Hosea 2:19-23 (NIV)

“I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD.
“In that day I will respond,”
declares the LORD—
“I will respond to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

Forever. “I will betroth you to me forever.” That’s where this is all headed. Then everything will be right. “I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land.” (“Jezreel” means “God plants” here.)

The earth, the sky, and the planting will all combine to work the way they should.

And this new, permanent relationship will be one of grace and love—of a people and their God.

Does that point to Christ, or what?

The end of this passage points to Christ even more. “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” The Israelites understood this figuratively—that Israel will be restored, and the name of Gomer’s third child, “Not my people,” will no longer be their name.

But God had something far more glorious up His sleeve—saving the whole world. You don’t have to be speaking figuratively to label the Gentiles, “not my people.” Paul picks this up in Romans 9.

What if God … called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” – Romans 9:22-26 (NIV)

When the covenant expanded to include the gentiles, Hosea 2:23 was fulfilled literally.

All the weekly study guides, which include all five devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

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https://www.amazon.com/Higher-Purposes-Lesson-God-Job/dp/1684719534