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 9 of 13

A RECONCILIATION HAS OCCURRED
     Christ effected a reconciliation between God and the world. That reconciliation is the foundation of our relationship to God. "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now RECONCILED YOU in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach" (Col 1:21-22, NASB).  "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through  Christ, and gave us the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the WORD OF RECONCILIATION" (2 Cor 5:18-19, NASB).

     Reconciliation is not a casual term. It does not refer to a mere restoration of friendship. The word for "reconcile" is unique. It differs slightly from the word used in Matthew 5:24, which speaks of being reconciled to our brethren. That verse uses the word  which emphasizes change. The reconciliation of which we speak involves cohabitation--like marriage. It is the word used in 1 Corinthians 7:11.  There, the woman who, because of her faith, cannot live with her husband, is told to remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. "But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife" (NIV). This is the sort of reconciliation that is accomplished in Christ Jesus. It has enabled alienated men to again walk with God, as a wife with her husband!
     
Espoused to One Husband
     In a description of his ministry, Paul declared it resulted in people being betrothed, or engaged, to Christ. "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin" (2 Cor 11:2, NASB). How glorious the identity of the Lord with His people! He has become their betrothed husband, through Whom they are enabled to bring forth fruit to God.

     Elsewhere, the Spirit portrays the new birth as death to the Law in order  that we might have a productive marriage to the Lord. Here are His words. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom 7:4).

     The day we were knit with Jesus in His death, we passed beyond the condemning arm of the Law. We were then qualified to be married to the Lord Jesus, producing fruit unto God the Father.      
     
MANY PROMISES TO ISRAEL ARE OURS
     It might be countered that these promises pertain only to Israel, and have little to do with us. There is a false strain of theology that views God's dealings with Israel as completely separate from those in Christ Jesus. From one point of view, this is correct; primarily because they functioned under another covenant. However, our acceptance by God through Christ is depicted as  being grafted into Israel's root (Rom 11:16-18). The point to see is that the promises we have referenced DO pertain to us, even though they were addressed to Israel. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, the wonder of being united with You through Christ transcends my understanding. yet, my Your grace, I can receive and delight in it by faith. I confess I am satisfied Yourself, Your Son, and Your great salvation. receive my praise in Jesus' name.

-- TOMORROW: BEING GRAFTED INTO THEIR TREE --