Hopeful Marriage
Notes
Transcript
Handout
“Therefore” (14)
“Therefore” (14)
What has taken place?
What has taken place?
God has joined Himself to His people, Israel, and she has rebelled against Him in spiritual adultery.
Israel has turned to other gods.
Israel has persecuted the prophets that God has sent to call them to repentance.
Hosea takes Gomer, a wife of whoredom, as his wife to display the nature of Israel’s relationship with God.
God responds with judgement
The word “therefore” marks God’s response to Israel’s adultery in the first part of chapter 2.
6 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
9 Therefore I will take back
my grain in its time,
and my wine in its season,
and I will take away my wool and my flax,
which were to cover her nakedness.
We might expect, given the flow of the chapter so far, that God would continue with the pronouncement of another “therefore” (v. 14) with more words of judgement. But here there is a shift. Instead of more words of judgement, God pronounces words of hope.
Literary Marker: “that day” (16, 18, 21)
Literary Marker: “that day” (16, 18, 21)
Referring to when Israel and the Lord will be joined together in faithful matrimony.
Each that day details different aspects of this day.
So what are the aspects of this day?
A Day of Irresistible Wooing (14-17)
A Day of Irresistible Wooing (14-17)
The Valley of Achor goes from being a place of sin and judgement to a place of hope and joy
Notice the “I will” statements
v. 14, 15, 17
This points to the fact that Israel’s change of course is of God’s initiative.
God pleaded with Israel
Warned Israel
Punished Israel
And now He is talking about alluring Israel
Effectual alluring
effectual calling
God produces the response He desires from His people
Look at v. 16.
A Day of Covenant Renewal (18-20)
A Day of Covenant Renewal (18-20)
3 promises
3 promises
A promise to make a covenant with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the creeping things of the ground. (18a)
A promise to abolish war (18b)
A promise of marital betrothal (19)
In Gen. 1 & 2, God’s people enjoyed a perfect covenant relationship with God. Man rebels against God in Gen. 3, and while the consequences were catastrophic, God’s plan of redemption began to unfold. But again, the promises that we see in verses 18-19 are throughout Scripture.
Lev. 26:3-7.
Leviticus 26:3–7 (ESV)
3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
Isa. 2:4.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
Ezek. 34:25-28.
Ezekiel 34:25–28 (ESV)
25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.
A picture of Eden restored.
A right relationship with God is necessary to have a right (peaceful) relationship with the creation (people).
A Day of Celebration (21-23)
A Day of Celebration (21-23)
Answering
Answering
God will answer the heavens
The heavens will answer the earth
The earth will answer Jezreel
like in a wedding ceremony when the pastor pronounces the man and woman as husband and wife and people cheer as they kiss.
It is now official. All creation rejoices.
God does not ignore Israel’s betrayal (v. 23)
All of this because God is merciful
Rev. 19:6-9.
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
