HOSEA 1
The name Hosea, meaning Deliverance, seems to suggest that, sad as the state of the people was to whom he prophesied, the leading object of his service was to show how Jehovah would bring deliverance from that state. In the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, and Hezekiah there was a certain outward form of piety, but the prophets exposed the inward state of the people generally, and it was marked by great unfaithfulness to the divinely established relationship between Jehovah and His people. “The land is entirely given up to whoredom, away from Jehovah”, verse 2. This state was to be set forth in the prophet’s own associations, and his children represented in a symbolical way the results of unfaithfulness. Jizreel means Jehovah will sow, and the chapter suggests that this sowing on Jehovah’s part takes a two-fold character. In the first place it is retributive; unfaithfulness will inevitably result in a sowing and reaping of judgment, as we see in verses 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. But when this is felt and bowed to, God’s sowing takes another character, and He brings in what is of Himself in mercy. This is seen in verses 7, 10, 11. The day of Jizreel in this aspect is clearly one of sovereign mercy.
In verses 6 and 7 Jehovah says that He will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, but that He will have mercy on the house of Judah. This was manifested in His preserving a remnant of Judah through the captivity, and bringing them back to the land so that Christ might be presented to them. Indeed verse 7 was fulfilled in the principle of it when Christ was here, though on the part of the people they did not perceive or accept it. The rejection of Christ by the Jews has resulted in wrath coming upon them to the uttermost as a nation, but a remnant was secured of whom Peter could say that they were once not a people, but were now the people of God, who were not enjoying mercy, but now had found mercy, 1 Peter 2: 10. The two aspects of Jizreel have thus been seen, and they will be seen further in God’s future dealings with Israel, for on the one hand they will receive double for all their sins, but on the other hand both Judah and Israel will be blessed according to verse 11 in the sovereignty of mercy.
The relations between Jehovah and Israel were truly wonderful. They were marriage relations. There was in Jehovah the love of [p. 2] a true Husband; see chapter 3: 1. He was pleased to be known as loving a people on earth in a most personal and intimate way, so that the marriage relation was a suitable and divinely intentional way of representing it. Nor is this less so with the saints today. Each believer has been made dead to the law by the body of the Christ to be to Another who has been raised up from among the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God; Romans 7: 4. Paul had espoused the Corinthians to one Husband that he might present them as a chaste virgin to Christ. And it is well known to us that the assembly is viewed in Ephesians 5 as the wife of Christ. This is the divinely established relation. On the side of Christ there is perfect bridegroom affection. None of us would think of asking the Lord to love us more than He does. Think of all that He did in self-sacrificing love when He gave Himself for us! Think of all His services in love, Saviour, Intercessor, Advocate, Priest and Head! When we think of it all, our hearts may well be deeply moved, and yet we know how easily little things come in that dim the fervent affection that pertains to the marriage relation.
In Israel there was such unfaithfulness that Jehovah had to completely disown them. Such a state will soon be found in the Christian profession that it will be spued out of Christ’s mouth as nauseous to Him. But there is still a remnant marked by faithfulness in the affections, those who keep Christ’s word and do not deny His name. That there should be such a remnant is the fruit of sovereign love that has wrought from the divine side for the satisfaction of divine Persons. After all Israel’s unfaithfulness, and their being disowned by Jehovah, He will yet bring about that “it shall be said unto them, Sons of the living God”, verse 11. They will be secured in family relation, with a nature capable of response to God in holy affections. There will not then be any breakdown in the marriage relation. At the present time there are those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption. The privilege is open to us of being found amongst them. We may be very conscious of weakness in ourselves, but weakness need not be unfaithfulness. Conscious weakness casts us all the more upon divine faithfulness, upon the love of Christ and of God. As kept in a sense of divine love we shall not be unfaithful in our affections. The way of deliverance is to know our own nothingness as being kept near to divine love.