We Are The Bride

Hosea Continued...

Scripture:

Hosea 2: 18-23 (ESV)

And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

“And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
    I will answer the heavens,
    and they shall answer the earth,
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
    and they shall answer Jezreel,
    and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
    and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
    and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

Devotional:

In these verses God is talking about a time when the relationship between Israel and Himself will be renewed.  There will be mercy instead of no mercy.  Instead of “Not My People” Once again they will be “You are My People.”  While God’s anger and justice are real so is His love and Mercy.

Maybe its just me but this scream of God’s plan along for mankind.  He reclaimed His people not by the sword or by war.  God not only reclaimed Israel but he reclaimed all mankind.  Through the line of David came the Messiah.  Through Jesus we have been purchased, redeemed, or reclaimed.  A new covenant was made, an everlasting one.  We are God’s people, His children.  Any who accept Jesus as God’s son and believes He died on the cross and rose again will have eternal life.  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” 

God foretold throughout the Old Testament how He would redeem mankind.  It would be through a new covenant.  Christ is the groom; we are the bride.  God is the groom, Israel the bride.