Redemption

Hosea 3:1-5; ASV

3 And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of (her) friend, and an adulteress, even as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.

2 So I bought her to me for fifteen (pieces) of silver, and a homer of barley, and a half-homer of barley;

3 and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be any man's wife: so will I also be toward thee.

4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim:

5 afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.

Hosea redeemed Gomer.  He bought her back.  He did this to illustrate the love of Jehovah for Israel.

Christ redeems us.  He buys us back with His precious blood.  He does this to illustrate the love of Jehovah for spiritual Israel. 

A Door of Hope

Gomer has been unfaithful to Hosea.  Israel has been unfaithful to Jehovah.  The longing of Jehovah and His will for Hosea is that they both find reconciliation with their loved ones.

"I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt" (Hosea 2:15; NKJV).

There was "a door of hope" for Gomer and Israel.  Whether they walked through it was up to them.  Walk through "the door" that is Jesus and be reconciled to God today (see John 10:9).

The Unsung Hero of the Bible

Jehovah told Hosea to "Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry" (Hosea 1:2; NKJV). 

So Hosea went and took Gomer and she began bearing kids.  Jezreel was Hosea's son.  Lo-Ruhamah may or may not have been Hosea's daughter.  Lo-Ammi was not Hosea's son.

Jehovah commanded a hard thing.  Hosea obeyed.  When you are faced with a hard commandment in your life, remember the unsung hero of the Bible and submit to the glory of Jehovah.

Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14 is one sentence in the Greek language.  What a sentence it is!  Jehovah is to be praised because He has accomplished salvation for His people.  The Father purposed, the Son acted, and the Spirit seals those who accept this great salvation.

As we read Hosea this week see how much Jehovah loves us.  See the great lengths He is willing to go to see us saved.  See that you allow Him to save you the way Gomer allowed Hosea to save her.

Ephesians 1:3-14; NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Hidden In My Heart

"Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain." (Psalm 127:1; NKJV)

A Place in His Family

Ruth was a Moabite.  She was "grafted" into the family of Jehovah because of her faith (see Romans 11).  She was not a member of God's family by birth, but by new birth.

If you ever wonder whether there is a place for you in the family of Jesus Christ, look no further than page one of your New Testament.

Matthew 1:1-17; NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.   8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. 11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Kinsman-Redeemer

Kinsman-Redeemer - Hebrew - goel

to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman

by marrying brother's widow to beget a child for him, to redeem from slavery, to redeem land, to exact vengeance

to redeem (by payment)

to redeem (with God as subject)

individuals from death
•Israel from Egyptian bondage
•Israel from exile (BDB)

A Hebrew term which comes from the word ga'al ("to redeem"), hence meaning "redeemer", which in the Bible and the rabbinical tradition denotes a person who as the nearest relative of another is charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs.

"kinsman", "redeemer", and "avenger” (KJV)

To redeem the relative from slavery, if the latter had been obliged to sell himself into serfdom (Leviticus 25:48-49)

To repurchase the property of a relative who had had to sell it because of poverty

To avenge the blood of his relative

To marry his brother’s widow in order to have a son for his brother, in case the brother didn’t have a son to pass his name forth (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

And to receive the restitution if the injured relative had died (Numbers 5:8)

The Kinsman-Redeemer must...

1.Be related by blood to those he redeems (DEUT 25:5, 7-10; JOHN 1:14; ROM 1:3; PHIL 2:5-8; HEB 2:14-15).

2.Be able to pay the price of redemption (2:1; 1 PETER 1:18-19).

3.Be willing to redeem (3:11; MATT 20:28; JOHN 10:15, 18; HEB 10:7).

4.Be free Himself (Christ was free from the curse of sin).