2:2ff Israel’s punishment and restoration are the themes of this chapter. As in a court case, the prostitute is brought to trial and found guilty. But after her punishment, she is joyfully and tenderly restored to God.
2:5-7 The Israelites were thanking false gods (specifically Baal, the god whom they believed controlled weather and thus farming) for their food, shelter, and clothing, instead of the true God, who gave those blessings. Therefore, God would hedge Israel’s “way with thorns, and make a wall” by making the rewards of idol worship so disappointing that the people would be persuaded to turn back to God. Despite Israel’s unfaithfulness, God was still faithful and merciful. He would continue to hold his arms out to his people, even to the point of placing obstacles in their wayward path to turn them back to him.
2:7 Just as Gomer would return to her husband if she thought she would be better off with him, so people often return to God when they find life’s struggle too difficult to handle. Returning to God out of desperation is better than rebelling against him, but it is better yet to turn to God out of gratitude for his care.
2:8 Material possessions are success symbols in most societies. Israel was a wealthy nation at this time, and Gomer may have accumulated silver and gold. But Gomer didn’t realize that Hosea had given her all she owned, just as Israel did not recognize God as the giver of blessings. Both Gomer and Israel used their possessions irresponsibly as they ran after other lovers and other gods. How do you use your possessions? Use what God has given you to honor him.
2:12 The Israelites were so immersed in idolatry that they actually believed pagan gods gave them their vineyards and orchards. They had forgotten that the entire land was a gift from God (Deuteronomy 32:49). Today many people give credit to everything and everyone but God for their prosperity—luck, hard work, quick thinking, the right contacts. When you succeed, who gets the credit?
2:13 Baal was the most important of the Canaanite gods, and his name came to be used to describe all the local deities worshiped throughout the land occupied by Israel. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not get rid of the idols and pagan worship centers as they had been commanded. Instead, they tolerated and frequently joined Baal worshipers, often through the influence of corrupt kings. One Israelite king especially noted for his Baal worship was Ahab. The prophet Elijah, in a dramatic showdown with Ahab’s hired prophets, proved God’s power far superior to Baal’s (1 Kings 18).
2:14, 15 God was promising (1) to bring the people to the wilderness, a place free from distractions, so he could clearly communicate with them, and (2) to change what had been a time of trouble into a day of hope. The valley of Achor is the site where Achan had sinned by keeping forbidden war plunder (see Joshua 7). He had brought great disaster to Joshua’s troops when they were attempting to conquer the land. God uses even our negative experiences to create opportunities to turn back to him. As you face problems and trials, remember that God speaks to you in the “wilderness” and not just in times of prosperity.
2:16 Not until Judah’s exile would the entire nation begin to come to its senses, give up its idols, and turn back to God; and not until that day when God rules through Jesus the Messiah will the relationship between God and his people be restored. In that day, God will no longer be like a master or owner to them (“Baali”); he will be like a husband (“Ishi”). The relationship will be deep and personal, the kind of relationship we can know, though imperfectly, in marriage (Isaiah 54:4-8).
2:19, 20 The time will come when unfaithfulness will be impossible. God will bind us to himself in his perfect righteousness, love, mercy, and faithfulness. God was promising a fresh new beginning, not just a temporary rewriting of a tired old covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-34).
2:19, 20 God’s wedding gift to his people, both in Hosea’s day and in our own, is his mercy. Through no merit of our own, God forgives us and makes us right with him. There is no way for us by our own efforts to reach God’s high standards, but he graciously accepts us, forgives us, and draws us into a relationship with himself. In that relationship we have personal and intimate communion with him.