Hosea 2:21-23

LOVE RECONCILINGISRAEL IS LOVED

TEXT: Hosea 2:21-23

21

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will answer, saith Jehovah, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth;

22

and the earth shall answer the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they shall answer Jezreel.

23

And I will sow her unto me in the earth: and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them that were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God,

QUERIES

a.

What is the point in giving answer to Jezreel?

b.

How is God going to sow her in the earth?

PARAPHRASE

And on that day when I make a new people, says Jehovah, I will hear. Yes, I will hear the heavens as they pray to Me to allow them to supply the earth with fertility. The heavens will, in turn, hear the supplications of the earth and supply what the earth asks for. The earth will hear the needs of the grain and the vine and the olive tree and supply them with sustenance. The crops of the earth will hear the supplications of the changed Jezreel, and give to her in abundance. At that same time I will take the Israel I scattered and gently sow a new seed for a harvest of My own. I will pity those who are Not Pitied, and I will call those who are not My people, Now You are My People. They will respond and say, You are our God!

SUMMARY

In highly figurative language the prophet now describes the overflowing love which Jehovah promises to shower down upon the new Israel

COMMENT

Hosea 2:21-22. IN THAT DAY, I WILL ANSWER, SAITH JEHOVAH. AND THEY SHALL ANSWER JEZREEL. The phrase in that day, refers to the same time as the preceding sectionwhich is the Messianic age. This is plainly evident from 1 Peter 2:10 where the apostle quotes Hosea 2:23 as being fulfilled in the establishment of the church and calling of men and women to become a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people. There is double apostolic confirmation of this section in Hosea being a Messianic prophecy. The apostle Paul says (Romans 9:19-26) that Hosea 2:23 is a prophecy of the receiving of the Gentiles into the scheme of God's redemption through their faith in Christ.

The word answer should be translated hear. Hosea uses highly figurative language here to depict the shower of blessings upon this new betrothal of God to new Israel. The bethrothal having been completed (in Christ, Ephesians 5), the prophet now represents heaven and earth standing nearby ready to serve the Bridegroom as He showers His bride with presents. The heavens and the earth are represented as earnestly asking the Husband (God) which presents are to be showered upon the Bride. The Husband hears and directs that all the riches of His domain be given Her. So the church is blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). K & D say, ... the prophet represents the heaven as praying to God, to allow it to give the earth that which is requisite to ensure its fertility; Whereupon the heaven fulfills the desires of the earth, and the earth yields its produce to the nation. all things in heaven and on earth depend on God. without His bidding not a drop of rain falls from heaven, and consequently all nature would. be barren, unless He gave it fertility by His blessing.

The name Jezreel (formerly used figuratively to predict God's scattering of Israel in the captivityin the sense of judgment) is now used in the good sense to denote a new sowing. This is evident from the context and the following verse (Hosea 2:23). So the figure represents God, the Husband, showering down gifts upon His Bride, the Church, through the agency of His whole creation. The reader should read in connection with this Ephesians 1:3-23 and Colossians 1:9-29.

Hosea 2:23 AND I WILL SOW HER UNTO ME IN THE EARTH. AND I WILL HAVE MERCY. AND. SAY TO THEM. THOU ART MY PEOPLE. The new Israel comes as a result of a new sowingone of Divine grace instead of Divine judgment. The former references to Jezreel (Hosea 1:4-5; Hosea 1:11) had to do with scattering or dispersing rebellious Israel by the judgment of God in captivity. But now, through the seed of Abraham (singular, cf. Galatians 3:16), God sows a new covenant nation, the one noted in 1 Peter 1:9-10 and Romans 9:19-26. So the name Jezreel is turned into something blessed, just as the names in Hosea 1:6; Hosea 1:9; Hosea 2:1 were changed into blessing. Lange says of this section, The fulfillment is not to be seen in the return of the Jews from the exile, This was, to be sure, a fulfillment, but only a small and feeble beginning. For the promise is to be regarded as essentially Messianic. in Christ the new -betrothal-' of God to his people has already taken place. Israel, to whom salvation is here promised by the Prophet, comes into view, not according to its natural nationality, but according to its divine destiny, or according to its typical significance as the People of God. This we heartily endorse because to interpret it otherwise would be to contradict inspired, apostolically confirmed fulfillment, as we have shown before.

QUIZ

1.

What specific historical age does in that day refer to here?

2.

What confirmation do we have as to the fulfillment of this section?

3.

What does the figurative language represent here?

4.

What new meaning is given to the name Jezreel here?