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The Great Divorce (Hos 1:4-7).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for this new day, I have done nothing to deserve it. For all of your manifold mercies, I confess that I have rendered a poor return unto you. How can I repay you, Lord, for all of your goodness to me? Help me, O Lord. I seek you this day, I want to walk before you and be blameless, I want to worship you in spirit and in truth. And yet my flesh constantly wages war against me. Be merciful to me, O Lord, do what work you must, please lead me in the way everlasting. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reading
Hosea 1:4-7.
“And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.””
Meditation
God had been patient with his people. He had endured adultery on the very first night of their union as the people built for themselves a golden calf (Exodus 32), and as you read the history of the people, it doesn’t get any better. Through Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, and right through the book of Kings it is a sordid history of Israel’s shocking faithlessness, and God’s amazing faithfulness. But the time had at last come, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was now hardened in its spiritual adultery. God’s long patience had at last come to an end. Judgment was imminent.
Hosea was called to be a living metaphor of God’s covenant with Israel, and so as Hosea and Gomer have children together in verses two through nine, what we see is that the children themselves are symbolic of the judgments of God. As the three children are born to them in the course of time, three judgments are prophetically declared through the names that God tells Hosea to give to these children.
As the first son is born, in verse four we read: “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” Israel had been an unfaithful wife, and God was now enforcing the death penalty for adultery as the kingdom itself would be ended.
Now to understand this properly, we need to understand what the name Jezreel refers to. Jezreel was quite infamous in the history of the Northern Kingdom. It was the place where King Ahab, urged on by Jezebel, had slaughtered Naboth and taken his vineyard. And it was also the place where later, King Jehu had slaughtered the servants of Baal and others as well – and yet, in spite of that, Jehu persisted in idolatry – spiritual adultery. And so the reason God refers to Jezreel in verse four is because in a symbolic way, it represents some of the worst of Israel’s sins. Jezreel, if you like, is a symbol of Israel’s sin.
The reference to Jehu specifically is because he was the very best of the kings of the Northern Kingdom. As you read the history of the Northern Kingdom, every king without fail is an idolater and faithless to God. And so even Jehu, who rightly slaughtered the prophets of Baal, was guilty. The very best of the northern kings still had blood on his hands, that’s what Hosea’s prophecy is referring to here.
And so in calling the child Jezreel, the entirety of Israel’s guilt is symbolised and summarised, and because of their unrepentant guilt, God would put an end to this kingdom.
Two more judgments follow, and it’s as though the divorce proceedings have begun, and now the case will be established by the mouth of three witnesses. The second child is called “No-mercy.” Verse six says: “the LORD said to Hosea, Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God.” There is a real finality about this judgment, the Lord is saying that there will be no more mercy – this is the end. No more forgiveness. The Northern Kingdom had abandoned Temple worship. They had traded in the mercy seat of the Temple for twin golden calves, and their rejection of God has at last come to its full fruition. They had already had many opportunities to repent and receive mercy, but since they were hardened and persistent in their sins, at last God says: “Since you have scorned the provision of mercy in the Temple, I will withdraw my mercy from you.”
And yet so great is God’s compassion that even here there is a message of mercy for those who had ears to hear, for in verse seven God refers to mercy for the House of Judah. This was a call to all true God-fearers in the Northern Kingdom to “abandon ship.” Right away they would know that the only chance they have is to leave and take refuge in the Southern Kingdom with the tribe of Judah, and there may well have been some who did that. How patient and kind God was to extend the opportunity for mercy to people in the Northern Kingdom – even as their final judgment was being declared!
This also comes as another reminder that all the salvation hope of God’s people rested in the line of Judah. The LORD had made the promise that a Messiah would come from David’s line, in the house of Judah, and save his people. This, then, is a clear foreshadow of the promised salvation that was to come, the promise that would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ. From the perspective of the New Covenant, what this is saying is that in Christ alone salvation is to be found.
Be ye doers of the word…
In applying this warning to ourselves, the message is very clear. If we spurn and turn aside from God’s mercy in Christ, then we too will be shown no-mercy. We find this warning essentially presented in New Covenant garb in Hebrews 10:26-31: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Certainly if a professing believer abandons the faith, this warning and judgment applies. If one does such a thing and persists in that path, they are surely on the road to destruction and will receive no mercy. But one may still have a measure of the external trappings of the Christian Religion and still be in danger of following the Northern Kingdom. Churches that abandon the true doctrine of Christ are in the same position (1 John 4:1-6), and their judgment approaches unless they repent. If you find yourself in a church where Christ is not preached, you would do well to heed the warning of our passage, for there is mercy in the House of Judah. Be sure that you are in a church where true salvation and true faithfulness to Christ is upheld in the doctrine, teaching, and life of the church. SDG.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
God of all mercy, I thank you that there is mercy in Christ Jesus. I cast myself wholly upon him who is my only hope before you. I am sorry for my faithlessness until this point, my unwillingness to be whole-heartedly devoted unto Christ. O Lord, weak as I am, poor though I be, helpless without your help and strength, yet I give myself to you. Please help me to be wholly dedicated unto Christ, to walk in his ways, to give no quarter to sinful desires and inclinations in my heart. Please help me to be wholly and fully devoted unto him who died for me. I thank you for the goodness of your mercies, you are a faithful and wonderful God – wonderful beyond all my understanding, worthy beyond any word I could possibly express. Please meet with your people today, O Lord, lift us up, convict, correct, instruct, rebuke, comfort and encourage – according as each has need – and that your kindgom may come. Please protect us from Satan’s devices, and from the temptations of our own hearts today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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By Reformed devotions from all of scripture.Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for this new day, I have done nothing to deserve it. For all of your manifold mercies, I confess that I have rendered a poor return unto you. How can I repay you, Lord, for all of your goodness to me? Help me, O Lord. I seek you this day, I want to walk before you and be blameless, I want to worship you in spirit and in truth. And yet my flesh constantly wages war against me. Be merciful to me, O Lord, do what work you must, please lead me in the way everlasting. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reading
Hosea 1:4-7.
“And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.””
Meditation
God had been patient with his people. He had endured adultery on the very first night of their union as the people built for themselves a golden calf (Exodus 32), and as you read the history of the people, it doesn’t get any better. Through Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, and right through the book of Kings it is a sordid history of Israel’s shocking faithlessness, and God’s amazing faithfulness. But the time had at last come, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was now hardened in its spiritual adultery. God’s long patience had at last come to an end. Judgment was imminent.
Hosea was called to be a living metaphor of God’s covenant with Israel, and so as Hosea and Gomer have children together in verses two through nine, what we see is that the children themselves are symbolic of the judgments of God. As the three children are born to them in the course of time, three judgments are prophetically declared through the names that God tells Hosea to give to these children.
As the first son is born, in verse four we read: “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” Israel had been an unfaithful wife, and God was now enforcing the death penalty for adultery as the kingdom itself would be ended.
Now to understand this properly, we need to understand what the name Jezreel refers to. Jezreel was quite infamous in the history of the Northern Kingdom. It was the place where King Ahab, urged on by Jezebel, had slaughtered Naboth and taken his vineyard. And it was also the place where later, King Jehu had slaughtered the servants of Baal and others as well – and yet, in spite of that, Jehu persisted in idolatry – spiritual adultery. And so the reason God refers to Jezreel in verse four is because in a symbolic way, it represents some of the worst of Israel’s sins. Jezreel, if you like, is a symbol of Israel’s sin.
The reference to Jehu specifically is because he was the very best of the kings of the Northern Kingdom. As you read the history of the Northern Kingdom, every king without fail is an idolater and faithless to God. And so even Jehu, who rightly slaughtered the prophets of Baal, was guilty. The very best of the northern kings still had blood on his hands, that’s what Hosea’s prophecy is referring to here.
And so in calling the child Jezreel, the entirety of Israel’s guilt is symbolised and summarised, and because of their unrepentant guilt, God would put an end to this kingdom.
Two more judgments follow, and it’s as though the divorce proceedings have begun, and now the case will be established by the mouth of three witnesses. The second child is called “No-mercy.” Verse six says: “the LORD said to Hosea, Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God.” There is a real finality about this judgment, the Lord is saying that there will be no more mercy – this is the end. No more forgiveness. The Northern Kingdom had abandoned Temple worship. They had traded in the mercy seat of the Temple for twin golden calves, and their rejection of God has at last come to its full fruition. They had already had many opportunities to repent and receive mercy, but since they were hardened and persistent in their sins, at last God says: “Since you have scorned the provision of mercy in the Temple, I will withdraw my mercy from you.”
And yet so great is God’s compassion that even here there is a message of mercy for those who had ears to hear, for in verse seven God refers to mercy for the House of Judah. This was a call to all true God-fearers in the Northern Kingdom to “abandon ship.” Right away they would know that the only chance they have is to leave and take refuge in the Southern Kingdom with the tribe of Judah, and there may well have been some who did that. How patient and kind God was to extend the opportunity for mercy to people in the Northern Kingdom – even as their final judgment was being declared!
This also comes as another reminder that all the salvation hope of God’s people rested in the line of Judah. The LORD had made the promise that a Messiah would come from David’s line, in the house of Judah, and save his people. This, then, is a clear foreshadow of the promised salvation that was to come, the promise that would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ. From the perspective of the New Covenant, what this is saying is that in Christ alone salvation is to be found.
Be ye doers of the word…
In applying this warning to ourselves, the message is very clear. If we spurn and turn aside from God’s mercy in Christ, then we too will be shown no-mercy. We find this warning essentially presented in New Covenant garb in Hebrews 10:26-31: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Certainly if a professing believer abandons the faith, this warning and judgment applies. If one does such a thing and persists in that path, they are surely on the road to destruction and will receive no mercy. But one may still have a measure of the external trappings of the Christian Religion and still be in danger of following the Northern Kingdom. Churches that abandon the true doctrine of Christ are in the same position (1 John 4:1-6), and their judgment approaches unless they repent. If you find yourself in a church where Christ is not preached, you would do well to heed the warning of our passage, for there is mercy in the House of Judah. Be sure that you are in a church where true salvation and true faithfulness to Christ is upheld in the doctrine, teaching, and life of the church. SDG.
Prayer of Confession & Consecration
God of all mercy, I thank you that there is mercy in Christ Jesus. I cast myself wholly upon him who is my only hope before you. I am sorry for my faithlessness until this point, my unwillingness to be whole-heartedly devoted unto Christ. O Lord, weak as I am, poor though I be, helpless without your help and strength, yet I give myself to you. Please help me to be wholly dedicated unto Christ, to walk in his ways, to give no quarter to sinful desires and inclinations in my heart. Please help me to be wholly and fully devoted unto him who died for me. I thank you for the goodness of your mercies, you are a faithful and wonderful God – wonderful beyond all my understanding, worthy beyond any word I could possibly express. Please meet with your people today, O Lord, lift us up, convict, correct, instruct, rebuke, comfort and encourage – according as each has need – and that your kindgom may come. Please protect us from Satan’s devices, and from the temptations of our own hearts today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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