His Hand is on the Door

The Beauty of God pt. 4 - Hosea and the Bridegroom God

August 22nd, 2007

I broke up yesterday’s Hosea post to make for easier reading:

Hosea 1:1-2:1 – Introductory Oracle of God’s burden and love for Israel

1:1-3: Hosea’s ministry and dilemma are introduced as a great paradox unfolds – the prophet knowingly chooses an unfaithful woman and knits his heart to her. This was to be done according to the plan of the Lord to show Israel His heart in a way that they had never considered or understood. God was not surprised by their unfaithfulness or harlotry – He “married” her knowing that she was an unfaithful harlot. He had a plan to show the nations that He was the most faithful God by choosing the least faithful people to commit to.

God also knowingly gave His heart to a union with Israel knowing that the children that would follow would be tainted and devastated by the sins of His people. The “children of harlotry” would emerge in far worse condition than the harlot that He married. That the peoples departed from the Lord was the logical consequence of being “children of harlotry”. Again, in committing Hosea to this purpose God was demonstrating to Israel His awareness of their true condition long before they were.

1:4-9: God names the children of Hosea and Gomer – each name containing a message of the coming judgment and true condition of the people of Israel. Pride and the unrenewed mind blinds us hopelessly from connecting with our true condition – in our mind’s eye we make ourselves the hero of every story and imagine that we are doing far better in morality and money issues than we actually are. Nothing exposes the truth of our carnality like our children. They reflect back to us our weaknesses and brokenness and then exaggerate those areas of sin as they grow. The pattern continues with their children, and the successive generations are often far worse than the previous ones. God uses the names of Hosea’s children to highlight three key issues:

Jezreel: the bloodshed caused by Jehu has had a devastating impact on the people and demands the judgment of God. His striking of the House of David cannot go unpunished – a powerful and harmful message would be imprinted upon the hearts of the people that would establish a similar enmity among brothers that Jacob and Esau carried. If God does not intervene, Israel’s fate could be like Edom’s. Yet His plan is to unite the tribes in love – thus He must judge Jehu’s bloodshed.

Lo-Ruhamah: There would be “no mercy” in that hour of history for the people of Israel – they had gone too far in their sin and internal corruption and were not in a position to receive mercy; mercy at that stage of their sin and worship of demons would have been a reprieve that would not gain anything redemptive nor would it be interpreted rightly by the peoples. Judgment was coming and was inevitable. Hosea’s preaching served to win back to God any that could be spared from the coming wrath.

Lo-Ammi: God tells them that they are “not My people” – they have strayed so far from the truth and relationship that He had initiated with them that they could no longer be called the people of God. This was an astonishingly tragic turn of events for the Israelites – they had drifted to far from their true identity, heritage, and destiny, that they could no longer be identified with the covenant people. The “children of harlotry” had drifted so far from the family it was as if there was no relationship to the people that came out of Egypt.

1:10-11: God’s redemptive promise to redeem the people of Israel – each of the three issues is reflected back to the people in the form of future redemptive promises related to God’s stunning ability to take even the worst of situations and bring redemption and fulfillment to all that is in His heart for Israel.

He is able to take those who are currently “not His people” and knit their future generations into an expression of devotion and family so authentic that they would be more than “His people” but “sons of the Living God”. God is promising a comprehensive transformation of the nation – so comprehensive that they would be true spiritual sons. This would be more than a spiritual designation but a true spiritual reality.

He will redeem the fratricide of Jezreel – the family conflicts and petty jealousies and offenses that have divided them – and re-gather the Israelites into one people, all of whom delight in one another and champion one another into the fullness of God’s plan and destiny. As Paul would later speak of the body and the different but necessary functions of a true unified body in 1 Corinthians 12, so would the Israelites fully understand the roles that each tribe was to play in the larger whole of the nation. They would “appoint for themselves one head” – no longer would they resent the Davidic line and promise, but embrace it as the best way for God to govern their affairs.

Thus when they are able to authentically embrace mercy from a place of significant tenderness and devotion to one another, they would truly be able to express mercy authentically in a way that reflects the heart of God. “My people” and “Mercy” come together powerfully in the way that the true people of God walk out the second commandment – thus they will be transformed from a merciless people to a merciful people.

The leadership of God is beautiful - and the manner in which He plans on restoring Israel is stunning.

David

Entry Filed under: beauty of god, bible