6 Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. 7 Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”8 After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.10 Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ 11 Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.2:1 “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’”REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadWhen parents name their children, often they will choose a name whose meaning is significant or special for them, like “Nathaniel,” which means “given by God.”The children of Hosea’s wife Gomer all have very meaningful names, but there’s nothing heart-warming about them. We met the oldest son “Bloodbath” (well, Jezreel) yesterday. At least we were told that Hosea was the father (v 3). It seems that the next two are “children of adultery” (v 2). Gomer bore them to other men, and they have even more shocking names. Each name is a simple Hebrew phrase. “Lo-ruhamah” means “No compassion,” and “Lo-ammi” means “Not my people.”I can’t imagine Hosea’s pain at his wife’s betrayal (and I don’t want to!) – but remember, this is what God told him to go through. I’m guessing the names reflect how Hosea would have responded to his wife’s scandalous infidelity: He will not have compassion on her, and he will disown these children. They aren’t his.The most shocking thing is what these names represent about God’s judgment on Israel. God is not just painting a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness. He is also announcing the end of his covenant relationship with them. The basis of that relationship had been God’s compassion for them (see Exodus 34:6), and the heart of the relationship was: “I will … be your God, and you will be My people” (Leviticus 26:12).Now, he’s done with them. No compassion, Not my people. But then … God suddenly reverses everything in verses 11-12! How?? There’s no logic – he just overturns his rejection and makes the most outrageous promises. They will be his people – in fact, they will be his very own sons! And not just the dwindling northern tribe of Israel. He will pour out his compassion and love and grace on so many people that it will be impossible to count them.How can this be? How can any husband – let alone the holy God – forgive such a deep betrayal, when there is no excuse, no mitigating circumstances?We’re not told here. But what I know is: I am Gomer’s child, and God’s unfathomable love is almost more than I can bear. It was that strength of love and commitment that led him to give up his own Son for spiritual adulterers like us. There’s no logic … except the logic of God’s grace in Jesus.





























ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

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