Hosea 2:14 - Meaning and Application

The ruined condition of Israel, brought on by their own sin, looked dark enough in the earlier part of the chapter. Yet here, in the later part, Israel held back by divine grace looks bright and hopeful. That contrast is even more striking because the promises come right after the warnings, and even more, they are linked to the very statement of sin that supports the warnings: “She went after her lovers and forgot me,” says the Lord, “therefore I will allure her.”

That “therefore” is fittingly followed by “Behold.” When we hear, “She forgot me,” we would expect, “Therefore I will abandon her.” Instead, God says, “Therefore I will allure her.” God’s thoughts and ways of mercy are far above ours. His reasons come from himself, not from anything in us, and his goodness takes the occasion of human sin to shine even more clearly (Isaiah 57:17-18).

Because Israel would not be turned back by warnings of judgment, God would try to win her with promises of mercy. Some think the words can be translated, “Afterward” or “Nevertheless, I will allure her.” Either way, the point is the same, to magnify free grace, God’s undeserved kindness to those on whom he shows mercy only for his own sake.

What is promised here to Israel is, first, that though they were now sad and close to despair, they would again be refreshed with comfort and hope (Hosea 2:14-15). This is said with an allusion to how God first dealt with that people when he brought them out of Egypt through the wilderness into Canaan. Their desperate condition in captivity is compared earlier to their condition in Egypt, in the day they were born (Hosea 2:3). So they would be newly formed by miracles of love and mercy, just as they were formed at the beginning, and they would be filled with joy as they were then.

It is hard to say when this was fulfilled in the kingdom of the ten tribes. But it clearly points mainly to the bringing of both Jews and Gentiles into the church through the gospel of Christ. It also applies, and likely was meant to apply, to the turning of individual souls to God. God’s gracious ways with them are these.

He will bring them into the wilderness, as he did at first when he brought Israel out of Egypt. There he taught them and made covenant with them. The land of their captivity will now be to them like that wilderness was then, a furnace of suffering in which God will choose them. See also (Ezekiel 20:35-36). God had said he would make them like a wilderness (Hosea 2:3), which was a threat. Now that the same idea is part of a promise, it means he will bring their hearts into agreement with their condition. They will have humble hearts under humbling circumstances. Being poor, they will become poor in spirit. They will accept the punishment of their sin, and then they will be ready to hear words of comfort.

When God led Israel out of Egypt, he led them into the wilderness to humble and test them, so he could do them good (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 8:15-16). He will do the same again. Those whom God intends to bless, he first brings into a wilderness, a place of solitude and quiet, so they can speak more freely with him away from the noise of the world. He may also bring them into inward distress, through guilt and fear of judgment, until they are lost and confused in themselves. By those convictions, he prepares them for comfort. At times he also brings outward trouble, to open the ear to discipline.

Then he will allure them and speak kindly to them. He will persuade them and speak to their hearts. That means he will use his word and Spirit to incline their hearts to return to him and to encourage them to do so. He will draw them with promises of his favor, just as before he had alarmed them with warnings of wrath. He will speak gently through his prophets and through his providences, just as before he had spoken sternly (Isaiah 40:1-2). The Chaldee reads this as, “By the hand of my servants the prophets I will speak comfort to her heart.”

This points to the gospel of Christ and to the offers of divine grace in the gospel. Through it, we are drawn away from sin and turned to God. It speaks to a convicted sinner in a way that fits his whole case. It brings rich comfort to those who grieve over sin and long for the Lord. When the Spirit truly speaks to the heart and reaches the conscience, which belongs to God alone, what a blessed change follows. The best way to bring wandering souls back to God is by gentle means. By the promise of rest in Christ, we are invited to take his yoke on us, and the work of conversion may move forward by comfort as well as conviction.

He will also give her her vineyards from there. From the very place and time where he had afflicted her and brought her to see her folly and humble herself, he will begin to do her good. He will not only speak kindly to her, but also act for her good, and undo what he had done against her. He had destroyed her vines (Hosea 2:12), but now he will give her whole vineyards, as if every destroyed vine is replaced by a whole vineyard. She will be paid back with interest. She will not have only grain for necessity, but vineyards for delight.

These vineyard blessings point to the privileges and comforts of the gospel, prepared for those who come up out of the wilderness, leaning on Christ as their beloved (Song of Songs 8:5). God has vineyards of comfort ready for those who repent and return to him, and he can give vineyards out of a wilderness. Those are the most welcome of all, like rest to the weary.

He will also give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope. The valley of Achor was the place where Achan was stoned. The name means “trouble,” because Achan troubled Israel, and there God troubled him. That was the beginning of the wars in Canaan. When they put away the cursed thing there, it gave them reason to hope that God would keep with them and complete their victories.

So when God returns to his people in mercy, and they return to him in duty, that will be a good sign for them. If they remove the accursed thing from among them, if they deal with sin as the thing that has troubled their camp, then the defeat of that enemy within them will be a pledge of victory over all the kings of Canaan.

If the line refers to the valley’s name, it suggests that sorrow over sin, when it is real, opens the way to hope. The sin that truly troubles us will not destroy us. The Valley of Achor was a very fruitful and pleasant valley, and some think it was the same as the Valley of Engedi, famous for vineyards (Song of Songs 1:14). God gave that valley to Israel as a pattern and pledge of the whole land of Canaan.

In the same way, God gives believers in this life gifts, grace, and comfort that are a taste of the fuller good things of heaven. These gifts give a sure hope that the full inheritance will come in due time. Dr. Pocock explains it this way, and the whole passage points in that direction.

They will also rejoice greatly when God shows them kindness again. “She shall sing there as in the days of her youth” points plainly to the triumphant song Moses and Israel sang at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1). When they are brought out of captivity, they will sing that song again. It will be a new song to them, because it comes from a new deliverance, and yet it will not be less than the old one.

God had said earlier that he would end her joy (Hosea 2:11), but now he promises to bring it back. She will sing as she did on the day she came out of Egypt. When God repeats former mercies, we should repeat former praises. That is why we find the song of Moses sung again in the New Testament (Revelation 15:3).

This promise reaches its full meaning in the gospel of Christ. The gospel gives strong reasons for joy and praise. Wherever it is received in power, it enlarges the heart with joy and thanksgiving. That is the land flowing with milk and honey, the good land that the Valley of Achor opens a door of hope toward. We rejoice even in trouble.

Even though they had been deeply devoted to Baal, they would now be fully turned away from him. They would give up every sign of idolatry and every step that led toward it, and they would hold fast to God alone and worship him as he directs (Hosea 2:16-17). The surest sign of God’s favor to any people is that he sets them apart from their beloved sins.

The worship of Baal was the sin that most easily trapped Israel. It was their own special sin, the one that ruled over them. But now that idolatry would be completely removed, with no trace left among them. The idols of Baal would not even be mentioned. None of the Baals, those idols that had once filled the air with cries like, “O Baal, hear us,” would be named anymore.

The very names of Baalim would be taken out of their mouths. They would be so unused that they would seem forgotten, as if they had never been known in Israel. People would hate them so much that they would not want to say the names themselves, or even hear others say them. Their former love for Baal would make them eager to erase every memory of it. They would obey the law against idolatry very closely, “Make no mention of the names of other gods, neither let it be heard out of your mouth” (Exodus 23:13). David speaks in the same way when he says, “Nor will I take up their names on my lips” (Psalm 16:4). The apostle uses similar language about sin: “Let them not even be mentioned among you” (Ephesians 5:3).

How can such a change happen, as complete as turning an Ethiopian’s skin? The answer is that God’s power can do it, and he will. “I will take away the names of the Baals,” says God, just as he says, “I will remove the names of the idols” (Zechariah 13:2). God’s grace in the heart changes the way people speak by making them hate what they once loved. “I will give the people a pure language” (Zephaniah 3:9). One rabbi said this promise points to the Gentiles, who would be turned from the idol worship they had been tied to by the gospel of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Even the word Baal will be set aside, though it could mean something innocent. God says, “You will call me Ishi, and you will no longer call me Baali.” Both words can mean “my husband.” Isaiah says, “Your Maker is your husband,” and the Hebrew word there is Baal, meaning owner, protector, or lord (Isaiah 54:5). Some good people likely used Baali when worshiping the God of Israel. When their wicked neighbors bowed to Baal, they took comfort in saying that God was their Baal.

But God says they should no longer use that word, because he will remove the very names of the Baals. What is harmless in itself should be put away when it has been polluted by idolatry. Its use should be stopped so nothing remains to keep idols in memory, much less in honor. If Ishi will serve just as well and mean the same thing, then that word should be chosen instead, so no one is reminded of the false Baals of the past.

Some think there is another reason why God wants to be called Ishi and not Baali. Both mean “my husband,” but Ishi sounds warm and affectionate, while Baali sounds more like reverence and submission. Ishi means “my man,” while Baali means “my lord.” In gospel times, God has made himself known in a way that lets us come boldly to the throne of grace and speak with holy, humble freedom. We should call God our Master, because he is, but we are taught even more to call him our Father. Ishi can also mean “man of the Lord” (Genesis 4:1), and it points to the fact that in gospel times the church’s husband will be the man Christ Jesus, who was made like his brothers. Therefore they will call him Ishi, not Baali.

Though they had lived in constant trouble, as if all creation were against them, they would now enjoy perfect peace and calm, as if they were at peace with all creation (Hosea 2:18). “In that day,” when they have given up their idols and placed themselves under God’s protection, “I will make a covenant for them.” They will be kept from harm, and nothing will injure them.

When God is at peace with us, he makes every creature serve peace as well. The lower creatures will do them no harm, as they once did when wild beasts destroyed their vineyards (Hosea 2:12), and as harmful animals were one of God’s severe judgments (Ezekiel 14:15). Even the birds and creeping things are included in this covenant. Those creatures can be very destructive when God uses them as tools of judgment, but then they will no longer be so. More than that, by this covenant they will become useful and serve the people’s good.

God rules the lower creatures and can bring them into whatever covenant he chooses. He can make the beasts of the field honor him, as he has promised (Isaiah 43:20), and make them help his people’s comfort. If even the lower creatures are placed under obligation to serve us, then our part of the covenant is clear: we must not misuse them, but serve God with them.

Some think this was fulfilled when Christ gave his disciples power to handle serpents safely (Mark 16:17-18). It also fits the promises made especially to Israel when they returned from captivity, such as God’s promise to remove harmful animals from the land (Ezekiel 34:25), and the broader promises made to all believers. Job says the wild beasts will be at peace with God’s people, and the psalm says they will tread on the lion and the serpent (Job 5:22-23; Psalm 91:13). But that is not all, because people are often more dangerous than wild animals, so God also promises to end war and take away weapons: “I will break the bow, and the sword, and the battle.”

God can do this whenever he chooses (Psalm 44:9), and he does it for those whose ways please him, because he even makes their enemies live at peace with them (Proverbs 16:7). This also fits the promise that in gospel times swords will be turned into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4). They will also be free from fear and lie down safely, knowing they are under heaven’s protection and need not fear the powers of hell.

Even though God had given them a bill of divorce for their unfaithfulness, he would, when they repented, take them back into covenant with himself, even into a marriage covenant (Hosea 2:19-20). God’s promise to make peace between them and the lower creatures was a great mercy, but it was far greater that he brought them into covenant with himself and bound himself to do them good. All who truly belong to God are betrothed to him, meaning he has joined them to himself with the strongest and most sacred promise of love, protection, and care. Believing souls are united to Christ, and the church is the bride, the Lamb’s wife (2 Corinthians 11:2).

The covenant is described as lasting forever. God will not break it on his side, and his blessings in it will endure forever. One Jewish teacher even said this promise points to the life of the world to come, that is, endless life. The covenant is also made in righteousness and judgment, meaning God deals honestly and rightly in it. They had broken covenant, and God is righteous, yet he says he will renew the covenant in a way that satisfies justice through the Mediator, the one who stands between God and his people.

It might seem strange that God would take back people who had so often dealt treacherously with him. Would that not seem to question his wisdom? God answers that he will do it in judgment, not rashly, but after due consideration. He is able to give a reason for his own actions and defend them fully. He will also make the covenant in lovingkindness and mercies, meaning he will deal gently and graciously. He will be not only as good as his word, but even better. Since they are weak and prone to fail, he promises to treat the covenant as one of grace, so that every failure will not immediately cast them out.

He also says the covenant will be made in faithfulness. Every part of it will be carried out exactly as promised. He who called them is faithful, and he will do it. To keep them faithful on their side, God says, “You shall know the LORD.” This means not only that God will reveal himself more clearly, but that he will give them hearts to know him. They will know more of him and know him in a deeper way than before. Their earlier turning away came from not knowing God as their benefactor (Hosea 2:8), so to prevent that from happening again, they will all be taught by God to know him. God keeps his hold on people’s hearts by giving them good understanding and true knowledge (Hebrews 8:11).

Though the heavens had once been like brass and the earth like iron, now the heavens will give their dew, and the earth will give its fruit (Hosea 2:21-22). Since God has betrothed the gospel church, and in it all believers, to himself, how will he not also freely give them all things they need for life and godliness? All belongs to them, because they belong to Christ, and if they seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, everything else will be added to them. This promise of grain and wine may also be understood in a spiritual sense, as blessings and grace for the soul, pictured by the dew from heaven and the rich produce of the earth, with the dew named first, as in Jacob’s blessing (Genesis 27:28).

God had threatened to take away the grain and wine (Hosea 2:9), but now he promises to restore them in the regular order of nature. While they were under the curse of famine, they called to the earth for grain and wine to support themselves and their families. The earth would gladly have provided them, but it cannot give unless it first receives. It cannot produce grain and wine unless it is watered by God’s river (Psalm 65:9). So it calls on the heavens for rain, for the former and latter rains in their season, and its sad, dry condition when rain is withheld pleads for that mercy.

But the heavens, as it were, say, "We have no rain to give unless the One who holds the key to the clouds opens them." The whole order of nature depends on the Lord. So if the Lord does not help, nothing else can.

When God brings his people back into covenant with himself, he sets the whole wheel of nature moving again in their favor. The streams of mercy flow in their proper path. Then, says the Lord, "I will hear," and I will receive your prayers, as the Chaldee understands the first hearing. God will kindly notice their prayers.

Then he says, "I will hear the heavens," that is, I will answer them. They will hear the earth and give it timely rain. Then the earth will hear the grain and the vines and give them moisture. Then they will hear Jezreel and become food and refreshment for the people who live there. This shows how the second causes in nature connect like links in a chain, all depending on God, the first Cause.

We should expect all our comforts from God in the usual way, through the means he has appointed. When those comforts fail us, we must look up to God, above the hills and mountains (Psalm 121:1, Psalm 121:2). The creatures are ready to serve God’s people, and they seem eager to do him honor. The grain cries to the earth, the earth to the heavens, and the heavens to God, all so that his people may be supplied.

God is just as ready to give relief. "I will hear," says the Lord, "yes, I will hear." If God will hear the cry of the heavens for his people, then he will surely hear the intercession of his Son for them, the one who has been made higher than the heavens. Covenant believers can also take special joy in their creature-comforts, because they see them all coming from God’s hand. They can trace every stream back to the fountain and taste covenant love in ordinary blessings, which makes them twice as sweet.

Further, though they were then scattered, not only like Simeon and Levi, divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel, but scattered all over the world, God would turn that curse into a blessing, just as he did with that earlier tribe. "I will not only water the earth for her, but I will sow her for myself in the earth." Their scattering would not be like chaff on the threshing floor, which the wind blows away. It would be like seed in a field, scattered for greater growth. Wherever they were spread out, they would take root downward and bear fruit upward.

The good seed are the children of the kingdom. "I will sow her for myself." This points to the name Jezreel, which means "sown of God" or "sown for God." She had been scattered by him, and she would also be sown by him. Whatever he sows, he will make grow. When Christianity took root in many parts of the world, and believers were found everywhere, this promise was fulfilled: "I will sow her for myself in the earth." The greatest blessing on earth is that God has a church in it, and from that comes all the glory he receives from the world. It is what he has sown for himself, and therefore what he will keep for himself.

Lastly, though they had been Lo-ammi, "not my people," and Lo-ruhamah, "not shown mercy," they would be restored to God’s favor and brought back into covenant with him (Hosea 2:23). They had not received mercy and seemed abandoned. They were not treated as God’s people, but left among the nations. That was true of the rejected Jews, and it was also true, in an even sadder way, of the Gentile world, to which the apostle applies these words (Romans 9:24, Romans 9:25). They had no hope and were without God in the world.

But when large numbers of both Jews and Gentiles believed in Christ and were gathered into one Christian church, then God showed mercy to those who had not received mercy. Those who had long been out of favor, and who would have remained children of wrath without God’s mercy, became children of his love. We should never think God’s mercy is out of reach anywhere this side of hell.

He also brought into covenant relation those who had been strangers and foreigners. He says to them, "You are my people, whom I will own, bless, protect, and provide for." And they answer, "You are my God, whom I will serve and worship, and to whose honor I will give myself wholly and forever." The whole happiness of believers is summed up in this mutual bond between them and God, that he is theirs and they are his. This is the crown of all the promises.

This relation rests on free grace. We did not choose him, but he chose us. He first says, "They are my people," and by his power he makes them willing to be his, and then they confess him as their God. As we need nothing more to make us happy than to be God’s people, so we need nothing more to make us calm and glad than for him to assure us that we are his, by his Spirit bearing witness with our spirits, "You are my people."

Those who have taken the Lord as their God must confess him as their God. They must come to him in prayer and say so, "You are my God." They must also be ready to make that confession before others. This covenant also gives comfort because it includes the fellowship of believers, who, though many, are one. God does not say, "I will say to them, You are my people," but, "You are my people," because he sees them as one in Christ. In the same way, they do not say, "You are our God," but, "You are my God," because they see themselves as one body and want, with one mind and one voice, to honor him.

This also shows that under the gospel, God makes the same covenant with individual believers that he once made with Israel as a whole. He speaks to even the least of them with as much joy as he once spoke to the thousands of Israel, "You are my people." And he invites and encourages each one to say, "You are my God," and to rejoice in that truth, just as Moses and all Israel did: "He is my God, and my father’s God" (Exodus 15:2).