Eldest Borne

And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

I feel almost like the famed carpenter of lore who ate so many oysters after luring them out on a run that he didn't know what to do. Look at this thing here with me. Instead of naming a baby for their life story, their hopes, or even what they dreamed to be, this man calls it by his ministry. Imagine his whole life, his story, and his work dedicated to the Lord. Indeed, well might he understand what his father went through. For all his life is seen as one long prophecy. You might find it more than a little funny that his name means the Lord who sows by many modern scholars. Now I do not find timing mentioned here. But surely Hosea did not expect to become a father so soon as though by magic. Only God could bring about such things, no matter where a man wanders. It is important to note that "the Lord said." This is not something that popped up after one too many beers and late nighters. The Lord had to have said; look at it. It is just too perfect. God said it. Hosea might not understand it but God said it and that is good enough for him. So without further questions he does just as God commanded him. How sweet it is to trust the Lord such that the struggle ceases; all confusion and clamor fades away. It might be dark right now for Hosea and Jezreel but God will bring the light. Trust him during the confusion and the hard times for he is there. Even if you are all by yourself raising baby daddies just as your father did before you. You will find Gomer mentioned nowhere in these verses during the care and raising of these babies. Where is she? God only knows.

Here God sows the seed, harvests it himself, and also remembers. Jezreel is named after a plain sitting almost underneath the capitol of the northern half of Israel. There it stands in stark contrast to the rest of the text. We are first introduced to the valley of Jezreel from high atop Mount Tabor in the midst of Judges 4:12-14. Strong contenders for this region included the Egyptians, Midianites, and Amalekites. From there, the list of victories only grew as the people proved that he was God once and for all in the days of Elijah. Tells how as the evil king rode out, Elijah ran ahead of him all the way to this valley of refuge. Which makes no sense really to any watching, for there is no dedicated city of refuge here. Nor do I find the Lord particularly present here either. In his place has crept confusion and all the bad things which follow. Here the kings of Israel plotted together to do mischief by their own people and those of their brethren that are without. Herein is house left unto you desolate as in . My, what a name to call a little child. I know some of you are saying 'how absolute dare.' Yet he dare because is he not the Son of God. Only he would say such things for he alone wrote those dark sentences before they were ever uttered by man. Now are there the echoes of the end for their treatment of the foreigner and the stranger within their midst. As by their own law are they judged. If you told this to any Jewish soul today, they would turn pale and ignore the very conversation. The religious leaders in Jesus day knew exactly who he was for there was no hiding it.

Let me tell you, if a man comes spouting off the book of Hosea in the name of the Lord, you had best be ready. For it is of the "house of Jehu" to which these go. See the house of Jehu as one that sought God with half his heart. 2 Kings 10:28-29 tells how the golden calves yet remaining caused the people's sin along with his. Because of this the nation was divided. So then "the kingdom of the house of Israel" refers to divided half of the northern kingdom made up of ten tribes. Due to the division, the other two would be so-called 'lost;' but that of course comes much later. See, there is no more any I, me, or mine in the house of the Lord. I would much rather a we in the house along with what he has done. So Jehu found out that God would not share his glory with any to his eternal hurt. The name Jehu begins with man and ends with glory waiting as in the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. Then will the Valley of Jezreel soon become a sight of blood once more. For in Revelation 16:16 it is referred to as Armageddon, if popular interpretations are to be believed. Better still the ticking time as the kings of the earth gather round to meet him. How many of you know that even there will God keep you. Could it be that God himself is their refuge and safety, a very present help in time of trouble. For the Lamb himself is the light of that place having no need for any day, nor night, or any other save himself. Were I to hit this passage running, I might miss all God has for me.

And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.

Indeed, that is just what happened is it not. Else would I be as all the rest hiding in the dens and caves of the earth from the wrath of him that sits on the throne. But then you might wonder how it has come to that when we are only at the "how often would I have" held you close of Matthew 23:37. Yet here Hosea has written the vision and made it plain as instructed by the God of Habakkuk 2:2-4. At the time he has appointed it will "surely come." For come it has and done just that. Some people put the emphasis on the wrong part of this which is "of Israel" when really they should have seen "the bow" coming all along. See, throughout it's long and troubled history, how often has Israel gone running to others for help. As Psalm 20:7 says, some trust in everything but the Lord. Which he must then step in and "break the bow and shatter the spear" as in Psalm 46:7. It might sound harsh at first, but God does whatever he must to rescue his people. No distance too far no mountain too great for him to rescue them from. It is before him we bow as the old gospel song says and none other. Speaking of others, how many of you know the Shema, recited over the intervening years meaning: "hear O Israel the Lord our God is one." But really, you should have known that all along. The Lord is our very present help in times of trouble even Jacob's. For in him alone are our refuge and strength found.

See then what the Lord is really saying to some perceiving people. For then will the bloodshed of the ages in that place come upon them which follow Jehu, even those of his own house. I can hear some of you saying now 'I just happened by the house; I don't really belong in it.' Well, what are you doing in it then if you don't agree with what is going on in there. Some of you need to stop putting yourself in situations where evil is being done or things are not quite right. A little compromise or a taste of the devil's lettuce is seldom okay. For soon the little leaven becomes a whole lump and the lettuce has formed itself into a nice salad with all the fixings thereof. Some of you would do well to stop standing in the way of sinners altogether. Here the danger lies in being caught up in the house when it is judged. For then, my friends, great will be the fall of it. On the other hand, there remains hope for all the wounded, the slain, and those who have been misjudged. You see, maybe you didn't know no better. God doesn't fault you none. His message is going out right now to the whole world so you too can be ready.

I can hear God saying now 'You think you have someone else but me. Just wait cause boy do a I have a surprise for you.' Then comes all those who are not of the house whom time and its' people have forgot. Remember all the blood spilled of that place of all the surrounding nations who were still their kin. Then too remains the promise of God to Abraham that his descendants would be more than the stars or the sand of the sea. Then too was the southern kingdom that yet served the Lord. Then too what about men like Hosea of mixed lineage who were neither southern, northern, nor of anywhere at all. Surely these would serve the Lord if they but knew him. It was a gamble they were not yet willing to take. But God had already placed what he thought was a sure bet. Let us see how it all turns out alright in the end. For those still in the house, see Jesus brooding over the city lamenting their fate just as Hosea himself once sat in the dark clutching his child while its' mother went out wandering.

And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

My, what a very active woman this one Gomer is. She has had two children already and barely any time to help around the house. Surely by this time Hosea was getting fed up as well with her party nature. Now try not to look so surprised. You know how some of you do, going from work to man to back home again and barely any space left in between. But surely this here Gomer would be faithful no matter what the Lord had to say about her. You know, when some of you prophecy and receive such, it is hard to hear a bad word. Harder still to accept it when you know it could not be. Especially when you care about someone. That is why I have nothing harsh to say about poor Gomer. Remember, she had good reason to be. For all her faults, you could not say she was a bad mother, just a neglectful one. Notice the name of the daughter here, Loruhamah, meaning have no mercy. It seems that the Lord had finally run out of patience and so had Hosea. This baby was a girl and while the genders might be in the Lord's hands, her actions were not. Here, she finds herself nursing her new baby as we will soon see. See, that is why you ought to let the Lord handle it when your partner is acting out. Hosea could easily have told her off. Instead he guides his family and lets the Lord handle the rest. For so is he a better father, guide, and friend than some of us will ever be.

Now Loruhamah was a daughter of no mercy so then whose child will she be. Certainly none of Hosea's for we see no mention of her father anywhere in the text. So is she to the Lord as an object of no mercy. For just as the house of Israel has shown none, none will be shown to them. Indeed, the end of the matter is sure having been already determined. The taking away will occur to give place to that which is greater. Funny how there is no place found in the Lord's house for those little disciples of I, me, and mine. Remember, the power of the house of Israel was broken so that God might step in. Now will the very house be broken also as the body of Christ for all who call on his name. So it was done just as God said. History tells how the northern ten tribes were taken captive and hauled off to far away places. Scripture also supports the narrative as the Assyrians came upon them in 2 Kings 17:5-7 and settled wherever they would. Little wonder then that they talk about lost tribes to this day. See, they were never really lost; God knew where they are all along for he was the one that took them away. But then the question is raised of why there was no mercy to begin with.

See, Genesis tells the story of how it all began as brothers one through ten ganged up against brothers eleven and twelve. If you remember how the story goes, one protested. The other Joseph got thrown into a deep dark well and sold to some traders passing through the area. Well, they were not going nowhere. Instead, they headed to Egypt where he was sold with no mercy. It was for the sake of his dreams they had done this. As time went on tensions rose again, the people rebelled, and turned to other gods. In essence the Lord is saying 'what if I put you in a well and ship you off somewhere to forget all about you.' Sure, vengeance is the Lord's and he will repay. But is he not also holy. All his judgements are just as we so often are prone to forget. These are not new issues cropping up here. Instead, they have persisted since the people left Egypt so long ago. The foreigner and the stranger in their midst and even their Lord bore the brunt of it. So if taking them away is what it took, that is just what the Lord would do.