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.
The Lord’s Restoration of Israel
Having brought Israel to a place of desperation in which she would again look to Him (cf. Hos. 2:7), the Lord said He would take the next steps in restoring the relationship. Israel’s positive response would lead to covenant renewal and blessing.
Renewed love
In these verses the Lord described His overtures of love and Israel’s future positive response.
The Lord promised to initiate reconciliation with His wayward wife by alluring her. Allure refers here to tender, even seductive, speech. Elsewhere the term describes a man’s seduction of a virgin (Exo. 22:16) and a lover’s attempt to entice a man (Samson) into divulging confidential information (Jdg. 14:15; 16:5). The Lord said He will lead Israel into the desert, where she will be completely separated from past lovers and will be able to concentrate totally on His advances. The reference to the desert recalls Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus. This was sometimes pictured as a time when Israel experienced the Lord’s care in a special way (cf. Hos. 13:5) and when she, in return, loved Him with the devotion of a new bride (Jer. 2:2-3). The allusion to the wilderness also represents a remarkable reversal in the use of the desert motif in this chapter. For the Lord had threatened to make Israel “like a desert” (Hos. 2:3). According to Hos. 2:14 the desert will become the site of His romantic overtures to her. There He will speak tenderly to her (lit., “speak to her heart”; cf. Isa. 40:2). This Hebrew idiom refers to gentle, encouraging words, such as a man speaks to his desired bride (cf. Gen. 34:3; Ruth 2:13). As Mays states, the boldly anthropomorphic language “is astonishing” especially in light of the Bible’s “studied aversion for speaking of God in any sexual terms.” He adds, “it is in this daring kind of portrayal that the passion of God becomes visible - a passion that does not hesitate at any condescension or hold back from any act for the sake of the beloved elect” (Hosea, pp. 44-5).
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