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!