Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished-Hosea Chap. 2

Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished

Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah. Hos. 2:1

Say ye unto... The 4th prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 2:1-23: Hos. 2:1-13 fulfilled; Hos. 2:14-23 unfulfilled). Next, Hos. 3:1.

Eighteen Predictions—Fulfilled:

1. I will not have mercy upon her children (Hos. 2:4).

2. I will hedge up your way with thorns, and make a wall, that she will not find her paths (Hos. 2:6).

3. She will follow after her lovers, but she will not overtake them (Hos. 2:7).

4. She will seek them, but shall not find them.

5. Then she will say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better with me than now.

6. I will return, and take away My corn in the time thereof (Hos. 2:9).

7. I will take away My wine.

8. I will recover My wool and My flax that I gave to cover her nakedness.

9. I will discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers (Hos. 2:10).

10. None will deliver her out of My hand.

11. I will cause all her mirth to cease.

12. I will cause her feast days to cease.

13. I will cause her new moons to cease.

14. I will cause her sabbaths to cease.

15. I will cause her solemn feasts to cease (Hos. 2:11).

16. I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, and make them a forest (Hos. 2:12).

17. The beasts of the field will eat them.

18. I will visit upon her the days of Baalim (Hos. 2:13).

Twenty-four Predictions—Unfulfilled:

1. I will allure her (Hos. 2:14).

2. I will bring her into the wilderness.

3. I will speak comfortably unto her.

4. I will give her vineyards from thence.

5. I will give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope (Hos. 2:15).

6. She will sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as the day when she came out of the land of Egypt.

7. In that day you will call Me Ishi; you will call Me Baali no more (Hos. 2:16).

8. I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth (Hos. 2:17).

9. They will be remembered by their name no more.

10. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the fowls of heaven, and the creeping things of the ground (Hos. 2:18).

11. I will break the bow and sword and the battle out of the earth.

12. I will make them lie down safely.

13. I will betroth you unto Me forever (Hos. 2:19).

14. I will betroth you in righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, and mercies.

15. I will even betroth you unto Me in faithfulness (Hos. 2:20).

16. You will know the Lord.

17. In that day I will hear the heavens.

18. The heavens will hear the earth.

19. The earth will hear the corn, wine, and oil (Hos. 2:21-22).

20. They will hear Jezreel (Hos. 2:22).

21. I will sow her unto Me in the earth.

22. I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy (Hos. 2:23).

23. I will say to them which are not My people, You are My people.

24. They will say, You are my God.

The above predictions of Israel being redeemed again and becoming the wife of Jehovah a second time will be fulfilled in the last three and a half years of this age. The prophecy should be studied in connection with Rev. 12:1-17—a passage with similar predictions of Israel going into the wilderness where God will plead with them like He did through Moses and Aaron in coming out of Egypt.

Say ye unto... Many interpreters consider this verse as being connected with the preceding chapter, thus: When that general restoration of the Jewish nation shall take place, you may change your language in speaking to those of your brethren and sisters whom I had before disowned, and you may call them Ammi, my people, and Ruhamah, she that hath obtained mercy.

The words form a climax of the love of God. First, the people scattered, unpitied, and disowned by God, is re-born of God; and then it is declared to be in continued relation to God, "My people;" then to be the object of his yearning love.

to your sisters... Only one daughter and two sons (Hos. 2:3-4, 2:6, 2:8-9).

Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; Hos. 2:2

with your mother... Gomer of Hos. 1:3.

she is not... Just as Gomer had left Hosea, so Israel had left God—for whoredoms. In both cases the marriage was dissolved for a time.

Although the language is applicable to Gomer, it depicts a courtroom scene in which the Lord, as the plaintiff, brings charges against the defendant.

let her therefore... Individual Israelites, depicted as the children, are commanded to bring charges against their mother, Israel as a nation. The physical immorality of Gomer pictures the spiritual idolatry of Israel.

The same message is in this chapter (that was in chapter one). It is just expressed more fully. The "mother" is speaking of the harlot wife, Israel. Christians must remember that Jesus is coming back for a bride that is without spot or wrinkle. He does not want a bride that is committing spiritual adultery either. The worship of false gods is spiritual adultery. We must be faithful to Him, if we are to be His bride.
and her adulteries...The "adulteries from between her breasts", possibly, speaks of hidden sin. This is just another warning to keep the first commandment.
Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment."
To not keep this commandment is spiritual adultery. Sins that are hidden are just as bad as those out in the open.

Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. Hos. 2:3

set her as... in the day … born”: (Ezek. 16:4; 23:25-26, 28-29). The day of her political "birth" was when God delivered her from the bondage of Egypt, and set up the theocracy.

make her as... (Jer. 6:8; Zeph. 2:13). Translate, "make her as the wilderness," namely, that in which she passed forty years on her way to her goodly possession of Canaan. With this agrees the mention of "thirst" (compare Jer. 2:6).
The house of Jacob was in this condition, when God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. They had nothing. They became the wife of God when they made covenant with Him to keep His commandments. This was also, the condition of a sinner, before he was saved. We make covenant, when we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
The righteous do not hunger and thirst, they are filled. Those who wander away from God do not benefit from the things of God, because He withdraws from them. This is what this is saying here. They must repent or God will let them get back into the condition He found them in.

The Lord’s appeal (Hos. 2:2) was strengthened by a severe threat containing three solemn warnings to Israel (I will occurs three times in Hos. 2:3-4). First, the Lord threatened to strip her naked, making her an object of shame and ridicule (cf. Hos. 2:10; Eze. 16:35-43). The punishment fit the crime. She who had exposed her nakedness to her lovers would be exposed publicly for all to see. This public act apparently preceded the execution of an adulteress (cf. Eze. 16:38-40).

Second, the Lord threatened to make her like an arid desert, deprived of water (cf. slay her with thirst), incapable of producing or sustaining life. All her powers of fertility would be removed. Again the punishment fit the crime. She who had engaged in illicit sexual behavior would become incapable of reproduction.

And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms. Hos. 2:4

not have mercy... The children are like their mother: not only are they born of doubtful parentage, but are personally defiled. Not only is idolatry enshrined in the national sanctuary and the royal palace, but the people love to have it so. They endorse the degradation of their mother.

God greatly blesses the children of those who are faithful to Him. Let us see what happened to those who worshipped false gods.
Exodus 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;"
We see then (what verse 4 above is speaking of). These children can repent and come to God on their own, however. The mother generally has a great deal to do with the moral character of her children. She has not taught them correctly in this particular instance.
Sometimes, the mother could be speaking of the church in our case. In that case, a church which does not teach truth could cause the members to fail.

The third threat involved the rejection of the wife’s children. The reason was that they were children of adultery. This may mean they were products of their mother’s illicit relationships, though probably it simply indicates they were covered with shame by reason of their association with such a mother (cf. Hos. 2:5 and Hos. 1:2). At any rate, the Lord announced they would not receive His love (rāḥam; cf. Hos. 1:6-8; 2:1), implying they would be disowned and become orphans. In this way any reminder of the relationship with their mother would be eliminated.

The harsh punishment threatened in Hos. 2:3-4 seems to imply complete termination of the marriage. The wayward wife would be executed and her children disowned. However, the context clearly demonstrates that this would not occur. This same anomaly occurs in Eze. 16:1-63 where Israel is executed as an adulteress (Eze. 16:35-42) only to be eventually restored to favor (Eze. 16:59-63). Apparently the harsh language was intended to emphasize the severity of the punishment without implying the absolute termination of the Lord’s relationship with Israel, a remnant will survive.

For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. Hos. 2:5

their mother hath... Gomer had gone back to her former lovers to live as a harlot. This was used to illustrate how Israel had backslidden and gone from Jehovah to serve idol gods (Hos. 2:5-23).

I will go... Literally “Let me go,” it denotes strong desire and bent. Israel attributed her prosperity to the idols of her heathen neighbors; her “lovers” (compare verses 7, 10, 12). She would not be deterred from pursuing them.

that give me... Seven things Gomer had in harlotry:

1. Lovers

2. Bread

3. Water

4. Wool

5. Flax

6. Oil

7. Drink

The "mother" here is Israel. Israel had been unfaithful to God. The lovers here are possibly speaking of the countries around them. God did not want Israel mixing with the heathen nations around them because they would pick up bad habits from them. The worship of false gods was introduced to them by the people around them. They made treaties with these nations and picked up much of their culture.
Israel belonged to God and He had provided for all of her needs, and had even fought her battles for her. Now she is turning from God's help to worldly people's help. God was sufficient for them and He is sufficient for us today as well in the church. There is no need to look to the world for answers, the world does not have answers. Only God has answers to our problems.

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. Hos. 2:6

I will hedge... The prediction is that she would not be happy and successful in her life of harlotry—she would long for her husband again and return to him (Hos. 2:6-8). I will erect impassable barriers that shall pierce and mangle her flesh.

way with thorns... The path of evil shall be a path of thorns.”

shall not find...She was determined to go her own way. She does not follow in the path God has made for her. When she decides to do this, God covers His path that He had left for her with thorns. She will not be able to find her way back, unless God removes the thorns. Christians know that Jesus is the Way. To try to get to heaven other than by Jesus is impossible. To walk in sin even now, obscures the path that leads to God.

And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. Hos. 2:7

she shall follow... With earnest travel, and with wearisome toil, she shall attempt every way to get to them, but to no purpose: afflictions and sorrows surround Israel; these Israel can by no means break out of to these lovers, and they, like false lovers, hasten as fast and as far from this adulteress as they can.

Her lovers are idols and idolaters, her false friends, and false gods.
she shall not... They which hasten after such strange gods and helps, as this shameless harlot, shall meet with sorrow, but never overtake their desired help.
she shall seek...: As is the manner of immodest strumpets; it speaks also her obstinate resolution in her way: so Israel forsook a God that would have sought him to do him good, and by no disappointments would be (for a long time), taken off from this frantic wildness, of seeking to idols that could do him no good.
but shall not... The final issue of all is at last, she is wearied in her folly, tired with fruitless labor, and sits down hopeless of ever finding help from idols and idolaters.
“I will go and return”: Restless, she will try one way more; if she only had tried this sooner, this would have been successful. She will return, come back, and seek to her Husband.
my first Husband... i.e. God, who had married Israel to himself, who was her Husband indeed: all others were as adulterers, as deceivers and seducers, who abuse the credulity of wanton women first, and next abuse their husbands’ beds.
For then was it better with me than now: how much the tune is changed! (In Hosea 2:5), all her gallantry, her feasts, her rich apparel, these are gifts of her lovers; not a word of her Husband’s greatest kindnesses. But now she sees and confesses that the least of her Husband’s kindnesses was better than the greatest kindness of these her paramours, and at worst with her Husband she was better than at best with adulterers.
You cannot try out the world and then come back to God anytime you want to. That is what Israel found out, and it is what Christians find out also. God did not want part of their love, He wanted all. Loyalty to God involves forsaking the entire world. Israel suddenly realizes that she was much better off when she was with God.

Her frantic efforts to find her lovers would be thwarted (Hos. 2:7). As a last resort, she would resolve to return to her Husband, the Lord, opening the way for restoration. The reality behind this figurative portrayal of judgment probably included drought, invasion, and exile (cf. Hos. 2:9, 2:11-12; Lev. 26:18-22).

For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Hos. 2:8

For she did... She did not know that her husband had provided her all the things which her lovers had provided, and more. She was to be punished and taught a lesson not to play the harlot again (Hos. 2:9-10).

prepared for Baal... Baal (the Phoenician sun-god) worship, already present during the time of the judges (Judges 2:17; 3:3; 8:33), became established in Israel when King Ahab married Jezebel, who attempted to obliterate Israelite worship of the true God (1 Kings Chapter 19). Offering to Baal actually came from God’s dowry to Israel (Ezek. 16:10-14).

It was God that had provided her with all her needs. He had loved Israel so much that He gave her far beyond her need. He had showered her with silver and gold as well. Since we are looking at this spiritually, we must remember that "silver" symbolizes redemption and "gold" symbolizes God.
God had redeemed her, and provided all of her needs. She repaid Him by giving that gold to the false god Baal. She had great wealth, but did not appreciate the fact God had showered the wealth upon her. She took God for granted. The saddest thing was that she used the gold and silver to worship a false god.

Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. Hos. 2:9

Therefore will I... Beginning here the judgment of God is applied to Israel (Hos. 2:11-13). The restoration of Israel is predicted in Hos. 2:14-23.

The Hebrew form of saying, “Therefore I will take back.” Jehovah resumes all that had been misappropriated. The king of Assyria (Tiglath-pileser, 734 B.C.), was the agency whereby this was to be accomplished (compare Isaiah 10:5).

and will recover...The raiment (wool and flax), was Jehovah’s gift to cover her nakedness, i.e., to meet the actual necessities of Israel. This He will tear away, and the idol-gods whom she has courted shall see her prostration, and their own helplessness to deliver or relieve.

Her unfaithfulness to God causes Him to remove all the blessings she had known before. She will be in the same condition she was in, when He saved her out of Egypt.

And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. Hos. 2:10

will I discover... God pledged to expose Israel’s wickedness. The phrase is linked to being taken forcibly into captivity (in Ezek. 16:37-40).

her Lewdness... Means disgrace. God does not want her anymore, because she has been unfaithful. No husband wants an unfaithful wife. He will bring punishment upon her for her sins. She deserves His punishment.

of her lovers... The idols were personified as if they could see, though they could offer no help.

The figurative portrayal of Israel as the Lord’s wife is carried along in these verses. Without wool and linen (cf. Hos. 2:5), which were used to make clothing (Lev. 13:47, 13:59; Deut. 22:11; Pro. 31:13; Eze. 44:17), she would have no means of covering her nakedness. Through this deprivation the Lord would expose her lewdness. Her shameful behavior would become known to all through this public demonstration (cf. Hos. 2:3; Eze. 16:36-37). “Lewdness” (naḇlûṯ, which occurs only here in the OT) refers to a blatant breach of covenant which disgraces the entire community. A related term (n^eḇālâh) is used of Achan’s sin (Jos. 7:15), as well as various prohibited sexual acts, including fornication (Deut. 22:21), incest (2Sa. 13:12), rape (Jdg. 19:23; 20:6), and adultery (Jer. 29:23). During this exhibition Israel’s lovers would be forced to stand by helplessly, being unable to deliver her from the Lord’s powerful grip. Then the Lord’s superiority and the lovers’ weakness (or apathy) would become apparent to her.

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. Hos. 2:11

her feasts days... Ever since the Exodus from Egypt, Israel had intermingled the worship of the Lord with the worship of false gods (compare Amos 5:26; Acts 7:43).
All of these times were when she communed with God. All communication with God is cut off. These had been times set aside, when God and His people fellow shipped.

sabbaths, and all... It is clear here that the sabbaths of Israel were to be done away with as much as her mirth, feasts, new moons, and other rituals. This is what happened when God made the new covenant: not a single commandment was given regarding the keeping of any particular day as the sabbath. It is plainly set forth in the N.T. that every man may do as he pleases regarding a sabbath day (Rom. 14:5-6), and that no man is to judge another on this question (Col. 2:14-17), for Christianity is not a religion of days, weeks, years, and rituals (Gal. 4:9-10).

And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. Hos. 2:12

The themes in Hos_2:5-9 are repeated in Hos. 2:12-13. In implementing the covenant curses the Lord would destroy the produce (her vines and her fig trees; cf. Deut. 28:38-42; Joel 1:7; Amos 4:9), which Israel erroneously regarded as the pay given by her paramours in exchange for her services (cf. Hos. 9:1; Mic. 1:7). The vineyards would be reduced to an overgrown thicket inhabited by wild animals. This would be an effect of the depopulation which would accompany the nation’s military defeat and exile (cf. Psm. 80:12-13; Isa. 5:5-6; 7:23-25; 17:9; 32:9-14; Mic. 3:12).

And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. Hos. 2:12

I will destroy... Before, God had threatened to take away the fruits in their seasons; now He says that he will take away all hope for the future; not the fruit only, but the trees which bare it.
It was the plague, which God in former times laid upon those, out of the midst of whom He took them to be His people (Psalm 105:33; see Jeremiah 5:17). "He smote their vines also and their fig trees, and brake the trees of their coasts."
lovers have given... Now that they had become like the pagan, He dealt with them as with the pagan.
Of which she said, “These are my rewards”: Literally "my hire." It is the special word, used of the payment to the adulteress, or degraded woman, and so continues the likeness, by which he had set forth the foulness of her desertion of God.
and I will... The vines and fig-trees which had aforetime been their wealth, and full of beauty, should, when neglected, run wild, and become the harbor of the wild beasts Which should prey upon them.
God had given them the vines and fig trees. Since they had abandoned Him, He takes away the blessings He had given them. God will not cause them to be fruitful anymore. All of these things belong to God. He can do with them whatever He wishes.

The themes in Hos. 2:5-9 are repeated in Hos. 2:12-13. In implementing the covenant curses the Lord would destroy the produce (her vines and her fig trees; cf. Deut.28:38-42; Joel 1:7; Amos 4:9), which Israel erroneously regarded as the pay given by her paramours in exchange for her services (cf. Hos. 9:1; Mic. 1:7). The vineyards would be reduced to an overgrown thicket inhabited by wild animals. This would be an effect of the depopulation which would accompany the nation’s military defeat and exile (cf. Psm. 80:12-13; Isa. 5:5-6; 7:23-25; 17:9; 32:9-14; Mic. 3:12).

And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD. Hos. 2:13

visit upon her... I will punish them for serving Baal (Hos. 2:11-13).

decked herself with... God put jewelry on her, including bracelets… a necklace, a ring on her nose, earrings, and a crown. The “ring” was clipped to the outer part of a nostril and was worn as jewelry with bracelets and earrings (cf. Gen. 24:47; Isa. 3:21). All this suggests that under God’s blessing during the reigns of David and Solomon Jerusalem became a magnificent city (cf. 1Ki. 10:4-5).

Besides receiving expensive jewelry and fine clothes Jerusalem also was given the choicest foods: fine flour, honey, and olive oil. Everything she could possibly need or want was lavished on her by her gracious, generous “Husband.” Being beautiful, she became a queen, and her beauty was known throughout the nations. See Eze_16:11-14; Eze_23:40-42.

after her lovers... The lovers of Israel were the many nations round about, whom they made alliances with and trusted in instead of Jehovah.

and forgat me...(compare 2 Kings 17:7-18), for a detailed description of what their abandonment of God involved.

The "days of Baalim" is speaking of the time when they were practicing idolatry. They had given the love that belonged to God to these false gods. The "burning of incense" in the temple of God symbolized the prayers of the saints rising to heaven. It appears, they had been praying to false gods.
Outward show of beauty is not Godliness. True beauty comes from within. You may appear to the world to be in right standing with God, but God looks on the heart. They had become worldly and forgotten God. They were lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God.

The Lord's Mercy on Israel

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. Hos. 2:14

Therefore, behold, I... Law of Prophetic Perspective (explained below).

The present dispensation of grace comes in between what was predicted to happen, as in Hos. 2:13, and that predicted in Hos. 2:14—between the judgment of God upon Israel which is referred to in Hos. 2:11-13 and the future full restoration of Israel to eternal blessing referred to in Hos. 2:14-23. There are many such examples in Scripture where a long time exists between the events mentioned in two statements. They come under what we call the law of prophetic perspective.

Twenty-six Such Examples in Scripture:

1. The whole pre-Adamite world and the reign of Lucifer and his fall come between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 2:1-25.

2. In the middle of Psm. 118:22, the present dispensation comes in.

3. And in the middle of Isa. 9:6.

4. The middle of Isa. 53:10.

5. The middle of Isa. 61:2.

6. The middle of Lam. 4:22.

7. Between Dan. 9:26 and Dan. 9:27.

8. Between Dan. 11:34 and Dan. 11:35.

9. Between Hos. 2:13 and Hos. 2:14.

10. Between Amos 9:11 and Amos 9:12.

11. Between Mic. 5:2 and Mic. 5:3.

12. Between Hab. 2:13 and Hab. 2:14.

13. Between Zeph. 3:7 and Zeph. 3:8.

14. Between Zec. 9:9 and Zec. 9:10.

15. In the middle of Mal. 3:1.

16. In the middle of Mat. 10:23.

17. In the middle of Mat. 12:20.

18. Between Luke 1:31 and Luke 1:32.

19. In the middle of Luke 21:24.

20. Between Acts 15:14 and Acts 15:16.

21. In the middle of 1Cor. 15:23.

22. In the middle of 1Pet. 1:11.

23. In the middle of Rev. 1:19.

Sometimes two whole dispensations come in between verses or parts thereof. Points 24, 25, and 26 are three such examples:

24. Between Acts 17:30 and Acts 17:31

25. Between the first part of 1Cor. 15:23 and 1Cor. 15:24

26. Between Eph. 1:9 and Eph. 1:10

bring her into... This refers to the flight of the woman of Rev. 12:1-17 into the wilderness. Many other examples could be given, illustrating how important the study of dispensational truth really is.

speak comfortably unto... Twenty things God will do for Israel in the wilderness (Hos. 2:14-23; Rev. 12:6, 12:14):

1. Speak comfortably to her (Hos. 2:14).

2. Give her back her vineyards (Hos. 2:15).

3. Give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope.

4. Bring her back to a spirit of singing.

5. Marry her again (Hos. 2:16).

6. Bring her into a closer relationship with Himself than merely saying My Lord.

7. Take the names of Baalim out of her mouth (Hos. 2:17).

8. Blot out all remembrance of the name of Baalim from her mind.

9. Make a covenant for them with the beasts of the earth (Hos. 2:18).

10. Bring peace to them.

11. Make them safe.

12. Betroth her unto Himself forever (Hos. 2:19).

13. Betroth her in righteousness.

14. In faithfulness (Hos. 2:20).

15. Cause her to know Him.

16. Make them prosperous (Hos. 2:21-22).

17. Make her a plant of His own (Hos. 2:23).

18. Have mercy upon her.

19. Call them His people.

20. Become their God.

speak comfortably unto... The phrase was used of wooing (Gen. 34:3; Judges 19:3; Ruth 2:13). God will restore Israel to Himself.

God will draw her to Him again, is the message in this verse. God punishes His own, when they have sinned, but He is quick to forgive and restore them. He is like a loving parent, who whips a child who is in error, then forgives him and restores him, because he is his own.

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. Hos. 2:15

The valley of... (“Valley of Trouble”), was where Achan disobeyed God and kept the enemy’s plunder, resulting in great devastation for the Israelites (Joshua chapter 7). Yet God promised to turn this valley into “a door of hope” for His people. He does this for all His children who actively seek the hope He has provided (Rev. 3:20).

God's forgiveness is not just in words, He restores her vineyards again. He pours out His blessings on her again.
a door of... There is hope. Just as God was the hope of the family of Jacob in Egypt, He is the hope of the Israelites here. Achor is not very far from the fertile land of Jericho. Achor is the entrance to that land. In Jericho today, the fruit and vegetables are far more than they need for themselves. It is so fruitful that they sell much of it. This is a prosperous area.

When the Lord leads Israel out of the desert back into the Promised Land, He will restore her vineyards. The words There I will give misinterpret the elliptical Hebrew text (which reads lit., “from there”) by implying that vineyards will grow in the wilderness where Israel had wandered. The agricultural prosperity envisioned here will be in Israel (cf. Hos. 2:22-23; Deut. 30:4-5, 30:9; Amos 9:13-15), not in the desert. When Israel enters the land she will again pass through the Valley of Achor (lit., “Valley of trouble”), the site of Achan’s heinous sin which jeopardized the success of the Conquest (Jos. 7:1-26). However, this time the valley will be a symbol of better things to come, a door of hope leading to repossession of the Promised Land (cf. Isa. 65:10). The effects of the trouble caused by Israel’s past unfaithfulness will have disappeared. Instead she will respond favorably to the Lord as in the days immediately after the Exodus (cf. Jer. 2:2). Admittedly this earlier period is idealized here, as even a cursory reading of the narratives in Exodus and Numbers reveals.

And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. Hos. 2:16

In Hebrew, the word husband can be translated using two words, one that means “My Husband” (denoting affection and intimacy), and one that means My Master (literally, “my Baal”), speaking of rulership. God was once again urging His people to worship Him for who He is and not to be ruled by false gods.

The fact that she is to call Him Ishi, indicates that she is recognizing Him as her husband. She had acted like the false gods were her husband before. This will be no more. She is the wife of God.

In that day, when Israel is restored to the land, she will acknowledge the Lord as her husband. She will address Him as ’ı̂šı̂, my Husband, rather than ba‛ ă̌li, my Master. These two Hebrew words are essentially synonymous. They are used interchangeably in 2Sa. 11:26, “Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband (’ı̂š) was dead, she mourned for her husband (ba‛al; NASB; cf. also Deut. 24:3-4). However, the word ba‛al would be a reminder of Israel’s former Baal worship.

For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. Hos. 2:17

(In verse 13), Israel forgot her true God; God said she would forget her false gods. What the outward conformity to the Mosaic Covenant could not do, God does through a new, regenerated heart in the New Covenant for Israel now (Jer. 31:31-34; Zech. 13:1-2).

Just as God discredited the false gods of Egypt, He takes the names of her false gods away here and will remember them no more. She will have totally forgotten them.

Therefore God will prohibit its use, and Israel will no longer use the names of the Baals (cf. the pl. “Baals” in Hos. 2:13; Hos. 11:2).

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. Hos. 2:18

will I make... This depicts a millennial scene (compare Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-9; Micah 4:3), when God’s people become subject to God and creation becomes subject to them.

for them with... God will make this covenant of peace between Israel and earth creatures, giving man his original dominion (Gen. 1:26-31). This is not the new covenant so often mentioned in the prophets.

I will break... This is abolishing war (Isa. 2:4).

lie down safely... This expresses universal safety of man and all creatures on earth.

Zechariah 2:11 "And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee."
This is speaking of that time when the Root of Jesse shall rule. This is that time of perfect peace, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall reign. The 11th chapter of Isaiah explains it in detail. There will no longer be one nation that belongs to God, but He will rule over all. Everyone who believes in Christ will be His bride.
Revelation 21:3 " And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God."

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

Hos. 2:19

I will betroth... Just as Hosea married Gomer the second time, after she learned her lesson regarding being true to her husband, so the same would happen to Israel regarding her relationship with Jehovah, according to the prediction here. God will marry Israel again and betroth her to Himself forever in righteousness and faithfulness (Hos. 2:19-20).

Then Jehovah, turning again to the wife of His youth, says to her, “I will betroth thee” (as at the first, when maiden undefiled). Three times this phrase is repeated.

unto me in... Indicate the equitable terms on which God would accept the penitent; and lest this thought should crush her with fear, “lovingkindness” and “tender mercies” follow; and lest this should seem too good, He adds “with faithfulness” (to myself).

The law of commandments will be no more.

Ephesians 2:15 "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;"

Read the rest of the chapter to get the full picture. "This is when He writes the law on the heart of man.

Hebrews 10:16 “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"

"Righteousness" is being put in right standing with God. Jesus did it for us and all we have to do is believe. All of these; righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, and mercy come from God to man.

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. Hos. 2:20

thou shalt know... This is very characteristic of Ezekiel who uses such an idea about 75 times, compared to this once in Hosea.

Keeping the marriage contract inviolable, Christ will never suffer his faithfulness to fail, nor break his covenant. As he is faithful to his Father that appointed him, so he is, and will be, to his church and people, and to every believer, to whom he is espoused.

I will even... And it is he that makes them faithful unto him, and gives them faith to believe in him, receive, embrace, own, and acknowledge him as their husband: and in this sense, some understand it, rendering it, "in faith".
This is the third time the word "betroth" is used, or this promise made; which, according to Jerome, refers to them espousing of the Jews in Abraham, at Mount Sinai, and in the times of Christ.
and thou shalt... That the Messiah is Jehovah, and that he is their husband; they shall all know him, from the least to the greatest; they shall have a saving knowledge of him, which will issue in eternal life; they shall own him, and acknowledge him, serve and obey him, as their Lord, Head, and Husband, as well as love him, and believe in him.
Hebrews 8:11 "And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."
This knowing is a free gift from God.

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; Hos. 2:21

in that day... "In that day" and "at that day" are characteristic of Isaiah in whose book they are found 53 times compared to the 4 in Hosea (Hos. 2:1:5; 2:16, 2:18, 2:21).

I will hear,... These statements express prosperity (Hos. 2:21-22).

A reversal of circumstances (compare 1:4, 6, 9).

This is speaking of the time when the door to heaven is opened. God has access to the people, and we have access to Him.

And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. Hos. 2:22

shall hear Jezreel... (as in 1:11), used here in the positive sense of scattering seed to sow it.

The relationship with God and Israel is restored. This time, it will never be separated again. When this great day comes, there will be no enemy. The land will abundantly produce for Israel during the Millennium.

The promise of restored agricultural blessing, mentioned briefly in Hos. 2:15, is expanded here. A series of cries and responses is envisioned as different elements of the natural world are personified. Jezreel (the nation of Israel here) will cry out to the grain… wine, and oil. They in turn will respond by calling to the earth from which they are produced. The earth in turn will look to the heavens, the source of the rain which makes the soil productive. The heavens will then call to the Lord, the One who ultimately controls the agricultural cycle. He will respond by providing the rain necessary for agricultural prosperity.

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 which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God. Hos. 2:23

I will sow... This pictures the sowing of Israel as a plant of His own in the earth, indicating their restoration (Hos. 1:10-11). This is why the word Jezreel (the seed of God which He will sow) is used in Hos. 2:22.

were not my... Quoted in Rom. 9:25, not of the Gentiles only, but as an illustration of what may be true in their case as well as in Israel’s (cp. 1Pet. 2:10).

This could be the wife of God, Israel, who had been rejected of God. All relations had become new. God is starting all over again with Israel. This could also, be speaking of the unbelieving world, which has been offered the opportunity to be God's people. Whosoever will, regardless of nationality or blood line, shall have the opportunity to be God's people, and Him be their God.

Romans 3:29 "[Is he] the God of the Jews only? [is he] not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:"
Romans 9:26 "And it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God."