Day 455: Hosea 1- God's Love Is Greater

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Hosea's Wife and Children
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
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.
 
Meditation
We have a limited understanding of the security of the covenant love of the Lord. God displays the richness of His covenant love through the living parable of Hosea’s life. God gives mercy and makes us family through His amazing love.
 
Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom during very difficult days, just before Assyria took Israel into exile. Ghomer was a prostitute, a woman of ill repute. To illustrate God’s covenant love for an unfaithful people, God called Hosea to speak first with his life by marrying Ghomer.
Hosea married Ghomer and they had three children; Jezereel, No Mercy, and Not My People. These unconventional names were to illustrate an ancient covenant truth: If Israel rejected God to worship other gods, they would give birth to violence, judgment, and exile. BUT GOD is rich in mercy; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God’s covenant faithfulness is greater!
 
Jesus is our Bridegroom (Mark 2:19).  Jesus took the curse of the covenant so all who believe are free to experience covenant blessings (Galatians 3:10-14).  Jesus is how “not my people” are transformed into “children of the living God” (10). Jesus experienced violence so that you and I could be God’s beloved. Jesus received no mercy so we could experience mercy. Jesus was rejected so we could be welcomed as the Bride- dirty, unfaithful, enemies of God are welcomed to the feast of God’s family.
 
Richly Dwelling
-God’s love is greater than your sin, rebellion, and rejection of Him. Do you know the security of His love?
 
-How have you rejected God’s love for the gods of our culture? Where do you find more security than you do in God’s sovereign grace and love?
 
-The message of Hosea was first displayed with his life before his lips. How can you show God’s covenant love today? Who needs to see it?
 
Key Verse
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.”

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