And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ Hosea 2:23
This message must be very important as we see Paul the apostle quoting it again in Romans 9:25-26, “As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.’ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Now, let’s consider the state of the people God was talking about:
1) They had not obtained mercy. Their just dessert was God’s judgment. There was nothing that could save them except the mercy of God.
2) They were not the people of God. They had no relationship with God and possessed no hope of heaven at all. We are this group of people that God is speaking about. As Peter said, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
If it were not for God’s mercy, we would not have been saved. Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). So let us meditate and ponder on the mercy of God today. Be thankful and full of gratitude, for that is our rightful response to God’s goodness and mercy. So often, our heart gets side-tracked from an attitude of gratitude when things don’t happen our way. When we stop glorifying God or become unthankful, our thoughts become futile, and our foolish hearts become darkened (Rom. 1:21).
Remember it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (2:4), and when we are in sin, Christ died to provide a way of salvation for us (5:6-8). Thank God He declared, “I will call them My people, and they shall be called sons of the Living God.” Let us take the mercy of God and proclaim it to the ends of the earth so that others too can experience the joy of our salvation.
This message must be very important as we see Paul the apostle quoting it again in Romans 9:25-26, “As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.’ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Now, let’s consider the state of the people God was talking about:
1) They had not obtained mercy. Their just dessert was God’s judgment. There was nothing that could save them except the mercy of God.
2) They were not the people of God. They had no relationship with God and possessed no hope of heaven at all. We are this group of people that God is speaking about. As Peter said, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
If it were not for God’s mercy, we would not have been saved. Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). So let us meditate and ponder on the mercy of God today. Be thankful and full of gratitude, for that is our rightful response to God’s goodness and mercy. So often, our heart gets side-tracked from an attitude of gratitude when things don’t happen our way. When we stop glorifying God or become unthankful, our thoughts become futile, and our foolish hearts become darkened (Rom. 1:21).
Remember it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (2:4), and when we are in sin, Christ died to provide a way of salvation for us (5:6-8). Thank God He declared, “I will call them My people, and they shall be called sons of the Living God.” Let us take the mercy of God and proclaim it to the ends of the earth so that others too can experience the joy of our salvation.
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