Hosea 2
The second chapter of the book of Hosea follows the themes found in chapter 1. Hosea has married an unfaithful wife and fathered children. At this point, it is helpful to understand that all of what God has commanded Hosea to do is an analogy to teach the people that Hosea was prophesying to. The nation of Israel had abandoned their faith in God. They were in full rebellion, they were fully engaged in idol worship and were living like the nations around them. At the beginning of this chapter Hosea is commanded to remind the people that it was God who had prospered them and taken care of them. Because of what God had already done their punishment would be just. The poem that follows tracks this discipline. God is going to remove the pleasure of the nations sin, the things that His wayward children were enjoying would loose its fun. They would have to pursue more and more to get the same joy, and eventually the joy would be removed all-together. Eventually, there would be no joy to be found. All that glitters is not golden! One thing that we need to see is that at the end of the discipline there is no turning back to God. There is a sense that the wayward wife is left sitting alone in the dark. That is where God comes in. The end of the chapter is where God calls His people back to Himself. God is the one who woos His people. Its not as if God walks in and says “Hey! Let’s go!!!” He is gentle and loving. He works hard to gain the attention of His lost spouse and guides her back. What we are supposed to see in this is how God worked in Christ to bring humanity back to Himself. God, in Christ, brought salvation to us. He did the work while we were walking in defiance. The goal of all of this work is to change the way we see God. Verse 16 says this:
Hosea 2:16 ESV
“And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’
The term “My Baal” means master or possessor. My Husband signifies lover and protector. This is who God is. He is the lover of our souls and protector of His people. Let us remember this as we remember what God has done through His Son on our behalf.
Senior Pastor Jonathan Welch
