Israel’s Unfaithfulness and Future Restoration: Gomer’s Departure
Hosea 2
Hosea 2
Hosea 2. The second chapter presents Israel as an unfaithful wife who had forsaken Jehovah for idols. Because she attributed His gifts to false gods and used them in Baal’s service, Jehovah would remove her blessings and expose her helpless condition. Yet His chastening had restoration as its goal: Israel would recognize that she was better off with her “first husband.” At her lowest point — “she forgot me” — Jehovah turns to her in sovereign grace. He will speak to her heart, make the valley of Achor “a door of hope,” and restore the freshness of their relationship. Israel will know Jehovah as her husband, and the names of the Baals will be forgotten. Her restoration will bring Millennial blessing to creation, peace on the earth, and renewed communion between heaven and earth. Jehovah will betroth Israel to Himself forever in righteousness, loving-kindness, mercies, and faithfulness. Jezreel will be sown in the land, Lo-ruhamah will obtain mercy, and Lo-ammi will again be acknowledged as His people.
An Appeal to the Faithful Among Ephraim and Judah (2:1-5)
CHAPTER 2
1 Say unto your brethren Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah. 2 Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts; 3 lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her as a dry land, and slay her with thirst. DARBY
vv.1-3 An Appeal to the Faithful. The chapter begins with Hosea addressing those among the nation – ones like the prophet Hosea1 – that might hear: “brethren” and “sisters” are the Jews individually, and “your mother” is Israel corporately as a nation. He addresses them under the names of the last two children without the prefix: “Ammi” means ‘my people’ and “Ruhamah” means ‘having obtained mercy’. This is an appeal to the faithful to plead with the nation to repent. He says in v.2 “she is not my wife”. This is because Gomer had run away and broken the marriage bond, just as Israel had turned away from Jehovah to serve idols. What did she need to do? “let her put away her whoredoms, etc.” The judgment would bring Israel into a condition where her true state without Himself would be exposed: “and set her as in the day that she was born”. It is a very dark thing: the Lord threatening to put Israel to shame and have no mercy on her children. Jehovah has done this, and will yet do it in the time of Jacob’s trouble, to “cause her to die of thirst”. The Shulamite can say in repentance; “I am black”, and “the sun hath looked upon me.”
4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they are the children of whoredoms. 5 For their mother hath played the harlot; she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. DARBY
vv.4-5 Turning to Lovers. Here we find the children of Gomer were “the children of whoredoms” and “their mother hath played the harlot”, meaning she had been unfaithful to Hosea with other lovers, those who she wrongly thought would clothe and nourish her. The Lord would not have mercy on that guilty nation, nor on her children begotten while Israel was pursuing false gods, because at the core they had committed spiritual adultery.
The Threat of Judgment From a Broken Heart (2:6-13)
6 Therefore behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns; and I will fence her in with a wall, that she shall not find her paths. 7 And she shall pursue after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, and shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now. DARBY
vv.6-7 Chastening with Restoration as the Goal. The Lord promises to chasten Israel until they repent and seek Himself. He cares too much to let her go. Should would never be satisfied with any other lover than “her first husband”. Israel never developed a lasting relationship with any of her idols. It was a constant roller coaster: her want the idols, then needing Jehovah’s protection and provision, His gracious deliverance, followed by fresh departure. From time to time, Israel experienced brief awakenings of conscience and temporary seasons of revival, each bearing witness to the patience, grace, and goodness of God; yet these movements never produced true and lasting repentance, for the people as a whole refused to forsake their sinful course and return wholeheartedly to the Lord.
8 And she did not know that I had given her the corn and the new wine and the oil, and had multiplied to her the silver and gold, which they employed for Baal. 9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my new wine in its season, and will withdraw my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness. 10 And now will I discover her impiety in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand. 11 And I will cause all her mirth to cease: her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths! and all her solemnities. 12 And I will make desolate her vine and her fig-tree, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards which my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. DARBY
vv.8-12 Heartbreaking Ignorance. There is heartbreak in the words of Jehovah: Israel didn’t know Who was providing for her basic needs and material blessing. Even her natural blessings which the Lord gave her she attributed to her idolatrous connections, and used them “for Baal”. She used the things the Lord provided as false evidence to justify her course if idolatry. As a result, those things must be cut off that she might learn who her Lord really was. She must be exposed and shamed before her lovers: would Baal and other false gods deliver Israel in her time of need? No, they would abandon her. Her joy would be taken away, “I will make desolate her vine and her fig-tree”. The beasts of the fields, a picture of the Gentiles, would trample on what could have cheered the heart of God and man (Judges 9:13).
13 And I will visit upon her the days of the Baals, wherein she burned incense to them, and decked herself with her rings and jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith Jehovah. DARBY
v.13 The Chastisement of a Jealous God. Israel’s idolatry and all that accompanied it would be brought upon her for judgment. Perhaps the saddest thing of all, “she forgot me, saith Jehovah.” It was to her as if He never had existed: Jehovah slips from her mind altogether. What a sad violation of His commandment: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” – and their vow – “all thou hast said, we will do.” It is at this point, the very lowest of the low, that the prophetic word makes a profound reversal in tone!
Israel’s Return: Drawn by His Love and Grace (2:14-17)
14 Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart. DARBY
v.14 Jehovah Remembers Mercy. On the heels of their utter failure and rejection of Jehovah, He remembers mercy, and looks forward to the day when He will bless them in tenderness. It will be in “the wilderness”, in the place of isolation and feeling the consequences of sin, where the Lord will begin a work with the Jewish remnant, “and speak to her heart”. There is no reason for Him to do this other than the fact that “God is love” (John 4:9). God’s love cannot be compared to human love, which responds to something in the object worthy of love; “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die” (Rom. 5:7). Instead, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). What mercy and grace have flowed to us from that love, on the righteous basis of the work of Christ on the cross!
On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide,
Through the flood-gates of God’s mercy,
Flowed the vast and gracious tide;
Grace and love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above,
And God’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.2
15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; 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. DARBY
v.15 Joy Restored. The Lord will give Israel “her vineyards”. The natural joys that she gave up years ago when she forsook the Lord we be restored to a battered and feeble remnant. “The valley of Achor” was the place where Israel had to exercise self-judgment (Joshua 7:26). Israel will repent nationally, and this will be to them “a door of hope.” The valley of Achor in Joshua 7 was the painful scene of the conviction and execution of Achan. This “valley of Achor”, which means “trouble”, that was a memorial of the first sin committed by Israel in the land, and the scene of corporate repudiation of sin, will one day be given them “for a door of hope”. The discovery and punishment of sin is a bitter thing under man’s responsibility, but in the sovereign grace of God it is the way to blessing. All of Israel’s hopes and future blessing (the Millennium) rest on the expiation of sin which took place at the cross, where their own Messiah, unknown to them, bore the curse of a broken law! The result is very sweet; “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” (c.f. Exodus 15). This signifies that the freshness of relationship with Jehovah will be restored, and it will never fade away.
16 And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah, that thou shalt call me, My husband, and shalt call me no more, Baali; 17 for I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. DARBY
vv.16-17 The Freshness of Relationship. When Israel is restored, she will not only obey Jehovah as Lord but love Him and be “in love”. That is, she will know the Lord as “husband“, a relationship of love, rather than “lord,” which is far more distant, even in the best sense of authority. Israel will never again speak the names of false gods; “I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth”. As a jealous God, the Lord had instructed them, “make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth” (Exodus 23:13). God is jealous, protective, defensive, and vigilant over what rightfully belongs to Him. As the earthly bride of Jehovah, Israel will be true to Him not only in deeds but in thoughts! Their names will be “no more remembered”. She had forgotten him (v.13), but in that day she will forget the names of her idols! Note: she will acknowledge in that day that they were “Baalim” – masters, not “lovers” as she had claimed.
The Results of Reconciliation: Millennial Blessing (2:18-23)
18 And I will make a covenant for them in that day with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will break bow and sword and battle out of the land; and I will make them to lie down safely. DARBY
v.18 Secondary Results of Reconciliation: Universal Blessing. When Israel is restored to the Lord, the blessing will extend far beyond Israel itself: the whole creation will share in the joy of that reconciliation, violence will cease, weapons – “bow and sword” – will no longer be needed (even for hunting), and even the creatures of the earth will be delivered from fear and destruction. For a thousand years, mankind will have no occasion to learn or practice the arts of war, for Israel’s return to Jehovah will be accompanied by universal blessing. There is a practical application to us: when we are in a poor spiritual state and distant from the Lord, we become a hindrance and even a curse to those around us; but when we walk in communion with Him, we become a source of blessing to everyone around!
19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies; 20 and I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know Jehovah. DARBY
vv.19-20 A Divine Betrothal. While the release of the creature from the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:21) is wonderful, nothing can compare to the the restoration of the relationship with Jehovah Himself. This is a three-fold promise:
- “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever” – the relationship will never be spoiled
- “And I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies” – The relationship will be characterized by all the virtues that are reflected in the nature of God Himself: things that were never found in Israel of old. Note that “judgment” here is in the sense of equity.
- “And I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness” – this last one, “in faithfulness” is separated off because it encapsulates the opposite of what Israel formerly was. It is overwhelming to think that this adulteress – being formerly the essence of unfaithfulness – will have her vows renewed “in faithfulness”! This is the grace of God.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith Jehovah, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; 22 and the earth shall hear the corn, and the new wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jizreel. DARBY
vv.21-22 Communion Between Heaven and Earth Restored. The communication between heaven and earth will be restored like it was before the fall: “I will hear, saith Jehovah”. The communion was broken by man’s sin at the fall, and all the trouble in creation has flowed from break in that communion. When God sets forth to judge the world, He will cast down the god of this world, the accuser of the brethren who today is active in the heavenly places as the cause of chaos and destruction will be cast down from heaven, then bound with his demons in the abyss. This will allow, in the Millennial reign of Christ, the curse to be lifted (though sin not removed), and the effect will be felt by people (Isa. 33:24; 35:5-6; 65:20; Psa. 103:3), animals (Isa. 11:6, 8; 65:25), and the land itself (Rom 8:19-22; Psa. 72:16; 144:13; Ezek. 36:35; Isa. 35:1; 55:13; Amos 9:13). There will be an uninterrupted line of blessing from the heavens down to the earth! All creation will share in the abundant blessing that flows from Jehovah’s complete restoration of His ancient people to Himself. Corn, wine, and oil are mentioned often in the Minor Prophets, and they speak of natural plenty, joy, and blessing (v.22).
23 And I will sow her unto me in the land; and I will have mercy upon Lo-ruhamah; and I will say to Lo-ammi, Thou art my people; and they shall say, My God. DARBY
v.23 The Names Reversed. 1 Peter 2:10 is a quotation from this verse. See note above on “sons of the living god.” The names of her children will be reversed:
- Jezreel – means “God will scatter / God will sow” – The second meaning of Jezreel will be fulfilled, “I will sow her unto me in the land”. Israel will be restored and planted in the earth to grow and be fruitful throughout the Millennium.
- Lo-ruhamah – means “no more mercy” – Though they deserved no mercy, Jehovah says, “I will have mercy upon Lo-ruhamah”.
- Lo-ammi – means “not my people” – Israel will be owned by God as His people: “I will say to Lo-ammi, Thou art my people.” They will find themselves in a covenant relationship with Jehovah again, but not now resting on their keeping the law, but on Jehovah’s grace to them (Jer. 31:34).
Israel will answer His gracious declaration with the words, “My God.”