Hosea I
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1:10-11 ESV)
Hope
At the beginning of Hosea’s book, things look grim. God appears to have had enough with His people’s spiritual laziness, purposeful ignorance, and eager wandering. His wrath is coming.
But at the end, we find the best kind of hope.
Hope that comes after the sureness of doom.
Hope that is promised when things seem ok is empty. It is like telling a rich family they will have some money. Or telling a professional athlete he will have coordination. Or telling a happy puppy that it will be petted soon.
Of course THOSE things will happen! So hope is not needed.
But when a family is dirt-poor and desperately broke, a bit of money sounds grand. For a quadriplegic to hear a promise of coordination, it is exciting. For a neglected dog to realize that good attention is coming causes tail wagging supreme.
The hope God gives His people is like that. We do not deserve the blessings He is bringing. For Hosea’s crowd, and sometimes for our own hearts, we need hope because things seem dire. Without Jesus, doom is sure, but with Jesus, hope is bright.
When you need hope, look nowhere but to Jesus.