Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

Let me remind you of the story line of the book of Hosea. He is the prophet, whose wife Gomer is an adulteress. Hosea will find Gomer in the street, bring her back home and clean her up after her adulterous ways.

In this context, the Lord speaks through Hosea to the Jewish people who He refers to as "His wife", verse 19. The children of Israel will be very much like Hosea's wife and live an "adulterous life". God will, as Hosea, go find His "wife" and bring her back into the family and clean her up.

In our extended passage, we see the Lord describing the relationship He has with the Jewish people. He is also describing a future day when His "wife", Israel, will no longer go out whoring but be His "faithful wife".

That day will be at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when the Lord God will restore the earth and its residents, mankind, to how He planned for them to be upon the earth when He created them, and the earth.

The Lord God will be married to Israel in a day when He makes her righteous, loving, merciful, and faithful, verses 19-20. He will have his new bride, Israel, to refer to Him as "Ishi" my husband and no longer "Baali" my Lord.

I know that at the Lord's return to the earth this all happens because of the description of "that day". Verse 18 reveals the Lord's plan for that time when He brings the beasts of the field, the fowls of the heavens and the creeping things on the earth into the relationship there was between His creation and man before the fall.

The Lord will also give safety and security to His new "bride", the Jewish people, as He breaks the bow and sword of Israel's enemies and ends the wars so she can rest quietly and in safety. This all happens when Jesus Christ rules and reigns in Jerusalem and the earth and humankind return to the times of a theocracy, the "Kingdom to come".

God is today preparing for this wonderful day as He continues to find Israel, His bride, in an adulterous situation only to bring her to Him and clean her up.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Our Lord's dealings with Israel, His bride, show us His love for His people and His forgiveness, which also applies to us - thank you Lord.