Daily Archive

Verse 8 introduces us to this third child, and second son. “8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then God said: ‘Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.’” 10 “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’”

Another child born of her unfaithfulness. God instruction is for Hosea to name him, and again we see Hosea’s faithfulness in the face of Gomer’s unfaithfulness.  The progression of judgment seen in the names of these children is that God will scatter, God will show no more mercy, and finally God will declare that these people are no longer His people. God is about to disown Israel because of their spiritual adultery, because of their unfaithfulness.

This mirrors Romans 9:25-26 where God through Paul quotes Hosea. “25 As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.’ 26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

Even as Israel rejected the Messiah and the Gospel was then sent to be proclaimed to the gentiles, to the nations, even then, there is hope for the restoration of Israel. Paul continues by quoting Isaiah, Romans 9:27-28, “Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. 28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.’”

In verse 11 we read, “Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel!”

 Hosea as we will learn in the next few weeks provides an example of what it looks like in everyday life to be committed to doing things God’s way and not our own. He is going to continue to love Gomer and to provide for her even though she has been unfaithful.

When we look at this scenario, I imagine that the first thing most in the church would tell Hosea today if his wife left him and had two children by other men, you can just hear the counsel offered, can’t you? “She has been unfaithful, you have justification to divorce her.” But look at this example. What does Hosea do? He loves his wife like God loves us, His bride!

Jesus will never leave or forsake us. For any reason. We are His and we will remain His forever. If and when we sin, when we confess He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. If and when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. Because of Who He is, because of His nature, nothing can separate us from the love of God given to us in Christ. Nothing.

In this living parable, where Hosea could have easily walked away from it all, instead he named and embraced these children as if they were his own and cared for them even while Gomer continued to pursue other men to the point that we will learn that she was taken captive as a slave and put up for sale on the slave market. Hosea certainly could have just let her go. He could have said she is reaping the consequences of her sin, she is reaping what she has sown. Instead he stands as a picture of God’s love for His people, even as they are being judged for their sin and taken into captivity. God is still proclaiming through the prophets to them repent and return to Me and I will return to you. While you are not My people, you will be My people again.

The names of these children serve as a warning of judgment, and as we will see later, also a promise as the names can be reversed. There we even read it in verse 10 this morning, “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’ Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel!” Then in chapter 2 verse 1, “Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’” The curse will be reversed!

Tomorrow we find a message of hope in the threat of judgment.