Hosea Chapter 2

Scripture Reading: Read Hosea Chapter 2.  

From Trouble to Hope:

Hosea 2:14-15 – "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt." (NIV)

The story of Hosea involves this powerful image of a broken marriage. But that fractured marriage will find restoration. I've known of marriages that were impacted by adultery, and yet, by the grace of God, those marriages were restored. In most cases, if your spouse became a prostitute, as Gomer had, the marriage would be beyond repair. But God will fix this marriage, and He will restore Israel.

This restoration, as we learn, is not without its conditions. The 'Valley of Achor' is a symbolic reference to the story of Achan's sin from the Book of Joshua. It symbolizes the need for repentance and the removal of sin for God's blessings to continue. One day, Israel will return to the Lord in faith and repentance, paving the way for their restoration.

But it's not merely a matter of Gomer’s (Hosea's adulterous wife) or Israel's repentance. God will "allure her," which speaks of God's gracious pursuit of Israel, though Israel continues in rebellion and spiritual idolatry. God is the one who will change the "valley of trouble" to a "door of hope."  Because our good God is a God who pursues the unfaithful, what a beautiful reminder.  

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for being God who pursues us in our sins and restores us. May my spiritual journey also represent a change from trouble to hope.