Devotions based on Week 1 of The Prophets: Hosea (WATCH HERE)
Hosea 1:6 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them.
A son named Jezreel? Perhaps one could live with that.
But then to have a daughter and each time you spoke her name you would declare, “Not loved!” Hosea’s second child with Gomer was to be named Lo-Ruhama, which means “not loved” or “no mercy.”
Can you imagine some of the conversations with Lo-Ruhamah as she grew up and began to understand or maybe be teased about her name? “Dad, why did you name me ‘Lo-Ruhamah’?”
Hosea would then have to explain to his daughter that God was using her to be a constant witness to the people of Israel. While Hosea could affirm his love for his daughter, the people of Israel had stepped away from the love of God.
How?
They started loving other things. They spent their worship time in front of false idols. The Lord wasn’t responsible for not loving them, the people had stepped outside of God’s love and therefore would not receive God’s love and mercy.
Hosea confronts them:
Hosea 8:11-13 “Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning. 12 I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. 13 They offer sacrifices given to me and they eat the meat, but the LORD is not pleased with them.
On the surface it might have looked like at times the people of Israel were worshipping, sacrificing and followed some of God’s law, but it was not an engagement of the heart. They chased after idols and pleasures of their own heart and found the worship and word of God foreign.
As a result…”not loved.”
While the daughter of Hosea pictured the state of God’s people, the relationship Lo-Ruhamah had with Hosea was one where Hosea still accepted and loved his daughter as his own. The Lord was no different. God’s people had pushed Him away repeatedly.
But even this harsh word is not final.
God’s heart in pointing out the drift of his people was so that they would return to the one who truly loved them. In Hosea 2:23, God promises, “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’” His mercy returns, overflowing. God’s faithfulness amidst our unfaithfulness prevails. This truth wasn’t just for Israel at the time of Hosea, but for us today. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Ultimately, the love of the Lord would be manifested in his Son Jesus. All who had no mercy for their sins would receive mercy. All who are searching for love, would receive the enduring grace of God. This includes you.
Apply: Have you ever felt beyond God’s mercy? Remember, God’s mercy is not earned—it’s extended. You may feel unloved, but God’s Word declares something better.
Prayer: God of mercy, thank You that even when I feel unworthy, You extend grace. Let me live not by my feelings, but by the truth that I am deeply loved in Christ. Amen.