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Three Children of Hosea
Three Children of Hosea
Throughout much of history, names had ‘meanings’ and were not just ‘names’. Hence the naming of Hosea’s children has symbolic meaning. Jezreel means God sows, Lo-ruhamah means she has not obtained compassion/mercy, and Lo-ammi means “Not my people”
The names of the children are used to indicate what God will do with Israel because of their unfaithfulness to Him: He will sow (scatter them), they will not obtain mercy or compassion, and they will not be acknowledged as His people.
YET, this will be a reversal of such with the coming of the Messiah. Paul quotes vs. 10 in Romans 9:26: "And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, 'you are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." Israel, the northern 10 tribes that are taken into captivity, will again be united with Judah and be the people of God.
Such will not be a ‘national’ restitution but will be on the basis of coming to faith in the Messiah. Such faith and restoration is individual. The people of Judah will face their own judgment (Babylon) but will also be individually reconciled unto God through Jesus, the Messiah.
But such promise of reconciliation is NOT limited to Jewish descendants but will be enlarged to include ALL NATIONS. Hence the great promise in Isa. 2 that ‘all nations’ would come, and that is coupled with the great commission of making disciples out of every nation (Matt. 28:18-20). Thus, Paul would say to those disciples of Jesus in Galatia:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:26-29).
Also, Peter writes to saints: “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).
We see then that Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the Davidic southern kingdom) have been reunited under one head (Jesus), and along with all who believe the gospel make up the children of God today.
Have you become a child of God by believing and being baptized into Christ?
Hugh DeLong
