Hosea 2:2–20

We begin with the message: "Say to your brothers, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah. Plead with your mother." It is a call to those who, like Hosea, could feel, speak, and act according to the Spirit of Christ. They had the courage that comes from being sure of these relationships, even though at the time the state of the people was as far from comforting as could be imagined. "Brothers" and "sisters", I think, look at the Jews one by one. "Your mother" looks at them together as one body.

Who is addressed in the first verse of this chapter? Some think the children of the prophet are meant. The Lord is addressing the godly in Israel, those who obtained mercy, for He still acknowledges them as "Ammi" — my people. They are to plead with the rest of Israel, their mother, whom Jehovah has disowned as His wife because of her adulterous conduct.

The figure of widowhood means the loss of divine ownership, protection, and supporting care. The Holy Spirit uses it in the prophecies to picture the religious and moral destitution of the people of Israel, because they publicly associated themselves with the false gods of the nations. So through one of the earliest prophets Jehovah renounced all relationship with His people because of their unfaithfulness to Him: "She is not My wife, and I am not her Husband."

If He had issued a bill of divorcement against them, it would have been permanent. They would have been "cast away" (Rom. 11:1) — and Paul answers that idea with "By no means!" The fact was that they had sold themselves into disaster by their many transgressions.

But in fact, with respect to God's dealings, God had to plead with the mother — with Israel, looked at as a whole. God could not own her as married to Him; He would not be her husband. She must repent, if she would not be punished and made bare before the world.

There is a pleading of the heart of God in Hosea, God coming down to man's level, and as a man pleading face to face with a people whom He loves... He does not stand far off, high above them, and pronounce judgment. In the person of the prophet He comes down to their true condition, down to their unfaithfulness to Him, and begs them to return.

There has been the putting away. Jehovah has said, "She is not my wife, and I am not her husband." But a day is coming when she will say, "I will go and return to my first husband." Jehovah answers, "You shall call me Ishi," that is, 'husband'; "and shall call me no more Baali," 'master.' "I will betroth you to me forever."

The figure of marriage is, as we know, used to picture for us the union of Christ with His Church in glory; it is also used in the same way to convey to us the relation of Jehovah to Israel, both in time past and in that to come — suspended for the present through national unfaithfulness (Isa. 50:1; Hosea 2:2). The relation in the first case is heavenly, to be enjoyed there; in the second, earthly.

"Brothers" and "sisters" look at the Jews (I think) one by one. "Your mother" looks at them as a body. Here we see a most painful picture. Jehovah threatens to put Israel to shame, and to show no mercy to her children, because their mother had behaved shamelessly towards Him.

But, in fact, with respect to God's dealings, God had to plead with the mother — with Israel, looked at as a whole. God could not own her as married to Him: He would not be her husband. She must repent, or God would punish her and strip her bare before the world.

God will strip her naked and set her as in the day she was born (see Ezekiel 16:4). Nor would there be mercy for her children, because the mother, Israel, kept going after her lovers.

How was it here? A wretched outcast without the least care or pity, left out in the field on the day she was born. (Verses 4, 5) Then Jehovah passed by. He saw her covered with her own blood, and said to her in her blood, "Live" — and He said it with great emphasis. (Verse 6) Under His care she grew up to womanhood, dressed and decked with the most splendid ornaments. Jehovah entered into covenant with her and took her as His own.

"For she did not know that I gave her grain, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they made into images of gold." So they turned everything to the service of false gods and credited it all to their favour. "Therefore," He says, "I will take my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season. I will recover my wool and my flax that were meant to cover her nakedness. And I will expose her shame before her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand."

It seems to me that Ezekiel 34-37 shows that the land of Israel will not prosper until the Lord restores Israel to it. I should think Hosea 2 shows the same thing.

But Jehovah brought this unfaithful woman into the wilderness. There she must learn that these false gods could not enrich her. He had drawn her into it Himself, and He would speak to her heart in grace. When she had understood where her sin had brought her, and was alone with Jehovah in the wilderness He had drawn her into, He would comfort her. He would give her entrance through grace into the power of those blessings which He alone could give.

"Brothers" and "sisters" look at the Jews, I think, as separate people. "Your mother" looks at them together as one body. Here we see a most painful picture — Jehovah threatening to put Israel to shame, and to have no mercy on her children, because their mother had behaved shamefully towards Him.

God could not own her as married to Him. He would not be her husband. She had to repent, or He would punish her and strip her bare before the world. Jehovah would not pity her children either, because they were born while she was chasing false gods. Israel credited every blessing Jehovah had poured on her to the favour of false gods.

The prophet receives a name for her — Lo-ruhamah, which means "not having obtained mercy." The Holy Spirit renders this passage in two interesting ways in the New Testament. Romans 9:25 renders it "not beloved," and 1 Peter 2:10, "has not obtained mercy." Love and mercy were now to be taken from Israel, and taken completely.

Some think the children of the prophet are meant. The Lord addresses the godly in Israel, those who received mercy, for He still owns such as "Ammi" — my people. They are to plead with the rest of Israel, their mother — the wife whom Jehovah has disowned because of her adultery... Nor would there be mercy for her children because the mother, Israel, continued to go after her lovers.

The opening words of the chapter seem to me to recognise the principle of a remnant. God's heart owns this small group as a people and as an object of mercy, while the Lord rejects the nation as a body.

They will plead with their mother — Israel as a whole — and tell her that she was not the wife of Jehovah. She must face judgement, but the valley of Achor (where God's anger was turned away, Joshua 7:26) should be a door of hope... Those who had not received mercy will receive mercy. Those who had been declared "not God's people" would be able to say, "You are my God." Compare 1 Peter 2:10.

Still, Jehovah remembers mercy. At once He announces that He will allure her. Though He leads her into the wilderness, He will speak tenderly to her. But it would not be the old story repeated... The very place which of old was a door of judgment under Joshua becomes a door of hope in the prophetic vision.

Here we see a most painful picture. Jehovah threatens to put Israel to shame, and to show no mercy to her children, because their mother had acted shamelessly towards Him. "For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband." She must put away her scandalous unfaithfulness... Her children are children of unfaithfulness, because their mother has been unfaithful and acted shamefully; for she said, "I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water."

God will hedge up her way with thorns. He will raise a wall of separation to keep her from her lovers. If she chases them and joins herself to them in sin — a picture of the idol worship of the pagan nations, which Israel copied — she will not find them. So she might return to her first husband, to Jehovah.

So Jehovah threatens to hedge up her way with thorns... At times there was regret, and now and then a little revival, even in Israel. But the people never truly repented, and so they never left their course of sin. Their good resolutions proved God's goodness and were the fruit of His testimony. Yet they never produced a thorough repentance in Israel.

Christ made Himself strange in the same way on the day when a Gentile woman, driven by her need, came to Him and was met by silence... But we know it was the way of perfect love that led to blessing. So too in His future dealings with the Jewish people, Christ will make Himself strange. Through the prophet He says, "I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths." The Lord also says, "I will take back my grain in its time." He will bring famine on them, to bring them into the wilderness, where they have no resources but God. In that wilderness place the Lord can say, "I will speak to her heart."

The words used here show that this is all conscience-work. Look at the order. First, the remnant feel in their conscience the condition they had fallen into. It is the same in every case — conscience first. And oh, if there is anything one longs for... it is for more real, solid, earnest work of conscience among us.

The very scene of judgment will be the starting point of recovery. Deliverance must come out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble. It cannot come any other way. That is how He will work with Israel later on, and in the same way now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

Her way is to be hedged up with thorns; a wall of separation is to be raised to keep her from her lovers. And if she follows them and makes a sinful alliance with them, she would not find them. This is a picture of the idol worship of the nations, which Israel practised. So she might return to her first husband, to the LORD.

Israel ascribed all the blessings that the LORD had poured on her to the favour of false gods. So the LORD forcibly turned her back in her path. She did not know that it was the LORD who filled her with this abundance. So He would take it from her, and leave her naked and destitute.

There is a day coming when she will say, "I will go and return to my first husband." The LORD answers, "You shall call me Ishi" — that is, "husband." "And you shall no longer call me Baali" — that is, "master." "I will betroth you to me for ever."

There was occasional remorse in Israel, and a little revival from time to time. But the people never truly repented, and so never left their sinful course. Their good resolutions were the proof of God's goodness and the fruit of His testimony. But they never brought Israel to a thorough repentance.

The expressions used here show that it is all conscience-work. If we look at the order, we find this first: the remnant feel in their conscience the state they had got into. It is as in every case — conscience first... It is the conscience which is reached. Whether it is a sinner before conversion, or a saint after he has fallen, all must begin in the conscience.

That is, the very scene of judgment will be the very starting-point of recovery. It must be out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble — that the deliverance comes; it cannot come any other way. That is how He will work with Israel later on, and in the same way now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

The word "backsliding" assumes recovery, and that the heart will be turned back again to God, because that is what the Lord wants. He longs to have us very near Him.

"...I multiplied her silver and gold, which they made into images of gold." So they twisted everything into the service of false gods, and put it all down to their favour.

The creature has always been the object of the Creator, and the blessed God Himself has been and is always the source of blessing to His creature. But the favour the Creator gives can become the object of the creature, instead of the God who gave it. The moment that happens, I repeat, the seed of decline is sown in the soul. I shall tell you why: you have displaced the God who gave that favour, and the devil has used a very clever trick to do it — God's own favour. Satan can displace God from the hearts of His people far more effectively by one of His favours than by some evil thing. Satan will never look for a bad thing if he can find a good one, and so we need to watch good things and bad alike.

Israel credited all the blessings that Jehovah had poured on her to the favour of false gods. So Jehovah turned her back by force in her path. She did not know that it was Jehovah who filled her with this abundance. So He would take it from her, and leave her naked and destitute, and punish her for all the days of the Baals, when Israel served them and forgot Jehovah. But He would bring this unfaithful woman into the wilderness, where she must learn that these false gods could not enrich her. Having drawn her there, Jehovah Himself would speak to her heart in grace.

Jehovah said He would strip Israel of the mercies He had given them, to show them their folly. In the last days He will bring a remnant into the wilderness and speak kindly to them. Self-judgement will be their door of hope.

Are we not prone to forget the Lord our God, to rest in His gifts instead of Himself? Alas! alas! we cannot deny it. We rest in the stream, instead of getting up to the Fountain. We take the very mercies, blessings and benefits that fill our path so richly, and turn them into an occasion for self-satisfaction and self-congratulation. In them we should find our constant ground of praise and thanksgiving.

In the past she did not know, in her blindness, who it was that truly loved her. He gave her grain, and wine and oil, and decorated her with jewels. But when grace works in her heart, she will turn to Him in sorrow and repentance, so that He may receive her to His heart once more. "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart... And in that day, says Jehovah, you shall call Me Ishi (my husband); and shall call Me no more Baali (my lord)."

I may note that Israel was also taught by the law of tithes that they held their land as the Lord's; for it was like rent payable by a tenant. Rabbi Bechai says on Deuteronomy 14:23, "If you pay the tithe, then it is your grain; if not, it is mine" — that is, the Lord's. Hosea says the same: "Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season."

Israel credited all the blessings that Jehovah had poured on her to the favour of false gods. So Jehovah forced her back in her path. She did not know that it was Jehovah who filled her with this abundance. So He would take it from her, and leave her naked and with nothing.

Israel's decline starts with her lack of knowledge about Jehovah's generosity: "she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain" (Hosea 2:8). But in the day of future glory, Jehovah will betroth her to Himself, and she will know Him fully. "You shall know the LORD" (Hosea 2:20).

Verses 9-13 make the punishment fully known. God will leave her alone. He will withdraw the gifts and blessings, uncover her lewdness, and end all her celebrating.

God can only deal with us when we are truly stripped of all nature's ornaments. He can clothe a naked sinner, but a sinner dressed up in ornaments must first be stripped.

So too in His future dealings with the Jewish people, Christ will act like a stranger. According to the prophet, He will say, "I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths." And the Lord says, "I will take back my grain in its time." The Lord will bring famine on them, to bring them into the wilderness, where they have no resources but God. In that wilderness place the Lord can say, "I will speak to her heart."

If we look at the order, we find this first: the remnant who are left feel in their conscience the condition they had fallen into. It is as in every case — conscience first... This is God's order; this is the divine way of working.

There was occasional regret in Israel, and a little revival from time to time. But the people never truly repented, and so they never gave up their course of sin. Their good resolutions proved God's goodness and were the fruit of His testimony. Yet they never brought Israel to a thorough repentance.

Here Jezreel is the name given to the whole land. It had all become polluted with blood and oppression... In judgment Jehovah takes away His blessings. But "that day" is coming, when God reverses the judgment. Then the place where the heaviest judgment fell will be cleansed from its sin, and Jezreel too, the defiled and forsaken, will flourish again, even more than before.

God could not own her as married to Him: He would not be her husband. She must repent, or He would punish her and strip her bare before the world. Neither would Jehovah have pity on her children, for they were born while she was going after false gods.

"For she did not know that I gave her grain, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they made into images of gold." So they perverted it all into the service of idols, and credited it to the favour of false gods. "Therefore," He says, "I will take back My grain in its time, and My new wine in its season; and I will recover My wool and My flax that were meant to cover her nakedness. And I will expose her vileness before her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of My hand."

Israel had credited to the Baals the blessings Jehovah had given them: Jehovah said He would strip them of those mercies to show them their folly. In the last days God will bring a remnant into the wilderness and speak comfort to them. Self-judgment will be the door of hope — the Valley of Achor. They will no longer call God "my Master," which is what the word Baali means, but "Husband." He will take away the names of their idolatrous masters, the Baals, and no one will remember them again.

If she follows after her lovers and makes a sinful alliance with them, she will not find them. That alliance pictures the idol worship of the nations, which Israel practised. Verses 9 to 13 make the punishment fully known. She is to be left alone. The gifts and blessings will be taken away. Her lewdness is to be uncovered. All her joy will stop. And the days of the Baals, spent in immoral worship, would come back on her in judgment.

Look at the order. First, the remnant feel in their conscience the state they had got into. It is like this in every case — conscience first… This is God's order; this is the divine way of working. It is the conscience that God reaches. Whether it is a sinner before conversion, or a believer after he has fallen, all must begin in the conscience.

That is, the very scene of judgment will be the very starting-point of recovery. It must be out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble — that the deliverance comes; it cannot come in any other way. That is how He will work with Israel later on, and in the same way now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

"For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they made into images of gold." So everything was twisted into their service, and credited to the favour of false gods... Then He threatens that all her mirth shall cease, "her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies. And I will destroy her vines and her fig-trees." Even her natural blessings had to be cut off, since her unbelief made them an excuse for the idols she set up.

On the surface they kept up the ceremonies of the law: the feasts of Jehovah, the new moons and Sabbath days, the sacrifices and offerings. But the whole thing was corrupt worship. The calf was the immediate object of that idolatrous worship.

They were "the feasts of the Lord." That was their true character, their original title. But the Gospel of John calls them "feasts of the Jews." They had long ceased to be Jehovah's feasts. He was shut out. They did not want Him... There is a solemn lesson in this. Man quickly spoils what God sets up.

"Jehovah has caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In the heat of His anger He has despised the king and the priest. The Lord has cast off His altar, He has abhorred His sanctuary"... It was of no use to think of the Chaldeans. It was God who brought it all to nothing — Zion and the temple, the feasts and fasts and sacrifices, the king and the priest.

Trace in this prophecy how God will deal with that people in the future. You will find it is the same order in which He deals in restoring grace now. Let me refer for a moment to another scripture, Hosea 2:6-15. The expressions used here show that it is all conscience-work. Look at the order. First comes the sense in the conscience of the remnant, of the state they had fallen into. It is as in every case — conscience first.

Still, Jehovah remembers mercy. Right afterwards He announces that He will draw her to Himself, and though He leads her into the wilderness, He will speak tenderly to her... to her He would grant her vineyards from there, the valley of Achor for a door of hope. The very place which of old was a door of judgment under Joshua becomes a door of hope in the prophetic vision. "And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth."

Everything was perverted to that service, and it was credited to the favour of false gods... Even her natural blessings had to be cut off, because her unbelief made them an excuse for the idols she set up.

The vine was the symbol of God's people as the supplier of fruit for His pleasure. With this in view God brought them out of Egypt and planted them in a land flowing with milk and honey. The temple, the priesthood and the sacrifices were all part of God's way of bringing back to Him the fruits He had given Israel for His delight. Their worship and praise, their lives of righteousness and holiness, would bring pleasure to the God who had blessed them so richly. Sadly, instead of righteousness and holiness there was rebellion against Him and corruption. They gave their praise and worship to idols instead of to Jehovah.

The very fullness of the blessing enjoyed might make people forget the gracious hand that gave it. "Fullness of bread" had long ago been the destruction of Sodom. Trial and need wake up the sense of man's need of God. When he lacks nothing, he can easily lose the sense that he still depends on God... In this state the gods that man's own heart has invented are more attractive than the glorious God who is our Creator.

The cultivated "field" has, as it were, grown wild, grown into a forest, as we know was the case with Judah... In such a case, the ground's own richness and the care it once had only help the wild growth to flourish. It is the usual story of privileges and blessings of every kind turned to the wrong use.

Israel had received from the Lord grain, wine, oil, silver and gold. Then they attributed it all to Baal and used it in idol worship. Verses 9-13 make the punishment fully known. She is to be left alone. God will take back the gifts and blessings. Her indecent conduct will be exposed, all rejoicing will cease, and God would judge her for the days of Baalim, spent in immoral worship.

She did not know that it was Jehovah who filled her with this abundance. So He would take it from her, and leave her naked and with nothing... But He would bring this unfaithful woman into the wilderness. There she must learn that these false gods could not enrich her. And there Jehovah Himself, who had drawn her into it, would speak to her heart in grace.

The figure of marriage is used again and again for the relation between Jehovah and Israel, a people brought into close and unique attachment to Himself. This is true both in the history of the past and in the prophecy of the future… In Hosea 2, God judges them for their wanderings from Him as adultery. At the same time He foretells the return of the nation to her "first husband," as the result of His dealings with her in the time to come.

Baal means "husband" and "lord," with the main idea of ownership… Yet it has no necessary bad sense either. In the sense of "husband," God uses it of His own relation to the people: "your Maker is your baal"; "though I was a baal to them" (Isa. 54:5; Jer. 31:32). Still, God rejects the word in the end. Through Hosea He says, "You shall call me Ishi [my husband], and you shall no more call me Baali: for I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth."

Verses 9-13 make the punishment fully known. She is to be left alone. The gifts and blessings will be taken away. Her shameful behaviour will be exposed, all her joy will stop, and God would bring upon her in judgment the days of the Baals, spent in immoral worship.

Israel had credited the Baals with the blessings Jehovah had given them. Jehovah said He would strip them of those mercies to show them their folly.

There was remorse at times, a little revival now and then even in Israel. But the people never truly repented, and so never gave up their course of sin. Their good resolutions were the proof of God's goodness and the fruit of His testimony, but they never produced a thorough repentance in Israel… So everything was turned to the service of idols, and credited to the favour of false gods.

She did not know that it was Jehovah who filled her with this abundance. So He would take it from her, and leave her naked and destitute. He would visit upon her all the days of the Baals, during which Israel had served them and had forgotten Jehovah. But He would bring this unfaithful woman into the wilderness, where she must learn that these false gods could not enrich her. There Jehovah Himself, who had drawn her in, would speak to her heart in grace.

The very scene of judgment will be the very starting-point of recovery. It must be out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble — that the deliverance comes; it cannot come in any other way. That is the way He will work with Israel in time to come, and in the same way now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

In this passage from the prophet, Israel is not just guilty. She has already gone through judgment. God had declared that He would no longer show mercy... and that Israel was no longer His people. But afterwards, once the judgment had fallen, He returns to His unchangeable purposes of grace. He allures Israel as a forsaken wife, and gives her the valley of Achor for a door of hope. That was the valley of trouble, where Achan was stoned — the first judgment on unfaithful Israel after they entered the promised land. For judgment is changed into grace, and God begins everything again on a new principle. It was as though Israel had come up out of Egypt again, but on an entirely new principle. He betroths her to Himself for ever — in righteousness, in judgment, in grace, in mercy — and all is blessing. Then He calls her "Ruhama," that is, "the object of mercy," and "Ammi," "my people."

The prophet speaks of Israel as an unfaithful wife. He shows the unmatched love with which her dishonoured Lord not only receives her, but woos her to return to Him. He says: "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her."

Long centuries before, the Lord had said to the prophet, "Behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart" (Hosea 2:14). As one has said, "There was no talking to her heart... in the fair and flourishing city... but out in the cold, hungry, empty wilderness, He allured her," there to speak to the conscience and win the heart. And today how often He takes this way with sinners, and, indeed, with saints. We seek comfort and ease, and too often our hearts grow cold and careless. Then the Lord breaks in on our ease with sorrow and trial, to speak to our hearts and draw us to Himself.

Was it not a look of love that recovered Peter?... Peter discovered by that look that his denial of the Lord had not altered the Lord's love to him. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Love broke him down. Our sins broke His heart, but His love breaks our hearts. How did Joseph dispel the lingering doubts in his erring brothers, who had treated him so shamefully? We read "he comforted them and spoke to their hearts" (Gen. 50:21, margin). He confirmed his love to them.

Still, Jehovah remembers mercy. Right after this He announces that He will allure her. Though He leads her into the wilderness, He will speak soothingly to her... The very place that was once a door of judgment under Joshua becomes a door of hope in the prophetic vision. "And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." And this freshness of renewed youth will not fade away as it did then. "And it shall be at that day, says Jehovah, that you shall call me Ishi, and shall no longer call me Baali" — that is, "husband" in love, not just "lord".

It is possible for us to find ourselves in "valley" circumstances as the result of our own failures, an experience involving sorrow of heart. In Joshua 7, the people of God are found in the "valley of Achor" — the valley of sorrow, following their defeat by the men of Ai. Achan (which means "troubler") had coveted "a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels." It seems the cloak from Shinar — that is, Babylon — attracted him first, something that would make him stand out and give him prominence before others. If failure has come in, with the sorrow that follows it, the remedy is to seek the Lord. He alone can make such circumstances yield blessing and substance to truly repentant hearts.

The very place that was once a door of judgment under Joshua becomes a door of hope in the prophetic vision.

The judgment of God began to fall there, on the unfaithful people, after they entered the land. God was acting according to their responsibility. In that same place He would now show that grace abounded over all their sin. The joy of their first deliverance and redemption would be restored to them. It would be a fresh start of their history in grace, only now it would be an assured blessing.

That is, the very scene of judgment will be the very starting-point of recovery. It must be out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble — that the deliverance comes; it cannot come in any other way. That is the way He will work with Israel by and by, and similarly now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

Their final clearance will only come when they enter the valley of Achor again as a nation. In other words, they must come to whole-hearted self-judgment. They must utterly and radically give up and destroy the accursed thing.

"She shall sing THERE." Where? In the valley of Achor. Not literally and physically of course, but morally and spiritually she will be there.

How amazing the grace that shines in these promises! To think that at the end of Israel's disastrous history there will yet be a moment when she sings the praises of Jehovah! She will sing with the sweetness of her youth, and with the strength of that moment on the far bank of the Red Sea, when she saw all her enemies dead on the shore!

Then she will get her vineyards, her place of blessing, promised to Israel as His earthly people... When Israel is in that great trouble — the great tribulation — the valley of trouble will become the door of hope. For then the Lord will forgive them their sins, cover them with His grace and redeem them by His power. Then the singing times begin again for Israel.

The change of title here is significant. So far they had known God only in the distant place of "master." They had not known the reality of His glorious nature, or the affectionate closeness He was seeking. So nothing kept them from being drawn away to "other lords" that had wrongly taken His place.

Baal means "husband" and "lord," and its main idea is ownership... The word does not have to carry a bad sense. In the sense of "husband," God uses it of His own relationship to the people: "your Maker is your baal"; "though I was a baal to them." (Isa. 54:5; Jer. 31:32.) Still, in the end God rejects the word.

Israel had credited the Baals with the blessings the LORD had given them. The LORD said He would strip them of those mercies to show them their folly... Israel will no longer call God 'my Master,' which is what the word Baali means, but 'Husband.' He will take away the names of their idol masters, the Baals, and they will not be remembered any more.

Hosea 2 describes the restoration of Israel from the standpoint of the LORD's faithful love. He will be known to His people by a name that expresses that love... We must always bear in mind that the LORD of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New. And in this place He, the LORD Jesus known to us in grace, is addressed as Israel's Husband. After all her years of wandering and turning away, she will be brought to know the love that has followed her unfailingly.

That is, the very scene of judgment will be the very starting-point of recovery. It must be out of "Achor" — that is, out of trouble — that the deliverance comes; it cannot come in any other way. That is how He will work with Israel in the days to come, and how He works now in the souls of any who have wandered from Him.

None of these promises about Israel's future — her restoration and spiritual blessings — has come true yet. "It is folly to think that all this was fully accomplished when a remnant returned from the captivity... No; it is a brighter day, when the power of God will make a complete clearance from the world of disorder, misrule, man's violence and corruption."

The change of title here matters. "Ishi" and "Baali" are both used for "husband." But "Baali" means strictly "lord, master," and implies only the wife's subjection. "Ishi" means "my man." Like similar words in other languages, it goes back to creation and to the basic fitting of man and woman to each other, so that the relationship should hold real fellowship or kinship. It is easy, then, to see the link between swapping one title for the other in speaking of the true God and the dropping of the very names of the "Baals," the false gods, out of Israel's mouth. Until then they had known God only in the far off place of "master." They had not known the reality of His glorious nature, or the affectionate closeness He was seeking. So nothing held them back from being drawn away to "other lords" that had seized His place.

Baal means "husband" and "lord," and its main idea is ownership. Even a bird is a "baal of wing," and a hairy man a "baal of hair." So it does not stand so much for the idea of one who rules; that word is rather adon, from din, to "discern," to "judge." Yet the word has no necessarily bad sense either. In the sense of "husband," God uses it of His own relation to the people: "your Maker is your baal"; "though I was a baal to them." (Isa. 54:5; Jer. 31:32.) Still, in the end God rejects the word.

How gladly would God have us know that He has a heart!

The valley of Achor would be her door of hope. There the judgment of God first began to fall on the unfaithful people, after they entered the land, when God dealt with them according to their responsibility. There He would now show that grace overflowed all their sin. He would give them back the joy of their first deliverance and redemption. Their history would begin again in grace, and this time the blessing would be secure. The principle of Israel's relationship with Jehovah would change. He would not be a Master (Baal) she had to answer to, but a Husband who had married her. The Baals would be entirely forgotten.

In the past she was blind. She did not know who it was that really loved her, and gave her grain and wine and oil, and decked her with jewels. But when grace works in her heart, she will turn to Him in sorrow and repentance, so that He may take her to His heart once more.

All these promises about Israel's future — her restoration and spiritual blessings — are still unfulfilled. "It is a delusion to think that all this was fully accomplished when a remnant returned from captivity."

This gives absolute assurance that God will bring them back into relationship with Himself, and that the relationship will last. It will be closer than any they have ever known.

It is not the time of the Incarnation, as some godly men say — though it is astonishing that they dare to say it. "That day" is still future. It awaits the appearing and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. It is distressing to confuse such a prophecy with Peter's vision and so apply it all to the church now.

"That day," then, is clearly a well understood phrase. Used without any special connection, it means the period of Messiah's reign and Israel's blessing.

Hosea 2 then gives us a fuller view of Israel's guilt and misery, and of their final blessedness. There is the beautiful description of the covenant the Lord makes for Israel, between them and the beasts of the earth, after He has taken them into covenant with Himself. And there is the view we get of the Lord at one end of a magnificent system of blessing, and Israel at the other, after wilderness days. Both are exquisite.

It is foolish to think that all this came fully true when Israel returned from the Babylonian captivity. This wretched error misleads even Christians. It drags them into the impiety of counting God's word here as mere exaggeration, added to heighten the effect. It is as if the Holy Spirit stooped to be a trickster with words, or a prophet were as vain as a writer chasing style. No; it is a brighter day. Then the power of God will sweep the world clear of disorder, misrule, and man's violence and corruption. He will also reduce the whole animal kingdom to harmless and happy subjection.

Verse 18 tells us that creation will then be blessed; the time of its deliverance has come. Here the same thing is indicated as in Isaiah 11:6-7 and Romans 8:21. The end of wars comes then, and universal peace blesses the whole earth. This is always the order in the divine forecasts. First, Israel has to be brought back. After that come the blessings for the earth and the nations. That includes the peace which the blinded world-church tries to secure without the Lord Jesus Christ.

Israel's return to the Lord, flowing out of His grace toward them, brings universal blessedness with it. God will make all the earth feel, to its own joy, the gracious restoration of His long-estranged people.

The scene that follows is surely a foretaste of millennial blessing. It shows the Lord's perfect administration, and the power of one Person to calm the world's unrest and meet its desperate hunger. At His word five thousand men are in a moment set in perfect rest. He speaks the word, and at once we read, "The men sat down." So it will be in the day of the Lord. Then He will "abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land," and "make you lie down in safety" (Hosea 2:18).

In this passage from the prophet, Israel is not just guilty. Israel has already gone through judgment. God had declared that He would no more have mercy... and that Israel was no longer His people... But afterwards, once the judgment had fallen, He returns to His purposes of grace, which He will never revoke... He betroths her to Him for ever, in righteousness, in judgment, in grace, in mercy, and all is blessing.

The Jews saw this as being as binding as marriage. Only a divorce could end it... Scripture uses it as a picture of Jehovah's favour to His ancient people in a future day, when He will 'betroth' them to Himself for ever. Hosea 2:19-20. Also as to the position in which the church stands to Christ: Paul wrote to the Corinthian saints "I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2. The conduct of the saints should be true to this betrothal.

"Ishi" and "Baali" both mean "husband." But "Baali" means "lord, master," and points only to the wife's place under him. "Ishi" means "my man." It goes back to creation and to the basic fitting of man and woman to each other, so that there should be real fellowship or kinship in the relation... So far they had known God only in the distant place of "master." They did not know the reality of His glorious nature, or the affectionate closeness He wanted. Thus there was nothing to hinder their being drawn away to "other lords" which had usurped His place. But now, in the future which He here contemplates, all would be changed, so as to make stable the relationship.

There is to be acceptance for this unfaithful one with her injured Lord. She has been unfaithful, it is true... she has said, "I will go after my lovers," but the Lord has also said, "I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy."

God's judgment first fell on the unfaithful people after they entered the land. There He acted according to their responsibility. In that same place He would now show that grace abounded over all their sin... The whole basis of Israel's relationship with Jehovah would change. He would not be as a Master (Baal) to whom she was responsible, but as a Husband who had betrothed her.

It is not the time when Christ came as a man, as some godly men say... "That day" is still future, and waits for the appearing and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus... But, better than all, "I will also betroth you to Myself for ever." What is every other mercy worth, compared with this closest bond with Jehovah Himself?

Heavens and earth will be gloriously united, and in answer to the call of His people the heavens will hear and cover all with blessing, for Satan's power is now gone. Israel is no longer "not My people," but they will be "His people" and He will be "their God," while the redeemed nation itself will be a blessing in the earth.

"That day" is still future. It awaits the appearing and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus… But, better than all: "I will also betroth you to Myself for ever." What is every other mercy worth compared with this closest association with Jehovah Himself? "Yes, I will betroth you to Myself in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies," says He for the third time. "I will betroth you to Myself in faithfulness; and you shall know Jehovah."

Nothing could be more decisive than this… Surely no one can twist it in the way that has been so common, reading "the Church" where it says "Israel." This is how the Old Testament speaks throughout.

"Ishi" and "Baali" are both words for "husband." But "Baali" means, strictly, "lord, master," and implies only that the wife is under him. "Ishi," "my man," goes back to creation and to the basic fitting of man and woman to each other, so that there should be real fellowship or kinship in the relation… They had known God until now only in the far-off place of "master," not in the reality of His glorious nature, not in the affectionate closeness He was seeking. So there was nothing to stop them being drawn away to "other lords" which had taken His place. But now, in the future He has in view, everything would change. The change would make the relationship stable: "I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness"—or "steadfastness"—"and you shall know the Lord."

The judgment of God first fell on the unfaithful people after they entered the land, when He dealt with them according to their responsibility. In that very place He would now show that grace abounded over all their sin… It would be a fresh start of their history in grace, and this time the blessing would be secure. God would change the whole basis of Israel's relationship with Him. He would not be a Master (Baal) whom she owed duty to, but a Husband who had betrothed her to Himself.

We can trace Israel's decline first of all to her lack of knowledge about Jehovah's generosity: "She did not know that I gave her grain" (Hosea 2:8). But in the day of future glory, when Jehovah betroths her to Himself, she shall fully know Him. "You shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:20).

When the new covenant is established with Israel, the Lord says, "They shall all know Me" (vv. 31-34). That will indeed be a glad and glorious day… This blessing is so rich that it will be like life from the dead. It will truly be eternal life, though not in the same measure and relationship that belongs to the believer now. They will know Jehovah: we are brought to know the Father and the Son.

What an uninterrupted line of blessing, from the heavens down to every earthly blessing in the land of Israel! Every creature of God will then enjoy to the full the fruits of that restored and completed union between Jehovah and His ancient people.