#DailyDevotion The LORD Betroths Us In Righteousness, Justice, Kindness, Mercy & Faithfulness
Hosea 2 18And then I will make an agreement for them with the wild animals, the birds in the air, and the animals moving on the ground. I will smash bows, swords, and weapons of war, and rid the country of them, and have the people lie down without being afraid. 19I will keep you married to Me forever. I will pay your bride-price in righteousness and justice, in kindness and mercy. 20I will pay for you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD. On that day I will answer you,” says the LORD: 21“I will give the sky what it wants, and the sky will give the land what it wants, 22and the land will give the fresh grain, wine, and olive oil what they need, and they will respond to Jezreel. 23And I will plant her in the country for Myself and have mercy on her who had not received mercy. I will say to those who are not My people, You are My people,’ and they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
These verses continue with the Gospel of the previous verses. We are definitely looking into the time of the New Heavens and New Earth here. What we see here is Paradise restored. First we can tell this from the covenant with the wild animals. It would seem they will dwell with us in peace as they did with Adam in the Garden.
Secondly, we see the weapons of war will be done away with by the LORD. We see parallels here in Isaiah 2:4 and Zech. 9:10. Since false gods are removed from the people, there is no more need for war as they no longer incite us against one another. When our hearts are no longer divided and we trust the LORD will provide for all our needs, there is no reason for war, jealousy, envy and fighting. In that place, we will be able to lie down without being afraid. With the LORD as the center of our hearts we will live in peace.
The LORD of the Church, Jesus Christ, marries anew the Church, i.e. Israel. While the previous marriage was annulled by Israel through its unfaithfulness, He has renewed His relationship to the Israel of faith, the Church. Our translation, for the sake of readability, misses out on the threefold betrothal of the LORD: “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.” (ESV) By stating it three times, He is making it a certainty. The states He betroths us in recall the revelation of the name of the LORD in Ex. 34:6. Jesus Christ, crucified, buried and resurrection is our guarantee of this betrothal. The cross reveals to us the LORD Jesus Christ’s righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy and faithfulness. That we will “know the LORD” looks forward to Jeremiah’s prophecy of the new covenant of ch. 31:31ff, where this covenant gives us true knowledge of the LORD. The LORD’s Supper is where we regularly are reminded of this betrothal to us.
The LORD then fulfills this for us fully on the Last Day as He ushers us into the Promised Land. The creation now acts as it should so it should have what we need at all its proper times. He plants us there for Himself in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21-22). What Paul says in Rom. 9:25, 26 and Peter in 1Pe. 2:9-10, which is true now if finally manifested to all creation. We who were not a people are people of God. We who did not receive mercy have now received mercy. Our worship service where we participate in the LORD’s Supper is where we have a foretaste of what the LORD promises here. Here He woos us with these promises and we are strengthened in our faith until we see it with our own eyes.
Righteous, Just, Loving, Merciful and Faithful LORD, speak continually Your love to us so we may continue in the faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.