WHEN BAALI BECOMES ISHI
"And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." (Hosea 2:16)
                                
Devotion 5 of 13

THE REMEDY--ATTRACT THEM
     How does the Lord appeal to us? How does He get our attention, so to speak. He attracts, or draws, us. This is another way of saying He appeals to our hearts. He offers us something we desire very strongly--something that is better than what is currently possessed.  How wonderfully this text speaks of the Divine strategy. "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the  wilderness, And speak kindly to her" (Hosea 2:14, NASB). It makes more sense to the carnal mind to allure the people into a city, or to something outwardly impressive--like a "big church." But that is not where God attracts His wayward people. He makes the "wilderness" attractive to them. There was a  time when the wilderness seemed better to Israel than Egypt. Moses preferred it to the "treasures of Egypt." Jesus went there following His baptism, being "led by the Spirit." The "wilderness" is a place of isolation and quietness--a place where Divine communication can be accomplished without undue distraction.

     There, in "the wilderness," the Lord would speak "kindly" or "comfortably" to His people. His intention was to bless, not to curse; to give, not to take; to comfort, not to chastise. The "wilderness" was the best place to get their ear. There was less distraction there, and more of an inclination to sound thought.
     
Speaking Comfortably
     Divine comfort would include the opening of a  door of hope. "Then I will give her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt" (Hosea 2:15, NASB). The "valley of Achor" was the valley of trouble or difficulty.  Geographically, it was located near Jericho, and was so named because of Aachan, whose covetousness troubled Israel (Josh 7:24-26). 

      According to this promise, the prospect of goodness would dominate the thinking of God's people when they were in troubled surroundings. Promise would eclipse threats, as the goodness of the Lord would be seen. To think of Israel obtaining the joy they had when they came out of Egypt at midnight is marvelous. How wonderful the words must have sounded to those with understanding!
     
A Charted Course
     The Lord would chart a course for His people--a way in the wilderness.  "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19). Someone might suppose that this had already been accomplished when Israel came out of Egyptian bondage. How, then, could making a way in the wilderness be a "new thing?" Because of the effects it would produce! It would be a different kind of way--a "better way."  

          It is true that waters once gushed from a flinty rock when Israel was in the desert. That water flowed like a river, but it was not a river. It was not long until it disappeared, and they again required water. The Lord promises a river that would "spring up," and never fade away. Hopeless surroundings overcome by the opening of a door of hope!

     Hope was so dominant in Hosea's prophesy that he said God would make a way in the sea. "Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters" (Isa 43:16). Not only would a clear way be charted in the sea, it would be accomplished in "mighty waters"--waters that were turbulent and strong! The gigantic waves of circumstance would not hide the path set down by the Lord. Hopeless surroundings overcome by the opening  of a door of hope!

     Spiritual vitality would be realized by the sustaining waters of streams in the desert. "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert" (Isa 35:6). Leaping and singing depict a change of character more than a change of conduct. When a man's character is altered, his manner of life is  also changed. However, character cannot be bettered by external conduct!

PRAYER POINT: Father, You have opened a better and a larger door in Jesus than has ever been opened before. I praise You for giving me access to Yourself, and to Your marvelous grace through Christ Jesus. In this world's desert, it is refreshing indeed! Thank you, in Jesus' name!

-- TOMORROW: A HIGHWAY IN THE DESERT --