What's In A Name?

Romans 9:25 "As HE said also in Osee, I will call them My people, which are not My people..."

The Apostle Paul takes this quote from from Hosea 2:23 "...and I will say to them which were not My people, you are My people, and they shall say, You are My GOD." To better understand this we must understand Hosea's unique situation. 200 years prior to his time the ten Northern Tribes of Israel seceded to form an independent nation making the Golden Calf their national 'god'. GOD spoke through many prophets in an attempt to woo the nation away from its unfaithfulness. Now just 70 years before their final destruction HE tries once more to reach out to this people by having Hosea the Prophet marry what appears to be a prostitute to symbolize Israel as an unfaithful bride to her 'Husband' the LORD.

 Marriage is a sacred rite intended by GOD to symbolize the relationship between HE and HIS people. When Israel went into idolatry it was the same to the LORD as an unfaithful wife stepping out on her husband. The fruit of this union can be seen in the names given to this couple. The name of the firstborn was Jezreel meaning "The LORD will scatter. The name of the second was Lo-ruhamah which means "Not Pitied". Finally a child was born by the name Lo-Ammi meaning "Not My people". From this we gather that due to Israel's unfaithfulness her children would be scattered throughout the world, they would not be pitied by GOD or man, and worst of all, they would no longer be GOD'S people!

Thank GOD the story doesn't end there! Hosea's name means "Salvation". His wife Gomer's name means "Completion". The LORD vows that the day will come when the names will be changed! The ones who were not pitied will become "The Pitied Ones". Those who were not GOD'S people will be called HIS people. How can this be? You see GOD became flesh in the man Jesus Christ. Just as the names Gomer and Hosea combined means "Complete Salvation" so when GOD became flesh to die on the Cross for us HE offers to us Complete Salvation!  Hosea's prophecy wasn't only for Israel because as we saw in our text the Apostle Paul uses it to indicate that the Gentiles who were not GOD'S people will now be GOD'S people! For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ we who were once unpitied are now pitied, and those of us who were once rejected as GOD'S people are now accepted as HIS own children!