Effect and Cause

 

Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?
5 Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?

As Amos wraps up his warnings to the people of Israel concerning their coming judgment, he announces the finality of it all and asks these questions.  Each poetically represents a situation of cause and effect, with the effect indicating the cause.  An action is taken because a decision has been made. God had long ago decided to judge. The only reason it had not happened yet was because when people had repented, He had relented.  But judgment was going to come regardless. It was only a matter of time, and that was running out. 

The Three "I"s

 

Amos 2:6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
    and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
8 they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.

As we work our way through the prophets, there are lots of sins and lots of reasons that God's judgment is pronounced to come, but there are three main categories that can summarize them all: Indifference, Immorality, and Idolatry.  As Amos zeroes in on the sins of Israel, after glancing at all the nations around them, he points out these three in his opening address.  They didn't care about the needy; they performed increasingly immoral acts; they blatantly committed idolatry.  All of these they did with Pride, showing a total disregard for the will, word, and glory of God.  Everywhere we look we see everyone guilty of some, if not all of the above.  Why would God not send His judgment?

Accountability

 

Amos 1:13 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
    that they might enlarge their border.
14 So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
    and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
    with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and their king shall go into exile,
    he and his princes together,” says the Lord.

In the opening chapters of Amos, we find the Lord's Judgment coming against the nations surrounding Israel.  Each one begins with this statement: For three transgressions... and for four, indicating that there is a long list of sins, but the only one or two of the worst is listed. In Ammon, the one that stuck out the most was killing the unborn children, which would mean there would be no next generation to rise up against them for revenge.  It was a sick practice, as anything like it. The rulers of the land were to be held most accountable for this atrocity, and so they are today. 

Negative Applause

 Nahum 3:18 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria;
    your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains
    with none to gather them.
19 There is no easing your hurt; your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you.
For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?

As Nahum brings his prophecy to a close, we find the final judgment on Ninevah.  The city and nation have totally been destroyed and will not be rebuilt.  The leaders had led them astray, thinking on one could ever stand up against them, let alone come in and destroy them.  The pain is endless and deep.  Worse of all, no one cares. Everyone will look on and applaud because Ninevah had hurt everyone around them.  Rather than look on in pity, others will look on with glee on the disaster, and be glad to see it. It's not the way anyone wants to go. How will others reply when we are gone?  

The Scariest Words

 Nahum 2:13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.

This chapter is full of graphic descriptions of the fall of Ninevah.  The chariots they prided themselves in would run wildly in the streets running over their own people.  The towers that they trusted in to protect them from every direction would come tumbling down. The sophisticated water system they had made would be used to flood the city. Their goddess and all the immorality tied to her would be drug out of the city and shamed.  But worst of all, the God who had been using them as his chastising hand was turning against them.  They would no longer be allowed to take captives and plunder, and no one would listen to them anymore.  Their glory would be gone, and no one would pay attention to their intimidating voice. The voice of One far greater would prevail. 

God Is No Pushover

 Nahum 1:2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
    and keeps wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
    and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
    and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nahum is the sequel to Jonah.  Both have to do with Assyria and her capital, Ninevah.  In Jonah, when the city heard the judgment call of God, they repented and He relented, putting off judgment.  That is because God is patient, merciful, and forgiving.  But He is also holy and has a special place in his heart for his own. He is jealous - the same word as zealous.  It is not always a bad thing - like a husband watching over to protect his wife, children, and property God has entrusted to him. When necessary, He is a force to be reckoned with.  Assyria's time, and God's patience, were about up.  As the last verse of this chapter says: Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off. The "he" here is the Assyrian army, which had been harassing Jerusalem for years. Their time doing so was up.  They were going to face the wrath of God.

(Self)Righteous Anger

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

Many of us are familiar with this well-known ending to the account of Jonah. He was beside himself with anger because God relented when the city of Ninevah repented.  And it wasn't just a quick response of anger: it festered; it immediately went to the red zone and stayed there. Jonah was bitter big-time.  Notice what God says: "Do you really think this is doing you, or anyone else, any good? Your self-righteous anger is more about you than what is real, true, or right.  How often do we fall into the same state of insanity?

We Repent; He Relents.

Jonah 3:6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

What Jonah was afraid would happen happened: the people of Ninevah repented and God showed mercy, putting the brakes on His proper response to their evil hearts and actions. As we see throughout these "minor" prophets, when God calls someone out on their rebellion and sin, they can either try to ignore Him or change. If the response is the first, He accelerates His judgment, if the latter He lets off the gas. Judgment on Ninevah did one day take place, but many years later. There is a lesson, to be sure, for those of us who trust in God. We should view no one as beyond His saving love and mercy, even if they are oppressing us personally. That is up to God. The question for us is: Are we willing to repent? 

Getting Alone with God

 

Jonah 2:7: When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
    forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Jonah was fleeing from the presence and the plan of God.  He tried running away in the opposite direction, but wherever he went, God was still there. Finally, in the belly of the fish, all alone and unable to do anything to change his situation, Jonah calls out to God. He admits that God has been in charge all along and realizes that since God has spared his life, he still has a life to live.  He cried out to God in prayer, fully aware that He is the only God who can and will answer. He calls out to Him as the God of salvation. God does not answer back to him yet, but God does speak, commanding the fish to spit Jonah out, and it does.  Jonah is now in a place where he is ready to go on with life as God plans.  Do you need a time alone with God?

Role Reversal

 

Jonah 1:14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

Jonah is an eye-opening account of what happens when God's people run from Him.  The rough seamen could see what Jonah could not.  God was bringing people to Himself not because of, but despite Jonah.  While he was busy running away from God and His purposes, unmoved by people dying right before him, (and those in the metroplex of Ninevah), these seamen cared about him and came to fear and worship God. How often do we, as God's people, act and react in such a way that could(and often does) drive people away from God. Where it not for His grace, they would not come to Him (and we could not come back).

The Promise: Not Pride; Only Purity of Peace

 

Zephaniah 3:9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.
11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13     those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

As stated before, when the prophets were used by God to announce judgment, be it on Israel and Judah, or the nations of the world, there was always a further part of the story: a time of restoration. God was going to change things - not just for Israel and Judah, but all nations.  The shame of sin will be scrubbed away; the pride of the powerful will be removed, and the peace of God will be left to rule and reign not only in the Hill, but in the hearts of His people.

Keep Seeking Him

 Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, 

all you humble of the land,
    who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
    perhaps you may be hidden
    on the day of the anger of the Lord.

As we work our way through these prophets, with all their pronouncements of righteous judgment on the nations of the world, we also always find messages addressed to the faithful - to those who are not rebels against God.  He does not give them(or us) a pass for bad behavior, but always calls on us to stay humble, do what is right, and trust God to do what is just.  We are not to turn our fingers and point at everyone else, accusing and hoping they suffer.  We are to set the example of patient obedience, seeking His will, and acknowledging His sovereignty.

Oh, THAT Day...

 

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities
    and against the lofty battlements.
17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind,
    because they have sinned against the Lord;
their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

The Day of the Lord - it brings all sorts of things to mind - wars, pestilence, famine, suffering, death - all the results of sin in the world.  Then there is that "because" phrase - because they have sinned against the Lord. But THAT day is more than that.  It is when reckoning is made, justice is served, and all things are made right.  Part of that is punishment, but in the end purity and peace. So, hang in there. There is more to be said and know about The Day of the Lord.

No More Passing Through

 Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord roars from Zion,
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
    and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
    a stronghold to the people of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,

    who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.

And Jerusalem shall be holy,

    and strangers shall never again pass through it.

God's message through Joel began with a call to the courtroom, to receive the evidence from God that the Day of the Lord was coming.  As He wraps up this prophecy, there is an assembling of all peoples before God for the final judgment. God speaks and His voice shakes the hearts of all peoples.  But this day of judgment is not dreaded by His own people.  They realize that beyond the judgement is the restoration.  Throughout history the great empires of the world always "passed through" Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Rome.  But now that would stop. God would be there and the nations would only come to bow before Him and accept His ruling as Judge. 

What God Is Like

 Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    and he relents over disaster.

Having announced the quick and certain coming of God in judgment (keeping His promise in Deuteronomy 28), Joel also holds out hope of this coming too soon.  He reminded his people to remember the character of God: He is gracious, merciful, longsuffering, and full of hesed love. He does not like to punish, but He is also holy and righteous.  Joel foresaw what would happen generations after him, and again in the future, but he also saw that God was going to postpone the judgment if they would repent. As you go further in the chapter you find another well-known promise. This was not just physical judgment, but God would also send His Spirit, changing people from the inside out. That was fulfilled after the exile, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, and still has promises of things to come, because God is just like that. 

Early Warning Signs

 Joel 1:13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
    wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
    O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
    are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near...

One of today's great inventions are safety warnings on cars when you get too close to other objects.  They warn you, slow you down, and help you avoid a collision.  But they are adjustable.  When we become more confident in our own abilities to foresee danger, we adjust them down to shorter and shorter distances, often to our own demise.  Joel's warnings about the "Day of the Lord" were over 200 years before the exile of Israel.  There were brief times of revival and "slowing down" the run from the Lord, but they people took the warnings less and less seriously.  The same was true in the New Testament and today.  The Day of the Lord is coming... we just ignore the warning system.

The Return to God

Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
    for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him,
    “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good,
    and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”

As Hosea begins his final address to Israel, he gives one last call for them to return to God. They are to come to Him not only with words of confession and acts to prove it, but with a whole new change of heart. They are going to stop trusting in idols or other nations and start trusting in the God of Mercy. That's what they needed and that's what we need today: to trust in Him. Hosea wraps up his message with these words: 

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

    whoever is discerning, let him know them;

for the ways of the Lord are right,

    and the upright walk in them,

    but transgressors stumble in them.

The "Forgotten" God

Hosea13: 4 But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior.
5 It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought;
6 but when they had grazed, they became full,
    they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
    therefore they forgot me.

Why did they "forget God"? Was it because He was not around, never did anything for them, or never listened to them anymore? No, they chose to forget, shut Him out, not acknowledge or interact with Him. He was still providing, offering guidance, courage and comfort, but "their heart was lifted up," they became self-absorbed and seemingly self-sufficient. God is by no means forgettable, unless we in pride decide to do so. But eventually, like Isreal, we will have a rude awakening that God is here, and He is not silent. 

Wait Continually for your God

Hosea 12:2 The Lord has an indictment against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
    he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
    and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor.
He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—
5 the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return,
    hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”

Most of the judgments Hosea announced were against the northern nation of Israel (aka Ephraim), but God helped him see beyond his immediate homeland to the bigger picture. Both northern and southern kingdoms were straying away from Him. They went back to one father, Jacob, from whom they had learned injustice, allowing false gods into the family, and an impatience.  The cure is found in the last verse above: trust in God's help, not our own strength; love your brother and don't take advantage of him; look to God for instruction and stop being so impatient.

He Never Gives Up...

 

Hosea 11:8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
    How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
    How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
    my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
    I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
    the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.

After presenting picture after picture of Israel's unfaithfulness and refusal to repent, God speaks His heart. Out of love He has been forced to chastise her for her disobedience. Her sin had led to her destruction and devastation.  It hurt Him to look on what she had done to herself.  His heart remained tender and faithful. He is not like us. He is Holy He never gives us. He keeps pursuing us - not to pounce on us, but to call us back to Him. 

Raining Righteousness, Not Rocks

Hosea 10:7 Samaria's king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters.

8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, 
and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,” 

and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

As the judgment on Israel came closer, the descriptions of what was going on and would happen became more and more clear.  Kings came and went more quickly, with shorter and weaker reigns.  As the enemy took over city after city, people had nowhere to go.  Life was becoming so unbearable the people would have no more will to live.  Many will recognize these closing words as being quoted by Jesus to the women who accompanied him on the journey to the cross.  The judgment on sin is unbearable. He took it for us. As close as it was, Hosea still cried out to the people with a call that still rings out today:

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love;

    break up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the Lord,

    that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

The Loss of Joy

 

Hosea 9:1 Rejoice not, O Israel!
    Exult not like the peoples;
for you have played the whore, forsaking your God.
    You have loved a prostitute's wages
    on all threshing floors.
2 Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them,
    and the new wine shall fail them.
3 They shall not remain in the land of the Lord,
    but Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
    and they shall eat unclean food in Assyria.

After love, joy is the second fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.  It is one of the spiritual blessings Jesus promised to give in its fullness to those who trust in Him.  It is one of the first and most precious things to go when we turn or backs on God and walk away from Him.  This chapter uses several different word pictures to describe the loss of Joy for Israel. Since many threshing floors and wine presses served as worship centers for the false gods, with their immoral ceremonies, they would become empty, providing no food or wine to rejoice the heart. Some would be sent the Egypt and Memphis(vs. 6) to be buried in the land of the pyramid tombs. Their land would be viewed like Gibeah (vs.9), the place of a horrible crime scene. They would also be unable to have children(v.11-14), a biblical sign of joy and blessing.  Ultimately, they would wander aimlessly, with no place to call home.  

Sow the Wind; Reap the Whirlwind

Hosea 7:4  They made kings, but not through me.
    They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
    for their own destruction.
5 I have spurned your calf, O Samaria.
    My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For it is from Israel; a craftsman made it; it is not God.
The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
7 For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.

In this chapter, God takes Israel (the Northern Kingdom) back to the root issue - when they decided to split away from the Southern Kingdom and establish their own form of worship at Samaria.  It was a decisive action that led them further and further away from God.  They chose kings not of the Davidic line, and chose priests not from Levi.  It was their first step of idolatry in setting up their own temple and golden idol. Now they are reaping the harvest of what they have done. Famine has come, and any grain that does grow will not be theirs, because they are going to be caught up in the whirlwind and exiled from the land. 

Dumb Dove

 Hosea 7:11 Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense,
    calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.
12 As they go, I will spread over them my net;
    I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;
    I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.
13 Woe to them, for they have strayed from me!
    Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!
I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me.

When we think of a dove, there are some obvious pictures that come to mind: pure, holy, a representative of the Holy Spirit and peace. But they are also easily lured and captured.  They can be "innocent" like sheep, but at the same time stupid like sheep.  The Israelites had fell into the trap of trusting these "great" empires, hoping one would save them from the other, instead of trusting and obeying God. Jesus warned us to include wisdom with our being "innocent as doves." We need to beware trusting others over God, lest they lead us astray from Him. 

What God Really Wants

 Hosea 6:4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
    What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
    like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
    I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
    and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

With every pronouncement of judgment on Israel and Judah, there was "some" kind of response - short-lived and half-hearted.  The people talked and good talk and tried to come up with some triage to fix their broken relationship with God. But it was always their way that fell far short.  The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was never a quick fix or manmade way to get right with God. It was to reflect of heart of trust and worship.  What God has always wanted and still wants today is a people who want to know Him, are willing to trust Him, and faithfully live for Him every day.  Will we give God what He really wants?

God Said: "Seek - Really Seek Me"

 Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound,
then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king.
But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
    and like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear and go away;
    I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.
15 I will return again to my place,
    until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
    and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Here God gives an overview of the relationships Israel and Judah had with Assyria.  Israel (aka Ephraim) had fully trusted in Assyria, while Judah has done everything to appease her.  Both had failed to instead turn back to God, and thus, both would eventually be exiled. There was going to have to be a clean break for a while for them to come to their senses and seek - repent and really seek - a renewed relationship with God.  How long would it take? How long would it take you? 

The Lord Said: "Look at Yourselves."

Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
    for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
    and no knowledge of God in the land;
2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
    they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
    and all who dwell in it languish,
and also the beasts of the field
    and the birds of the heavens,
    and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

As the Lord stated His case against Israel, He gives an overall summary of what things looked like: unfaithfulness, agnosticism, and all the violations of the Big Ten. They were rebelling against Him and bullying each other.  It was affecting everyone and everything around them.  The evidence was obvious. Could we not say the same today?

The Lord Said: "Buy Her Back"

Hosea 3:1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

As we saw yesterday, the God of hope had determined to woo Israel back to Himself. He then instructed Hosea to do the same, to buy his estranged wife back.  The price he paid was the price of the offering for one who had committed adultery to be redeemed. He took her out of her shame and sense of worthlessness to show he still loved her.  In similar manner, Christ has paid the price to buy us back from our sin and shame, despite our past.  His price was the ultimate price - His life for ours.

God: The Hopeful Husband

 

Hosea 2:14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
    and bring her into the wilderness,
    and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
    and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
    as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’

God had watched on as His people repeatedly were unfaithful to Him.  His response? To woo them back, to extend mercy and grace, to make them want to be with Him.  What a picture of how He approaches us in Christ.  Yes, He does point out how our rebellion and sin brings upon us all sorts of consequences, but He also reminds us of His commitment and love.  We have hope because He has hope for us. 

Children of the Living God

Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

As we look at the Minor Prophets, who prophesied in times leading up to, during, and after the Exile, we find not only God's faithfulness to keep His promise to judge rebellion and rejection, but pictures of hope. Here, in the very first chapter of this first "minor" prophet, we find this promise that those who had been declared "not my people" would be proclaimed Children of the Living God. What a promise! When Christ came, He brought with Him a similar promise: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12) What a promise and privilege we have in Him!