Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhama – ‘not loved’ – for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies-not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God.
In Hosea 1:3, we read that Gomer “bore him (Hosea) a son.” In verse 6 we learn that Gomer gave birth to a daughter – no indication that it belongs to Hosea. Regardless of who the father is, the message we need to hear is in the meaning of the child’s name: “not pitied.” Some other meanings are “not loved” or “no compassion.”
God’s patience was wearing thin. God was no longer going to have pity on His people if they continued in their unfaithfulness. They were getting near the end when He would no longer pity them but would hand them over to invading armies.
How long must God wait for us before we turn back to Him? Or do we have to be destroyed before He gets our attention?
God had loved His people and proved it in many ways, but now He would withdraw that love and no longer show them mercy. The expression of God’s love is unconditional, but our enjoyment of that love is conditional and depends on our faith and obedience. God loves us no matter what but we need to do our part to experience the fullness of God’s love. When we don’t live according to God’s plan and purpose, we miss out.
For me, the perfect illustration is my kids. When they obey and do what they are supposed to do, things are great between us. But when they willfully disobey I have to punish them. There are consequences for their action – inaction in most cases.
But is their punishment immediate? Absolutely not! They get chance after chance to correct their behavior before the hammer comes down. I believe God is so much more longsuffering toward me than I am with my children. And I am thankful that He is.
So what’s the deal with verse 7? I believe God helped Judah because Judah had a few kings who honored Him. God said He would personally rescue the people of Judah from their enemies with no help from their armies or weapons. We serve an awesome God. He does not need us to fulfill His purposes, but He chooses to work through us for our benefit – because we have something to gain.
Recent Comments