Hosea 1:10-2:1
10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or counted;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are not My people,”
It will be said to them,
“You are the sons of the living God.”
11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For the day of Jezreel will be great.
<Chapter 2>
1 Say to your brothers, “Ammi,” and to your sisters, “Ruhamah.”
The Prophecy of Restoration
The five promises
The names of Hosea’s three children became prophecies that God’s judgment would fall upon the northern kingdom of Israel. However, in today’s passage, restoration that can be seen beyond the judgment is prophesied. Within this prophecy of restoration, five promises are included. (1) The number of the people of Israel will become so great that it cannot be counted. (2) Those who were called “not My people” will be called “sons of the living God.” The fulfillment of this prophecy is seen in 1 Peter 2:9-10: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession… 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.” (3) The people of Judah and the people of Israel will one day be united as one nation. (4) They will be led by one leader. This “one leader” refers to the Messiah. (5) They will experience national restoration. At a future point in time, the wrath of God will pass. God will no longer call Israel Lo-ammi or Lo-ruhamah but will call them “Ammi (My people)” and “Ruhamah (Beloved)” even more than before.
The hope for the Gentiles
The prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed messages of judgment, yet in the end they delivered a message of hope to the people. The prophecy of restoration that Hosea proclaimed must have given great hope to the people of Israel. Paul applies this prophecy of Hosea to the salvation of the Gentiles. “Namely us, whom He also called, not only from among Jews, but also from among Gentiles, as He also says in Hosea: ‘I will call those who were not My people, “My people,” and her who was not beloved, “beloved.” 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.’” Paul’s method of quotation here is “actual event plus application,” which becomes possible if even one point of similarity exists. The people of Israel, who were called “not My people” because of unbelief, will one day be restored. In the same way, we Gentiles, who once were “without God and without hope,” have come to be called “children of the living God” through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Let us now remember from what kind of condition we have been saved and offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank You for calling me, who once had no God and no hope, to be a vessel of mercy. Please help me to continue walking daily toward hope. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.