Hosea – 2 – His Name

This is the word of God from Hosea 1:2-11.

 

"When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, He said to him, 'Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children born of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.' So he married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, 'Call him Jezreel, for I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel.' Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to him, 'Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should forgive them. Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them by the LORD their God, but not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen.' After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the LORD said, 'Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.' Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' they will be called 'children of the living God.' The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited, and they will appoint one head for themselves; and they will go up out of the land, for the day of Jezreel will be great." Amen.

 

The Tragic Reality of Hosea and Israel

As I mentioned when we began our study of Hosea, it might seem strange to wonder why the kings of Northern Israel ended with just one man, Jeroboam. However, Hosea lived through the reigns of a staggering six different kings and served all of them.

 

Through the verse, "there was not one of them," we reflected on the tragic reality of Israel at that time, as there was no one who would turn back to God. One difficult aspect of this history is that it was Israel's golden age. Everything was prosperous, wealthy, and at its peak. So, put yourself in Hosea’s shoes. With everything going so well, how difficult must it have been to say, "You will be destroyed"? How much must people have ridiculed him? Would they have even listened to him? We can see the answer in Jonah and Amos. When Jonah went to Nineveh, not Israel, the Gentiles repented, but Israel, God's chosen people, did not. What about Amos? His words were so powerful and surprising.

 

Passages like, "Let justice roll on like a river," which we often use in society, are found in the Book of Amos. Yet, even with such strong words, Israel did not turn back. It is toward this hardened Israel that Hosea now delivers his message. One might have expected him to be told, "Go and preach, 'Turn back!'" Instead, the revelation from the Lord came to him, not as a command to preach, but as a command to act: "You, you must do this." The command was to marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her. We might think, "How could God do such a thing to a person's life?" We might even consider it an immoral act, contrary to the law.

 

The command was to intentionally take an immoral woman, go through all the legal procedures, and marry her. This has led to a variety of interpretations. Some believed, "This is a symbol, a parable. God would never actually command such a thing." Others argued, "Gomer was initially a pure bride, and she only later became unfaithful. Hosea wrote in the Bible that Gomer was an immoral woman, but she wasn't that way from the beginning. Doesn’t the text today say that Israel lived unfaithfully by leaving God, and so she is contrasted with an immoral woman?" They claimed that Gomer was initially pure but later fell into sin. Why do they think that? First, because they consider Hosea's life, and second, because they can't imagine that "God would command such a thing."

 

But, to get to the point, the most difficult part of overcoming all those interpretations is that the text clearly refers to Gomer as "the daughter of Diblaim." This shows that it is not a symbol or a parable. The tense and the entire context also indicate that this is not merely a symbol or a parable, but that Gomer was not someone who was different at the beginning and the end; rather, she was originally an immoral woman, just like Israel. At that time, Israel was a nation that worshiped idols, left God, and lived as they pleased. They had become so arrogant that they didn't even fear God. The Lord was using this woman to show them the state of their nation. Thus, from the very beginning, Israel was unfaithful, and so was Gomer. We must accept this as a fact, but a sense of discomfort and frustration remains within us.

 

The Message in the Names of the Three Children

We feel a sense of "Did it really have to be this way?" The story we read is very famous. Gomer had children, and the names of the three children appear. The first son's name was Jezreel. The name Jezreel has meaning. The Bible doesn't intentionally provide an explanation, assuming people would already know. Its meaning is "scattered." Therefore, the text speaks of Israel's impending destruction. Didn't Israel get scattered when they were taken captive by the Assyrians? So we think that God is saying He will scatter Israel and make them disappear. But let me tell you in advance, the most important key to understanding the entire structure of this text is not the names of the other two children, but the name Jezreel.

 

The other names are very familiar to us. The first daughter was named Lo-Ruhamah. The word "Lo" means "no," just like in English. And "Ruhamah" means "mercy." We sometimes hear the phrase "no mercy," and that's what it means. It is God's word saying, "I will not show you any more mercy." He is saying this to His people, Israel.

 

Do you know how terrifying it is to be without God’s grace? It means, "I will no longer show you mercy; I will no longer look out for you." If God doesn't show us grace, we couldn't stand even for a moment. How much do our thoughts wander? Even in this moment, as you are determined to become holy in the house of worship and stand before God, your mind wanders. You try so hard, but your thoughts quickly stray, don't they? How many times have you been listening to a sermon and thought, "Wait, where was I?" This is who we are, struggling even for a moment. That's why Jesus said to Peter, John, and James, whom we respect so much, when they were on the mountain with Him, "Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?" But to be without God's grace is truly a terrifying thing. The Lord is now telling Israel, "Lo-Ruhamah, there is no mercy." Then Gomer had another child. His name was Lo-Ammi. What does "Lo" mean again? "No." What about "Ammi"? "People." When a word ends with "mi," it often means "my." The Hebrew suffix "mi" means "my." So "Ammi" means "My people." Therefore, it means "not My people." "Not My people." How shocking is that? The people of Israel had a sense of pride that they were chosen by God, but He was now saying, "You are not My people." So, this story as a whole was an incredible shock to Israel, and God chose to convey this shocking message through Hosea's marriage to Gomer.

 

Jezreel and the History of Destruction

You have probably heard the rest of the story and know the conclusion. Today's text also says, "in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' they will be called 'children of the living God.'" This is often treated as a beautiful, graceful passage, ending with the thought, "Hosea is so wonderful." But if we are too quick to embrace the grace, we jump to the conclusion instead of letting the grace build up gradually. Then we get confused about who God is and why this happened. It can make God seem fickle, as if He is saying "'Lo-Ammi' one moment, then 'Ammi' the next; 'Lo-Ruhamah' one moment, then 'Ruhamah' the next." That's why the name Jezreel is so important. Let's read verse 4 again, keeping the name Jezreel in mind.

 

"Then the LORD said to Hosea, 'Call him Jezreel, for I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.'"

 

The first difficult part of this verse is the word Jezreel. As I told you, its meaning is "scattered." But then it mentions the blood of Jezreel, and after that, it mentions a person named Jehu. Jehu is an easy person to understand if you know the history of Israel, but very difficult if you don't. But even if you're not familiar with Jehu, most of you probably know about Ahab. Do you know who Jezebel is? She was Ahab's wife. She is one of the most infamous villainesses in history, a name that appears not only in the Book of Kings but also in Revelation. This shows how problematic she was. During Ahab's time, there was a man named Naboth. His vineyard was so beautiful that when Ahab passed by, he, as king, desperately wanted it. So he offered, "I'll give you money if you sell me your vineyard," but Naboth refused, saying it was a family inheritance given by God and he could not sell it. Jezebel said, "You're the king; why not just take it?" She had Naboth killed and took the vineyard. When God heard about this, what did He say? "The house of Ahab will be destroyed. Because you have shed the blood of a righteous man, that blood will return to you." God prophesied that the house of Ahab would be destroyed. And the person who destroyed Ahab's house was none other than Jehu. That's why I brought up Jehu. Why Ahab, you ask? The vineyard of Naboth, where all this happened, was in Jezreel. Jezreel was not a person's name; it was originally a place name, a valley. But God deliberately named the child Jezreel. And He said, "I will repay the blood of Jezreel." Jehu killed a huge number of people there. All of Ahab's relatives and all those associated with him were killed.

 

He even killed people from Judah, including the King of Judah's relatives who had come for a visit. He killed everyone in the palace and even chased down their relatives. A huge amount of blood was shed. That's why that place became the Valley of Jezreel, the valley of bloodshed. The valley of blood. And what is God saying now? "Jehu, you have shed the blood of Jezreel, and that blood will now return to you." What does this mean? It means Jehu will be destroyed in the same way. It means the dynasty of Jehu will end. After killing Ahab, Jehu became king and started his own dynasty. It was a coup, actually. But God is not saying, "Jehu, you're doing a great job." Instead, Jehu's actions are just as problematic as Ahab's. The situation is so serious. Jeroboam was one of Jehu's descendants. What was Jeroboam doing?

 

The True Standard Not Deceived by Appearance

God gave them a blessing through Jonah, saying, "I will expand your territory and make you strong." But Jeroboam used this blessing to worship idols and for his own selfish purposes. This is something that can happen to us as well. After a long time of prayer, if God gives us a blessing—whether it be children, wealth, or health—we might say, "Lord, I will use it for You." But then, less than three months later, we forget everything and return to our old life. In that case, God would say to us just as He said to Jehu, "Jehu, you have completely forgotten why I destroyed Ahab and established you. Since you are acting just like him, you will receive the same punishment." That prophecy came true, and Jehu's successor, his son Zechariah, was assassinated after only six months, and the dynasty of Jehu came to an end. The word of God was fulfilled exactly.

 

Here, it is important to remember the word Jezreel. Remember the phrase "the blood of Jezreel" and that Jezreel is simply a place where blood was shed. This is the core of the entire story, so you must not forget it; otherwise, everything will not connect later. So, the first child was named Jezreel, and just as God's word had said to Israel, Northern Israel began to be destroyed in that place of blood. Assyria regained its power, prepared to invade Northern Israel, and eventually did.

 

As I mentioned, from that point on, six kings ruled Northern Israel, but they were mostly overthrown by coups or assassinations, with most of them ruling for only a few years, or even as short as six months. And they eventually went down the path of destruction. Hosea delivered this message—"You will be destroyed"—during their most peaceful and prosperous time. This is because when peace and prosperity continue, we tend to forget where we are. We begin to live lives where we don't need God anymore. We cling to Him as if we couldn't live for a moment without Him, but when things become comfortable, we start to change, living as if we can do without God. This is what we are like.

 

This applies not only to Israel but also to the Church, which Israel symbolizes. We don't easily recognize our own sin. We think we are okay and safe if nothing big happens. We don't realize when idols have entered our lives. We tend to dismiss a few visible problems, thinking, "Oh, don't things like that always happen in the church? That's just what happens when people gather together." But today, the Book of Hosea tells us that this is absolutely not the case.

 

If we are taking a few visible problems lightly, we are unaware of where we are, just as Israel was. In other words, we are using the wrong standard. We might look at things like, "They don't seem to be serving earnestly," or "They don't seem to be diligently studying the Word." These are visible things. But they are not the true standard. The true standard is whether we truly love God and are satisfied with Him alone, and whether we have a heart that feels, "I cannot live without God," regardless of what we have or what we enjoy.

 

Prophetic Acts and the Shadow of Christ

No matter how comfortably and pleasantly you worship and live your life of faith, if the 'desire' for God that the Bible talks about is not in your heart, you are in a dangerous state. True faith is realizing that "I cannot live without the Lord" and knowing that my whole duty is to rely on God. If we don't have a heart that acknowledges that even if all we have is destroyed, we can live because of the Lord, but if He doesn't hold us, nothing we have can protect us, then we may have already turned to our self-centered ways, even at moments when we feel financially, physically, or in life, peaceful and grateful. No matter how good the place is or how good the word is that we hear, smiling during worship, if we still cannot give up our self-centeredness and don't care about the fruit of the Spirit, then we are all in danger. Hosea was one man and one family, but he was demonstrating the very word of God.

 

The reason I say this is that even something that seems insignificant, something that makes you feel "annoyed and disheartened," should not be taken lightly. All the prophets in the Bible demonstrated prophecy through their own lives. Isaiah walked around naked and barefoot for three years. He was a respected prophet, but he walked barefoot, symbolizing a servant or a slave. He did this for three years. Why? To show through his life, "Israel, this is what you look like." Who commanded him to do that? It was God.

 

The same was true for Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for 40 days. This was a message commanded by God to "remember your situation and how long you have sinned." He even cut his beautiful hair and beard and burned it. Even when his wife died, God's command was not to mourn her death. All of these were messages. When he lost his beloved wife, God said, "You must not grieve." Jeremiah lived his entire life as a bachelor and walked around with a yoke on his neck, which was used on oxen. All of this was to show them "what kind of yoke you are under, what kind of sin you are stuck in, and who you are." This is also called a prophetic act. They prophesied and revealed God's Word through their actions. If you think, "How could he have walked around naked and barefoot for three years? That's incredible," it shows how accustomed we have become to the incredible.

 

All these prophets were actually people who foreshadowed what Jesus Christ would reveal. As you know, a child came to this world. He was born sinless, never committed a sin, and perfectly kept the law. At the age of 12, He knew the Word more accurately than the scholars of the law, and people called Him a genius. If He had grown up like that, He would have become a great national leader or a scholar of the law. But at the age of 30, this son decided to leave home. His mother's heart was torn because He said, "I am going to die." And He was nailed to a cross, a symbol of curse. That one man, who knew no sin, was crucified at the age of 33. His mother's heart must have been torn. We have heard this story so many times that we have become used to it and are no longer surprised. Instead, aren't we surprised that Hosea married an immoral woman? Jesus did the same thing. That was how Jesus, as a prophet, fulfilled the prophecies of all the prophets.

 

Why did the prophets live like that? Hosea marrying Gomer showed that the prophet himself was living with Israel, entering into their sin, and bearing their sin. This was not merely an audiovisual lesson; it was one of the faces of the Messiah who would come for us. Christ did not say from afar, "I will die for you." He did not say from afar, "I love you," but He came down to earth in our human body. He came to the lowest place and was whipped for our sins, just as the Bible says. He became like us to bear our sins in our place. This was the way of the prophets, and they showed this as a shadow of Christ. Therefore, the messages that God gives to the church as we live our lives of faith are all related to Jesus Christ, and so we should not take any of them lightly, no matter how small they seem.

 

God's Message to Us

We cannot recognize our own sins on our own. I have been a Christian from birth for over 60 years and have served in many churches as a minister, but I have never seen anyone who recognized their own sins on their own. We do not see the log in our own eye. We all worship and praise as if we are dedicating our whole heart to God, and we hold meetings and even argue.

 

People never know what sins they are committing. This is because they think they are living for God. Friends, it may seem like we can clearly see Israel's sins because they are recorded in the Bible, but that is not the case. Why did they work so hard and give offerings to Baal? It must have been to offer more to God. It is truly difficult to see your own sins. Because we are self-centered, we can always twist God to be for us. Please do not forget that the person who thinks, "I'm not like that," is the most dangerous. I, too, am one of them, and we all stand before this danger, and Satan is always trying to lead us down that path. "I don't know that I have become self-centered. I still feel as if I love God and am serving Him."

 

We are always in danger, so we must keep many warning lights on. Let me tell you just one. Why didn't Israel turn back? It was because they thought they were doing well. The same is true for us. Therefore, we must ask ourselves one question: "Am I grateful?" If you are serving diligently and working hard for the church, but there is no gratitude in your life, it means you are doing all of this by your own strength.

 

Why would you be grateful if you are the one doing it? Why would you be grateful if you are the one who works hard to earn money, lives hard, and praises hard? You have forgotten gratitude. When someone reminds you, you might say, "That's right, I should be grateful to God," but it may not be from the heart. If you truly look at yourself and find that you are filled with complaints and grievances and that true gratitude has disappeared, you have become self-centered. When we become self-centered, we can fall into this wrong pit at any time. Therefore, we should not take this matter lightly.

 

Consider Israel to understand how difficult this problem is. When Hosea married Gomer and cried out, "This is what you are like!" did the Israelites repent? No. They would have been even angrier. Put yourselves in their shoes. If a prophet came out and said, "You are this immoral woman," they would pick up stones, not say, "Oh, I see, you are right." You can probably understand this much. Let me say it again. Paul clearly says in Romans 9, "in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' they will be called 'My people.'" This is our story. If I said to you, "You are an unfaithful generation, and you are immoral people," would you sit there quietly and say, "That's right, Pastor"? Or would you say, "Pastor, please stop saying that. How can you say that? We know we are sinners, but you don't need to push it that far..."

 

Imagine that the person you most despise and look down upon is 'me,' just as the Bible says. The Bible is a frightening book. On the one hand, it is a frustrating, frightening, infuriating, and annoying book because it shows us our true selves. But on the other hand, it is a book that we cannot possibly accept or understand because it offers such great grace. The question is, "How can You treat us like this?" We unconsciously think, "We're pretty good," because we are diligently living our lives of faith, serving, and receiving our positions. We worship, give offerings, sing praises, and pray. That's why God sends a pastor to shake you up. "No. That comfortable place is not a safe place."

 

There is only one safe place that the Bible talks about. Where does the Bible say, "This is the safe place"? The place where you diligently study the Bible and receive much grace is a good place, but it is not a safe place. Please do not misunderstand. The place where you diligently listen to the Word, study, receive grace, and rejoice is a good place. But it is not a safe place. The place where you pray earnestly, where you pour out your heart to God, is a good place, but it is not a safe place. This very place where you worship is not a safe place either. It can be a joyful and good place. The moment you obey the Word, thinking, "Oh, I lived according to the Word today," that's a good thing. But it is not a safe place. The Bible talks about the safe place like this: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." That is the safe place. "A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

 

The safest place is when your heart is broken and you are standing before God. "Lord, have mercy on me. I am a person who needs You. I cannot live without Your grace." This place, described as being under the wings of God, a secret place of God, is the place where His Word is. "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not put out." The safe place is not the place where you are doing well, but "the place where you know who you are before the Lord and humbly seek His grace." "Lord, look at me. Have mercy on me. Lord, shine the light of Your graceful face upon me. Lord, the grace I have now is not enough. Help me to know Your grace more and pour it out more. I cannot live. Lord, look at this pain I am experiencing. Look at these tears. How can I bear it? Lord, I need Your grace. I cannot live without Your grace." That is the safest place in this world, in this entire universe. That is the place where the Lord's eyes are, and where He will say that He is healing you and that you have triumphed. Friends, why don't you run to that place?

 

The Meaning of Jezreel and the Cross

Now, I will return to Jezreel. Jezreel was a place of blood, where Northern Israel would be destroyed. The fact that it was a place where blood was shed should make you think. But when you hear the name Jezreel, you might feel like all the puzzle pieces are falling into place. I told you that Jezreel means "scattered," but this does not simply mean scattering and disappearing. This is a term from agriculture. It means a farmer scattering seeds in a field. As you know from the parable of the sower, some seeds fall on the path, while others fall on good soil.

 

They are scattered just by being sown. This is what Jezreel is. Sowing, falling, and scattering. They don't scatter to die or disappear. What happens instead? They fall there, are planted, and grow from that very spot. Therefore, the word Jezreel has two meanings: one is "scattered," and the other is "sown," meaning life arises. Is there one place in this world where life arises from a place of bloodshed, a place where curses and judgment are present? Yes, it is the Cross. It is the Cross. In fact, Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah are painful names. But how did the "Lo" in front of them get removed? The Bible says, "in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people.'" This is a place. A place. Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah are not place names. What was the place name? It was Jezreel. In that very Jezreel, in that place where blood was shed, God says, "I will call you My people." According to the Book of Hosea, He says, "You will be called children of the living God." How does that happen? Where? In that very place, where the blood of Jezreel was shed. The Cross also shed blood. Death and curses came down upon it, but in that place, we are hidden in life in Christ. The blood of Christ removes the "Lo" that stood before us, who were Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah—we who could not be God's people, who could not even stand before God, who were not worthy of God's love—and He calls us "children of the living God." The world cannot bear it, and we cannot even imagine it—the place of death that was more terrifying than anything that could happen in our lives, the path that inevitably led to Israel's destruction—is now within the Cross, and God says, "Now you are My people, you are My son, you are My daughter. You are the one who has received My love." I am convinced, not by my own words but by the Word of God, that the world cannot harm the one whom God loves, the one who has received His love. No one can separate them. And that name has now become your name.

 

Prayer

Let us pray.

Lord, we once again walk to the valley of Jezreel today. In that place, there was death, judgment, and a curse. But in that very place, You were with us and You took on that judgment and curse. You became like us to take on that judgment and curse. That Lord is my Lord. The One who did that is my God. Lord, we have wandered for too long. We have lived trying to find happiness and to feel some meaning in our lives, always hoping that our days, which are just about waking up, working, getting tired, and going back home, would have some meaning. So we worked hard and sometimes tried to do many things. But, Lord, please help us realize that because we are now truly in the cross of Christ, everything we do is truly becoming a blessing in Him. We are not just people who have been called; we have received all the curses, despair, and death in Christ. We have become God's people, Ammi instead of Lo-Ammi, and the beloved, Ruhamah instead of Lo-Ruhamah. Lord, let us know how the life of a beloved person shines, how precious and amazing it is. Lord, help our hearts not to be lifted up, but to be humble and live as those who seek Your grace. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.