In the book of Hosea, Hosea shared how Jehovah God said of the nation of Israel, “now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts”, and in chapter two and verse twelve of Hosea, Hosea said, “I will destroy her vines and her fig trees” where we read,
And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she has said,
these are my rewards that my lovers have given me:
and I will make them a forest, and the beast of the field shall eat them.
The verse begins, “And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she has said, ...” Hosea began with the words, “and I will destroy her vines” or “and I, Jehovah God, shall desolate, appall, stun and stupefy her, the nation of Israel's twining vine trees such as the grape vines”, “and her fig trees” which means “and her, the nation of Israel's, trees that bare fig fruit” “whereof she has said” or “in the which she, Gomer and the nation of Israel, has uttered, declared and proclaimed” the following words. Hosea shared how Jehovah God would make desolate the twirling vines and fig bearing trees of the nation of Israel for which she would make the following statement.
The verse goes on to say, “... these are my rewards that my lovers have given me:” Hosea continued with the words, “these are my rewards” or “these, the vines and fig trees, exist as my, Gomer and the nation of Israel's, hire, present and price” “that my lovers” which means “in which my, Gomer and the nation of Israel's, sexual companions and idols” “have given me” or “have granted, bestowed, ascribed and appointed to me, Gomer and the nation of Israel”. Hosea shared how his wife Gomer and the nation of Israel proclaimed the “vines and fig trees” as the hire and price which were granted to them by their “sexual companions and idols”.
Finally the verse says, “and I will make them a forest, and the beast of the field shall eat them.” Hosea concluded this verse with the words, “and I will make them a forest” or “and I, Jehovah God, shall put, place, set and appoint to them, the nation of Israel, wooded heights, thickets and woods”, “and the beast of the field” which means “and the living, flowing, fresh, active and wild animals belonging to the plains or spread out lands” “shall eat them” or “will consume and devour them, the nation of Israel”. Hosea shared how Jehovah God said He would remove the “vines and fig trees” which were considered presents by the nation of Israel and replace them with tangled thickets filled with consuming and devouring wild animals.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Hosea and Jehovah God responded to the “rewards” their “spouses” Gomer and the nation of Israel received from their “lovers”. Hosea's wife Gomer believed she was enriched by her adulterous affairs, and the nation of Israel thought they received their blessings from worshiping idols. Hosea loved Gomer, and God loves Israel. God cares for them so much that He would create a barrier so they would not travel far away from Him. He will do the same for everyone who surrenders their life to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and protect us from the offerings of other gods and things to worship that will only leave us empty and unfulfilled.
Next time Hosea says, “I will visit upon her the days of Baalim”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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