. That refers to the straightness and moral uprightness of God’s character. Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.”
In the context of His betrothal to Israel “righteousness” means God’s commitment to be all that His role as Sovereign and Savior demands and to relate to her in strength, loyalty, and uprightness in all His dealings with her. Also, it says in verse 19, that He will betroth Israel to Himself not only in righteousness but secondly in “justice,” mishpat is the word. That refers to Yahweh’s fairness, His equity in all His relationships to His people as He honors their obedience and corrects their waywardness without being arbitrary about it. It refers to His moral rectitude in every decision He makes going all the way back to Genesis 18:25 where it says, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

We also see here that Yahweh will betroth Himself to Israel in “lovingkindness,” hesed. This refers to Yahweh’s covenant loyalty, His steadfastness. He is, as we see in Exodus 34:6 “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Next, He says He is betrothing Himself, them to Him through His “compassion” there at the end of verse 19. Meaning His tenderness, His mercy, His deep, mother-like, bowel-level feelings of care that He has for His people. Lastly, it says, “And I will betroth you,” verse 20, “to Me in” “faithfulness.” The final price of the betrothal which conveys Yahweh’s utter dependability. The reliability of each of His words and deeds and specifically, His covenant promises.

Now the bride price which Yahweh says He will pay is “righteousness” and “justice” and “lovingkindness” and “compassion” and “faithfulness.” It resembles similar language that we see in the Old Testament where many of these traits of Yahweh’s character are mentioned together. Psalm 33:3-4 “Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the Word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.” Just in that verse we see faithfulness, righteousness, justice, and lovingkindness all describing the character of God.

All the things Israel had not been toward God. Righteous, just, steadfast, compassionate, faithful God is now offering as His bride-price to bring back Israel. These are all the things Israel had failed to demonstrate towards God but God, on His part is now saying “I will supply these very things she has not supplied to Me to bind Myself to Israel and to bind her to Me.” Which is just another reminder of that glorious truth that though we are faithless He remains faithful.

Then He crowns these words of betrothal, crowns this promise in verse 20 with these words, “Then you will know the LORD.” That could also be rendered “then you will acknowledge the LORD.” God’s goal in “wooing” the people of Israel and “alluring” them back in verse 14 and really, the entire point of this section of Hosea’s prophecy is that the original people of God, Israel, would one day come to know him. To “know” God implies having the deepest of relationships with Him. To love Him. To be one of His people. To abandon all other gods. To be eternally wedded to him. That’s what’s in view here.

As we started tonight, we saw that Israel had forgotten God in verse 13 but a day was coming, and a day is coming when they would no longer “forget” Him but instead would “know” Him.
This would all be rooted in God’s covenant faithfulness to them. His love for them,
and His betrothal of them.

We come upon these final few verses of this section of Hosea’s prophecy, where we see a renewed blessing. That’s our final heading, verses 21-23, a renewed blessing. Verse 21 says “It will come about in that day that I will respond,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, and the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’” Note here again that Yahweh is pointing forward. The time referent here in verse 21 is “in that day.” Which is consistent with what we’ve seen so far that this is a reference to the coming, the future Millennial Kingdom of Christ. In the first half of these verses in verse 21, and into verse 22 we see a basic sequence of events laid out. God will address the heavens where it says, “I will respond to the heavens.” The heavens in turn will send rain to the earth, and it says, “and they will respond to the earth.” Which in turn will produce the fruit of the soil which is why it says in verse 22 “and the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil.”

In other words, this is yet another reversal. Remember back in Hosea 2:8. God said of Israel, “she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil.” That’s because Israel had “forgotten” Him. A day is coming as we’ve just seen when Israel will come to truly “know the Lord.” On that day God will reward Israel with the blessings of this plentiful harvest. Again, this is a beautiful millennial picture as the earth, now freed from the curse of Genesis 3 will no longer yield thorns and thistles but will respond with these overflowing supplies of bounty. This is the day when, as Isaiah puts it in Isaiah 35:1 “The wilderness and the desert will be glad and will rejoice and blossom.”

Look at what comes next inverses 22-23, “And they will respond to Jezreel. I will sow her for Myself in the land.” Now when it says “they” that’s a reference to the harvest, the crops. They will respond to “Jezreel” which is a reference to Israel of whom, God says, “I will sow her for Myself in the land.” Now we’ve hit the crescendo of this section of Hosea. We’ve come full circle. With these words, Hosea is pointing us back to the very beginning of the text where we saw a different name for “Jezreel”, “bloodshed” meaning, calamity for Israel. Now, the name “Jezreel” was being referred to in its other sense. The name “God sows” meaning God was going to sow His people in the land. This is a statement of protection and provision and prosperity referring to that future day when God would finally and forever “plant” or “sow” Israel in her land. He would not only would plant crops for them He would plant them in the land in fulfillment of His original promises to Abraham back in Genesis 12:1-3.

Finally, in verse 23 “I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’” The people once called “no compassion” or “no mercy,” “Lo-Ruhamah” would now receive “compassion” from God. The previous sentence of being called “Lo-Ammi,” “Not My people” would forever be repealed. They will hear these precious words “You are My people!” To which their will reply, as is the reply of any true child of God is “You are my God!” Again, this is a Millennial portrait. This is the future hope of Israel. A future day where there is no more sorrow and war and desolation. No more ostracism or enmity with God. Rather, what they’ll experience with us Gentiles right there alongside them is the scene we have pictured here. This scene of unmingled joy and blessing as the original people of God, Israel embrace their Messiah and King, Jesus Christ as their Sovereign Lord.

Now what we’ve seen this evening, it’s a lot of material, I get it, is a rather stunning reversal. Zooming out for just a second, I want you to remember that two weeks ago when we were last in Hosea, we went through all of these “I will” statements in Hosea 2:2 through 13. “I will strip her naked.” “I will also make her like the wilderness.” “I will have no compassion on her children.” “I will build a wall against her.” “I will take back My grain at harvest time.” “I will uncover her lewdness.” “I will destroy her vines and fig trees.” “I will punish her for the days of the Baals.” Now we get to this new set of “I will” statements in the section that we’ve just covered.

The ones we’ve been working through tonight. “I will allure her.” “I will give her her vineyards from there.” “I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth.” “I will make a covenant for them.” “I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land.” “I will betroth you to Me.” “I will sow her for Myself in the land.” “I will have compassion on her.” “I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!” Hosea here is painting a glorious picture of the future of restored Israel. What one commentator has called a “chain reaction of the Lord’s grace.” The blemished bride is wooed again, brought back and made God’s own once more.
All with no indication as to why God would show her such patience, and grace, and mercy, and love.

That’s how God operates, right? Why did He set His love upon Israel in the first place? Because He did. Because He loved her. Because He set His love upon her. Deuteronomy 7:7-8
Why did He promise to restore her, as He did here in Hosea 2? Because He did. Because of whom He is. Because He’s a faithful, covenant-keeping God. Why did He set His love upon you and me? Because He did. As we saw this morning, because of the “kind intention of His will.” Ephesians 1:5.

During Hosea’s time God did not wait for Israel to call on Him. Rather, He took the lead in bringing about restoration and resolution. He didn’t do so in our passage for tonight because He felt the need to walk back any of His prior indictments of Israel. He didn’t do so in some moment of embarrassed apology for being too harsh with Israel. He didn’t so not because of anything inherently good or worthy in Israel. Rather, He did so because He loved Israel. He loves Israel and because He is faithful, ever faithful to the covenant He made with Abraham all the way back in Genesis 12. Not only to that covenant but to each and every one of His promises.

Now you and I share with the ancient Israelites of Hosea’s day the humbling understanding that the only reason that we have any sort of relationship with God is that God took those first steps of reconciliation toward us. That’s what we see here in the prophet Hosea. That’s what we’ve experienced in our lives, if we are followers of Christ. Like Israel, you and I have had our spiritual destinies dramatically reversed by God’s powerful and gracious initiative. As a result, we adhere and say yes and amen to what 1 Peter 2:9 says. We are now “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
And then the next verse, 1 Peter 2:10 says, “for once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Indeed, and amen.

Let’s pray. God thank you so much for this chance to work through Your word this evening. There’s a lot going on in this material. There’s a lot happening in the book of Hosea. There’s a lot that’s present day to eighth century B.C., the time in which Hosea wrote. There’s a lot that relates to the deportation that the Israelites would face. There’s a lot that relates to future for Israel that has yet to be fulfilled. I pray that You would continue to give us clarity. Clarity for me as I teach. Clarity for everybody here as they listen. Ultimately ask that You would be glorified as we go through this book. Thank you for Your faithful covenant keeping nature. Thank you for the love that You have set upon Israel and the love that You’ve set upon us, we who have believed in Christ in the present church age. I ask that You continue to give us great joy knowing that we serve and almighty God, an all good God, an all wise God, and an ever faithful God. May that be a truth that we cling to, that we adhere to, and that we live in light of faithfully for Your glory. In Christ’s name, amen.