Wednesday, March 11, 2015

No longer any mystery or intrigue for her Lovers




Isaiah 54:6-8

Israel is no longer a widow, but a wife who is greatly loved by her husband who is God.  But she is unfaithful, she seeks other lovers and her Husband gives her a divorce, and now she is without protection of her Husband, and she soon finds out that her lovers are users and when she has been used, she no longer holds any mystery or intrigue for her lovers.

As we read the account of Hosea, I know of no one who would ask God to give them this assignment.  Beginning in the first chapter and the second and third verses:    “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.” So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.”  (Hosea 1:2-3 ESV)

God gave names to the children of Hosea and Gomer, the first was a son and he was named Jezreel, for in a little while God will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and God would put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.  If you go to (2 Kings 10:1-11) you will find the actions of Jehu and how he not only had the men of Jezreel kill the seventy sons of Ahab, but then Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests.

Gomer and Hosea had a daughter and God named her No Mercy for I will have no mercy on the house of Israel.  God told Hosea He would have mercy on Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God.  After weaning No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son.  “And the LORD said his name is to be Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”  A wise person will open their Bible to Hosea chapter 2, and see how God deals with whoredom.

The third chapter of Hosea is descriptive of what God is going to do with Israel, how He is going to take her back with an everlasting covenant of love.  Hosea Chapter 3; “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.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.”  Could it be that our eyes will see Israel returning and seeking the LORD?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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