Loyal Week 2 Day 1
Hosea 1:8–9
[8] When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. [9] And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” (ESV)
What is the name that the LORD gives Gomer's second son?
To be called "not my people" is utterly heartbreaking. Have you been told "not my people" by a former friend, a group of gals that just did not want to let you in their clique, or even a church? Do you remember the feeling of isolation, loneliness, and rejection? On the flip side, have you told someone, not necessarily with words but with actions, that they were "not my people?” This should have been absolutely grievous for the Israelites to hear the words "not my people and I am not your GOD." These words should have pierced the Israelites hearts, bringing them to their knees and repentance. It does not appear to have had any immediate effect at all on the Israelites. Do these words grip you in a way that you want to run back to the LORD?
Hosea 1:10
[10] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” (ESV)
It is just like GOD’s character to renew His covenant after rebuking. You may be asking “What covenant?” To learn the history of this covenant, we need to turn back in our Bible about 958 pages…..
Genesis 22:15–18
[15] And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven [16] and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, [18] and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (ESV)
Wow, what a statement! What a wonderful blessing! Can you imagine that the only One possible to actually do this, just said this to you? As great as this is, you may be confused to what is going on, so we will go over a little more history. After Abram’s father died in Haran, when Abram was 75 years old, GOD called Abram to move to the land that GOD had for him. GOD said,
Genesis 12:1–3
[1] Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (ESV)
Again, wow! Imagine hearing this from the only One possible of making this happen! Great blessing also requires great obedience, so Abram moved with his wife, Sarai, who was barren, his nephew, Lot, and all their earthly possessions to the land of Canaan. Years go by and a lot of life happens including Sarai giving her servant, Hagar, to Abram to conceive a child. Yes, you read that correctly. Maybe Sarai was thinking that this was the only way to accomplish what GOD had promised. What a cruel and heartbreaking decision for Sarai, to give another woman into the arms of her husband, as well as Hagar, being forced into the arms of her master’s husband. Well, Hagar bears Abram a son, Ishmael, when Abram is 86 years old. As you can imagine, this causes some tension in the family. Yikes! When Abram was 99 years old, GOD renews His covenant again with Abram telling Abram that GOD will make him the father of multitude thru a son that Sarai will bear to Abram. GOD also changes the name of Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. This seems impossible, but nothing is too hard for the LORD (Genesis 18:14). So when Sarai was well past child bearing years, “worn out” as Sarah said to herself, GOD opened her womb and she bore Isaac to Abraham. You can only imagine how precious this son was to them after many years of wanting, praying, and grieving for a child of their own, and then promised a child only to wait 25 more years, probably thinking that it is never going to happen. Then one day GOD tests Abraham, asking him to sacrifice the thing that he probably loves most in this world, his only son. What! How does Abraham respond? Abraham responds quickly with full obedience. Seeing this, GOD sends an angel of the LORD to Abraham and says,
Genesis 22:12
[12] He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (ESV)
This brings us to where we began. GOD’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants after testing Abraham and Abraham proving with his actions and sacrifice that he loved GOD the most.
(If you would like to further read all the events that happened, look to Genesis 11:27-22:19)
Hosea 1:11
[11] And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (ESV)
Will the children of Judah and the children of Israel come together and love GOD the most?
Will the children of Judah and the children of Israel acknowledge their false gods as false gods?
Will we acknowledge our false gods as false gods?
Will we commit to love GOD the most?
Will you commit from this day forward to love the LORD the more than anything else?
Works Cited
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.
“Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's Most-Trusted Online Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
Green, Jay P. “Hosea.” The Interlinear Hebrew-Aramaic Old Testament: With Strong's Concordance Numbers above Each Word, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, MA, 1985, pp. 2075–2092.
Publishing, Rose. Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines. Rose Publishing, 2015.
Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order, Together with Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words of Th. Hendrickson Publishers, 1990.