Hosea 2:3-5

“So [Hosea] married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Then the LORD said to Hosea,

‘Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.'”

Jezreel means God will sow/scatter. In this context, it is not a good thing. God is reinforcing the pronouncement of judgment.

But let’s back up a bit. Who is Jehu and where is Jezreel and why do we care?

2 Kings 9:7-10 records one of Elisha’s prophet apprentices anointing Jehu as the new king of Israel:

Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said,

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:

I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will destroy the family of Ahab… Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.”

Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.”

So this King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were not good news.

According to 1 Kings 16:30 & 31b,

“Ahab…did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him…he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.”

Not good.

And if that wasn’t enough, listen to what Jezebel was up to: “While Jezebel was killing off the LORD’s prophets…” (1 Kings 18:4a).

Somebody’s gonna get in trouble.

Basically, you cannot violate Jehovah’s laws, kill His servants the prophets, and worship other gods and not expect to be punished. So that was Jehu’s job: punish Ahab’s family line.

And it happened in Jezreel, a fertile valley that served as an important agricultural center as well as a scene for many key military battles (1 Samuel 29:1).

But here’s the thing about Jehu:

In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel. He did not, however, destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan, with which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin…

Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. (2 Kings 10:28-29, 31 NLT)

Sin always demands punishment. Praise Him, Jesus took ours. But Israel was going to be scattered to the nations, punished for a long history of idolatry…

And Hosea’s son was going to bear the name that represented that punishment.

What would you do with that?

How would you feel if your own flesh and blood was to be named….say…Discarded?

What if that was the name with which he was to walk around?

Hosea obeyed.

I believe he loved his wife. I believe he loved his son. But we know he obeyed.

What is the hardest thing He’s asked you to do that others didn’t understand?

What did He bring about because of your obedience?

———————————————-

I promise, it gets so good. We’re getting there!