Betrothed to Christ

​Hosea 2:19-20 ~ “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.”
 
The story of Hosea and Gomer bear a great reflection upon the nation of Israel and the LORD God. How often Israel would depart from the LORD and turn to idolatry and the practices of the nations around them, only to bring the anger of God against them. Even as Gomer would depart Hosea to her former life, abandoning her husband for the world, so the people of Israel abandoned the LORD. But God is rich in mercy as we discover in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” We often forget how truly great is the Father’s love for His children. We tend to wander away from the pure and sincere devotion we ought to have for the LORD and play again in the world. But as a Bridegroom, the LORD Jesus has established His covenant with us and will not break it. He has redeemed us, and all who belong to Him will be with the LORD forever.
 
So, as we consider our text for today, let us take a moment and give thanks to the LORD for His rich and patient love with which He loved us.
 
We find at the beginning of the text today that the LORD will betroth His people with Himself forever. This is not built upon some sentimental condition of the LORD, nor upon some flighty, insubstantial emotion. This betrothal is a profession of Divine love that Jesus makes for His bride, the church. It is a promise that will be fulfilled at the wedding of the Lamb of God and His people. He has promised, and will keep, the eternal declaration of His union with us. Matthew 25:10 tells us that there will come a day when the LORD shall return and bring His people in with Him. “And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” Beloved, the Bridegroom—the LORD Jesus—is going to come again and lay claim to His bride and He will take the church to be with Him, holding firm to the loving promise of the betrothal.
 
But, as often is the case concerning the vows shared between the bride and groom, so there are commitments and promises to follow along with the joining of Christ and His bride. There are five pledges of commitment offered in this text, four are masculine and one feminine—let me explain. The first four: righteousness, justice, steadfast love and mercy are imputed to the church by the LORD, for we do not possess the capacity for any one of those virtues independent of the LORD. We know from the Scriptures that there are none righteous—no, not one (see Romans 3:10-18). Consider Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” But the last one, formulated in the feminine in the Hebrew language, conveys the idea that this is an offering of the church to the LORD. Our vow before the LORD in this betrothal is: faithfulness. The LORD’s faithfulness to His people is assured, proven over the length of time that mankind has existed on this earth. It is our faithfulness that is in question—as illustrated in the story of Hosea and Gomer. We read in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Faith is a gift from God, imparted to the heart (see Ephesians 2:8-9). But faithfulness is our willingness to live out that faith through loving obedience and trust in the LORD.
 
The final statement of our text today is rich with promise and the fulfillment of the covenant of God in Christ: “and you shall know the LORD.” The greatest love is found in greater and greater knowledge and understanding of a husband and wife. Such it will be for the church, knowing the LORD and growing to know Him more and more. Paul prayed this in Colossians 1:10, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
 
Let us, also, lovingly wait for our LORD who will come and receive His betrothed. Soon, my friends, the betrothal will be fulfilled and the LORD and His people will be together forever. Until that day, keep your spiritual lamps lit as watch for His return.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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