A Purpose and a Warning

As we go through this study of Becoming a Woman of Godliness, our key verses are:

Philippians 2:12-13

¹² So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 1:6

⁶ For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

In this first session, we will see the purpose of this study unfold, and we will also see a warning to believers.  This warning is directed at us, and it is one that we need to take seriously.

Our text for today comes from Colossians 2:1-8:

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. ⁵ For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,⁷ having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Paul is the writer of this letter to the church at Colossi.  He tells us that he words hard and struggles greatly.  Why does he do this? 1) for the Colossians, 2) for those at Laodicea, and 3) for those who have not met him.  Sisters, this is us! So all that Paul is writing by God’s hand is meant for us.  This is such an important thing for us to realize. The Bible is meant, not just for the people of the times that is was written, but for us in present day.

All three of the people groups that Paul is writing to are knit together in love.  This shows the unity of believers.  Why is he writing this letter? 1) so that their hearts may be encouraged.  We can all use some encouragement! And 2) so they will have all of the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding.  The word wealth here literally means money possessions and figuratively means riches and abundance.  The words full assurance mean entire confidence.

Ephesians 1:7

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 1:18-19

¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

Ephesians 3:16

¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

God’s grace is rich. God’s inheritance is rich. God’s glory is rich. Paul wants us to have the riches of the full assurance of understanding all of these things about God.  The result of understanding is a true knowledge of God’s mystery that Christ is available to the Gentiles.  In Christ hides all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Isaiah 11:2

² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Romans 11:33

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Paul is writing this, through the power of God, so there will be no doubt in our minds about ourselves as believers in God.  The riches we have in God are enough to keep us fully satisfied.  If we have the understanding of this, we will have treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  These treasures are in Christ Himself.  Everything listed in Isaiah is our treasure.  It is essential that we know God’s Word so that we can attain to the full assurance of understanding.  This is our purpose!  This is why we are living our lives, working out our salvation.  God wants us to be rich, and He has given us the path to full assurance of understanding.  God does not save us and immediately take us to heaven, although He could.  He allows us to live, and one reason is so we can work to become rich in Him and His wisdom and knowledge.

And now for our warning. In verse four, Paul says that he does not want the Colossians, the Laodiceans, or us to be deluded with any kind of false gospel or enticing words.

Romans 16:17-18

¹⁷ Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. ¹⁸ For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

Paul is with the church at Colossi in spirit.  He rejoices to see their good discipline.  He rejoices to see the stability of their faith.  Do you have good discipline in the Lord?

1 Timothy 4:7

⁷ But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

There is a book entitled Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney.  In his book, he discusses eleven different spiritual disciples: Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, learning, and perseverance. I highly recommend this book to you. In order to know what the Word of God says, so that we are not deluded with false gospels and enticing words, we must be disciplined to study the Word of God.

How stable is your faith in Jesus Christ?  In verse six, Paul goes into this. Now that you have received Jesus Christ as Lord, walk in Him! You are firmly rooted in God.  This happens at the moment of salvation.

1 Corinthians 3:6

⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

Now, since you have firm solid roots, you are being built up in Him.  Now you are being established in your faith.  Jesus will confirm you to the end.

1 Corinthians 1:7-8

⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our warning here is clear.  Know the truth of God’s Word so that you will not be poorly persuaded.  You are Christians – you have received the Lord as your Savior.  Act like it!  Walk in Him.  Paul says that the Colossians have good discipline and are stable in their faith.  How about you? Part of working out our salvation is being strong in our disciplines in the Lord.  We are firmly rooted in God – we cannot be pulled up from Him.  But, we now have to grow up.  Now, we have to come established in our faith.  We have to do as we are instructed in Scripture, with a thankful hear.

Look at verse 8. Paul says to be careful that no one takes us captive: 1) through philosophy, 2) through empty deception, 3) according to the traditions of men, 4) according to the elementary principles of the world, 5) not according to Christ.  Let us be secure and stable in our faith.  Let us know the truth of God’s Word so that we know when something is deceptive.  Let us walk in Christ, being built up in Him and being established in our faith.  Let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling, as God is at work in us.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Today's lesson is all about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  She is an iconic woman, famous to those who worship Jesus and to those who do not.  In fact, some people groups and denominations actually pray to and worship Mary.  This is completely against the Word of God.  We are to have no other gods before the great God Jehovah (Exodus 20:3). Mary is not a god, but she was chosen by God to be the earthly mother of His Son.

I love seeing the details of Mary's story.  She was an ordinary woman, asked to do an extraordinary thing.

Mary's story is found throughout the gospels.  We are going to focus on Luke 1:26-38, 46-55, 2:1-7, 22-52, and John 19:25-27.

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Up until this point in Mary's life, she did not know that she was chosen by God.  Mary was perplexed to see an angel and to hear him call her "favored one."  She was a simple girl, living her life.  She did not know that she was favored by God.  The angel recognized that Mary was afraid, as are most of the people in Scripture who come across an angel.  He clarified his greeting to her and told her that she was favored because of God.  What an amazing thing to learn about yourself!

The message from the angel was very full:

1. You will conceive.
2. You will give birth to a Son.
3. You will name Him Jesus.
4. He will be great.
5. He will be the Son of the Most High.
6. The Lord will give Him David's throne.
7. He will reign forever over Israel.
8. His kingdom will have no end.

Of all of this information, Mary got stuck on the very first point.  I'm sure I would, too!  Mary knew the Scripture (we will see that later), so she knew Messiah was coming.  But, she didn't know until this point that she would be the one to carry Him in her womb.

Verse 35 gives us a representation of the holy trinity - Holy Spirit, Most High, Son of God.

In verse 38, Mary is saying that she is all in to doing the Lord's will.  Praise be to God.  Are you all in?  The Lord is not going to ask us to carry His Son, but He may ask us to do things that are way out of our comfort zones.  We have to trust God that His plan is the best plan, just as Mary trusted God with this plan.

The next section of Scripture that we are going to read is Mary's prayer.  This is a wonderful piece of Scripture where Mary quotes from lots of Old Testament verses.  I am going to show you each time that Mary quotes the Old Testament.

Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said:

“My soul exalts the Lord,

Psalm 34:2-3

My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Psalm 35:9

And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; it shall exult in His salvation.

Habakkuk 3:18

Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond slave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Psalm 138:6

For though the Lord is exalted, yet He regards the lowly.

49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 “And His mercy is upon generation after generation

Toward those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:17

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

Psalm 98:1

O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

Job 5:11

So that He sets on high those that are lowly.

53 “He has filled the hungry with good things;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

Psalm 107:9

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what was good.

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Genesis 17:9

God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations."

What an amazing testimony to Mary.  She knew her Bible so well that she could quote it as her prayer of praise to the Lord.  Oh how I wish I could quote the Scripture like Mary did here.  She was a wonderful person, full of the Lord.  God knew that He would choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, and He prepared her life for that very thing.

Luke 2:1-52

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Mary and Joseph made the 40 mile journey from Galilee to Bethlehem when Jesus was about to be born.  We see the manger scenes all the time at Christmas - people display beautiful nativities in their homes, in front of their homes, in front of business, etc.  All of those manger scenes depict Mary and Joseph all alone in the stable.  I would venture to say that they probably were not alone when Jesus was born.  If the inn was full, a lot of people had to travel to Bethlehem at this time.  More likely than not, there were others who had to stay in the barn with Mary and Joseph.  I would also venture to say that Mary had a midwife there to help her deliver her baby.

When the shepherds told the people what the angels said, "all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them."  This implies that there were many people there that night.  "But Mary" - lowly, humble Mary.  She didn't discuss it with anyone, but stayed quiet to herself.

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to offer the sacrifice that was required of them at that time.  They offered a sacrifice of a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.  Look at what Leviticus 12:6-8 says.

6 ‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7 Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Mary and Joseph were not rich.  They were poor and humble.  They could not afford the sacrifice of a one year old lamb and pigeon or turtle dove.  But God wants an offering from our heart, not our checkbooks.  So in their humbleness, they offered two turtle doves or two pigeons.

Simeon identified baby Jesus as the Savior of the world depicted in Isaiah 9:2 and 42:6.  Mary and Joseph were amazed by this.  Anna also recognized Jesus as Messiah.  She knew that this was from God, a message too important to keep quiet.  Maybe it was all starting to make sense to them (the shepherds, the angels, Simeon, Anna). Or maybe they had not quite grasped it, yet.

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Can we just stop and appreciate the fact that Mary and Joseph did not realize that Jesus was missing for a whole day?  This cracks me up - they were as human as you and I are.  They thought Jesus was with other people on the caravan, and they did not bother to check.  I wonder if Mary raised Jesus different from her other children because she knew He was God?

Three days later, they found Jesus in the temple.  Mother Mary was a nervous mother, looking for her Son.  But, "they did not understand."  I wonder if Mary lived her whole life trying to understand about her Son being God?  One of the biggest aspects of motherhood is disciplining our children.  It is our responsibility to make sure that our children learn right from wrong, and that they act accordingly.  Mary did not have to teach Jesus right from wrong, as He was God.  God wrote the law of the Old Testament to show people how they sinned.  God sent Jesus to be the payment for our sins.  Jesus knew no sin and became sin for us so that we could become righteous as He is righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).

John 19:25-27

25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

In Jesus' death on the cross, His mother was by His side.  I wonder if Jesus explained His death and resurrection to her as He did His disciples?  As Mary always treasured things in her heart, I wonder if this was one of those things?

In all things (impossible or not), Mary served the Lord.  She was very knowledgeable about the Scriptures, she was humble and meek, she took time to think things through, and she was God's chosen servant.

Gomer

Today's Bible study was all about Gomer.  Gomer was a harlot who the Lord commanded His prophet Hosea to marry.  The story of Hosea and Gomer is a direct picture of God's relationship with His nation of Israel.  Read through Hosea chapter 1.

1 The word of the Lord which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

6 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them by the Lord their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.”

8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel

Will be like the sand of the sea,Which cannot be measured or numbered;

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 great will be the day of Jezreel.

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." 

The Lord had appointed Hosea to be His prophet to the nation of Israel.  Hosea was one of the last prophets of the time.  The people had been through the Babylonian captivities, they had seen the words of Isaiah and Jeremiah come true.  They still had not repented of their sins and turned back to God.  They were still living their lives in sin, wrapped up in their false gods and pagan worship.

The Lord commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a harlot.  His nation of Israel had committed acts of harlotry against God by forsaking the Lord and worshiping false gods. God was using Hosea and Gomer as a picture of Him and Israel.  Hosea obeyed the Lord, married Gomer, and had three children with her.

His first child was named Jezreel.  This child is a representation of the punishment that will happen to the people of Israel.  1 and 2 Kings is full of the stories of sin and falling away from God.  There are specific stories related to Jezreel and how terrible that time was.  This son is representative of that time, and how God will get His vengeance on His people.

Hosea and Gomer's second child was a girl named Lo-ruhamah, which means, "she has not obtained compassion."  God was so fed up with the nation of Israel that He was no longer going to have compassion on them.  He goes on to say that He will have compassion on the nation of Judah (the southern kingdom), but He will not on the nation of Israel (the northern kingdom).

Hosea and Gomer's third child was a son named Lo-ammi, meaning, "not my people". For all of the years of history, it had always been that, "you will be my people, and I will be your God."  Now, God is cutting off His people.  He is saying that He is not their God anymore.  Is it because He stopped loving them?  No.  It was because they had strayed so far and had been gone for so long that God needed to show them punishment in order for them to come back to Him.

Hosea 1:10-11 show a contrast, using the word, "yet".  Right now, at that present moment in time, the people of Israel are forsaking the Lord (playing the harlot).  But, there will come a time when they will go from "not my people" to "sons of the living God".  Right now, Israel and Judah are divided.  But there will come a day when they will unite.  Look at Jeremiah 30:18-22.

18 ‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of JacobAnd have compassion on his dwelling places;And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin,And the palace will stand on its rightful place.19 ‘From them will proceed thanksgivingAnd the voice of those who celebrate;And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.20 ‘Their children also will be as formerly,And their congregation shall be established before Me;And I will punish all their oppressors.21 ‘Their leader shall be one of them,And their ruler shall come forth from their midst;And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.22  ‘You shall be My people,And I will be your God.’”

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." 

Our God is a God of judgement.  He will hold us accountable for our sins.  But, He is also a God of love, mercy, and compassion.  He will unite His people as they were originally intended to be, and He will be their God.  Praise Him!

Now read Hosea chapter 2.

2 Say to your brothers, “Ammi,” and to your sisters, “Ruhamah.” 2 “Contend with your mother, contend, For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; And let her put away her harlotry from her face and her adultery from between her breasts, 3 Or I will strip her naked and expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness,Make her like desert land and slay her with thirst.4 “Also, I will have no compassion on her children, because they are children of harlotry. 5 “For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has acted shamefully.For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,Who give me my bread and my water,My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’6 “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.7 “She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; and she will seek them, but will not find them.Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband,For it was better for me then than now!’8 “For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, and lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. 9 “Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time and My new wine in its season.I will also take away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness. 10 “And then I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers,And no one will rescue her out of My hand. 11 “I will also put an end to all her gaiety, her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths and all her festal assemblies. 12 “I will destroy her vines and fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages which my lovers have given me.’And I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field will devour them. 13 “I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she used to offer sacrifices to them and adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry,And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord.

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her. 15 “Then I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord,
“That you will call Me Ishi and will no longer call Me Baali. 17 “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will be mentioned by their names no more. 18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. 19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord. 21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, 22 And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil,
And they will respond to Jezreel. 23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not My people,‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

Hosea begins this chapter by speaking with his children.  He is telling them to give a message to their mother Gomer, who had gone off to harlotry.  The message to Gomer from Hosea is also the message from God to Israel.  The message is to stop what they are doing, turn back and repent.  If they did not stop, there would be consequences for their actions.

Gomer thinks that her life is better without her husband Hosea.  The nation of Israel thought their lives were better without their God.  Gomer thought that her lovers were supplying all of her needs, as the nation of Israel thought that their false gods were supplying their needs.  Both Gomer and the nation of Israel had strayed so far from the truth that they were believing lies.  Eventually, Gomer will realize that she is better off with her husband Hosea, as eventually the nation of Israel will realize that they are better off serving God.

In verse 8 it becomes evident that Gomer's lovers were not the ones supplying her needs. It was her husband Hosea.  Even though Gomer had strayed from him, he still loved her and wanted to take care of her.  Even though the nation of Israel had strayed so far from God, God continued to supply their needs and take care of them.  What a wonderful God we serve!  However, because the resources that Hosea gave Gomer and God gave Israel were used for sin and not for God's glory, they were going to be taken away.  The punishment for the sin of Gomer and Israel is described up to verse 13.

Verse 14 begins to describe the redemption of Gomer and the redemption of Israel.  Even though there was so much sin involved, God was still going to redeem His people.

In verse 16, the phrase "that day" is talking about the final battle in the last days - the great and terrible day of the Lord.  The people of Israel are going to call God "Ishi", meaning "my husband", and no longer call Him "Baali", meaning "my master".  Right now, the people of Israel think of God as a slave driver, someone they have to obey because they have to.  That is how Gomer thought of Hosea, too.  But, there will come a day, in that great and terrible day of the Lord, when they people will think of God as a husband, someone they want to obey because they love Him.  What a contrast that is!

Look at Isaiah 54:4-8.

4 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;But you will forget the shame of your youth,And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.5 “For your husband is your Maker,Whose name is the Lord of hosts;And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,Who is called the God of all the earth.6 “For the Lord has called you,Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”Says your God.7 “For a brief moment I forsook you,But with great compassion I will gather you.8 “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”Says the Lord your Redeemer.

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

Once again, God is showing us that there will come a day when He will redeem His people.  Praise Him!  Yes, people will have consequences for their sins.  Yes, God will turn His back on His people for a brief period of time.  But, He will redeem His people in the end!

At the end of Hosea chapter 2, God revisits Hosea's three children and they symbolism behind their names.  Jezreel once meant destruction and devastation to the nation, but now it means fertility and growth.  Lo-ruhamah once meant that God would no longer have compassion on His children, but now it means that God will have compassion on His children.  Lo-ammi once meant that God was no longer their God, and they were no longer His children, but now it means that He is their God, and they are His children.  The redemption to the people has come full circle.

Now we are going to look at Hosea chapter 3.

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3 Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

The Lord told Hosea to go get Gomer from her harlot life, even though she left him for other men.  The Lord loves Israel, even when they turn away from Him.  He still wants them back.  Hosea had to buy back his wife.  God had to buy us - the payment for our sins was the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  The gospel is played out in this Old Testament book of Hosea.

Hosea told Gomer that she had to stay with him for a period of time with no intimate relationship with him, or with any other man.  This is representative of a time when Israel will have no relationship with God or any false gods.    Once this period of time is over, in the last days, the people of Israel will return to God, trembling.  Why trembling?  From fear, respect, sorrow, shame, the list could go on and on.  

The Lord's mercy and compassion is amazing to me.  He will always love His people, no matter what they do.  He will always have a plan of redemption for His people, no matter what happens.  God's plan for redeeming a fallen world was set in place at the very beginning of the book of Genesis.  And, He is still fulfilling that plan in the world now.

God wants us to turn to Him.  We have to confess our sins to Him.  That is a part of the plan of redemption.  God wants us to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but we have to confess that we are sinful people.  Oh sisters, confess to Him!  Confess your sins, turn your lives, and live in the love and redemption that God has given us!