Hos 1:7 | KingComments | STEP | If God must go so far as to deny Israel his compassion, He attaches to this a message for Judah. Although Hosea mainly addresses Israel, the ten tribes kingdom, he also occasionally says something about Judah. That does not mean that Israel does not have to listen then. The saying also contains a message for them. When we read in God’s Word, He speaks – as the Lord Jesus does in the Gospels – to a whole people, a group of people or just one person. We know we are addressed, because what applies to those who are directly addressed, also applies to us. We must always ask ourselves what the message that is spoken to the other person means to us. The reason for what God or the Lord Jesus notices can be a certain behavior. If we recognize such behavior in ourselves, we would do well to listen carefully to the Word of God. If Israel as a whole can no longer escape judgment, the word that is said to Judah can still mean a way out for the few in Israel who bow under God’s judgment. Whoever resorts to Judah can still count on the compassion of God. Even today, where the judgment of Christianity as a whole is inescapable, there is such an escape route. That escape route is separation from evil with the promise of the compassion of God ( ). For Judah, this word is a great encouragement. Here the LORD calls Himself “their God”. He is still in connection with them. They will experience His compassion in the salvation He will give ( ). God has allowed the king of Assyria to deport the ten tribes. In his audacity this king also wants to conquer the kingdom of the two tribes. He has approached Jerusalem and besieged it. But God does not allow him to take His city ( ). The salvation does not come by his own strength and effort or by following a cleverly conceived tactic. There is no clattering of Judah’s arms. It is a salvation that has clearly only been brought about “by the LORD their God”, without the use of any human being. That salvation has come about because of Who God is in Himself, “for my sake”, and because of who David is, His chosen servant, “for David’s sake, My servant” ( ). In David we see a picture of the Lord Jesus, the true Servant of God. Salvation, every salvation, is based on pure grace from God which He can show because of Who the Lord Jesus is for Him and what He did on the cross.

‏ Hosea 1:7

A Word About Judah

If God must go so far as to deny Israel his compassion, He attaches to this a message for Judah. Although Hosea mainly addresses Israel, the ten tribes kingdom, he also occasionally says something about Judah. That does not mean that Israel does not have to listen then. The saying also contains a message for them.

When we read in God’s Word, He speaks – as the Lord Jesus does in the Gospels – to a whole people, a group of people or just one person. We know we are addressed, because what applies to those who are directly addressed, also applies to us. We must always ask ourselves what the message that is spoken to the other person means to us. The reason for what God or the Lord Jesus notices can be a certain behavior. If we recognize such behavior in ourselves, we would do well to listen carefully to the Word of God.

If Israel as a whole can no longer escape judgment, the word that is said to Judah can still mean a way out for the few in Israel who bow under God’s judgment. Whoever resorts to Judah can still count on the compassion of God. Even today, where the judgment of Christianity as a whole is inescapable, there is such an escape route. That escape route is separation from evil with the promise of the compassion of God (2Cor 6:17-18).

For Judah, this word is a great encouragement. Here the LORD calls Himself “their God”. He is still in connection with them. They will experience His compassion in the salvation He will give (2Kgs 19:35). God has allowed the king of Assyria to deport the ten tribes. In his audacity this king also wants to conquer the kingdom of the two tribes. He has approached Jerusalem and besieged it. But God does not allow him to take His city (2Kgs 19:33-36).

The salvation does not come by his own strength and effort or by following a cleverly conceived tactic. There is no clattering of Judah’s arms. It is a salvation that has clearly only been brought about “by the LORD their God”, without the use of any human being. That salvation has come about because of Who God is in Himself, “for my sake”, and because of who David is, His chosen servant, “for David’s sake, My servant” (2Kgs 19:34). In David we see a picture of the Lord Jesus, the true Servant of God. Salvation, every salvation, is based on pure grace from God which He can show because of Who the Lord Jesus is for Him and what He did on the cross.