Hos 2:16   In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'

     

This is a lovely word of hope and reconciliation. Israel have not been through a good time. In fact earlier in this chapter the word came: “Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face." (v.2). Not a good word! Indeed it got worse: “otherwise I will strip her naked and make her as bare as on the day she was born; I will make her like a desert, turn her into a parched land, and slay her with thirst. I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery.” (v.3,4)

Right through to verse 13 were words of terrible warning, but at verse 14 came a word of encouragement: “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.” So there was the Lord condemning their present situation and warning them to turn back to Him, and to help them He says He will actually move in such a way that He will help them return! Verse 15 follows with a word about the restoration He will bring and our verse today speaks about the end result – restoration to a relationship of intimacy with the Lord. They won't call Him ‘Master' or ‘Baal' but will see Him as their Lord, Saviour and the One who loves them intimately.

 

Do we see the wonderful pattern here? The Lord faces them with their present state, warns them about what it will bring, calls them to return, says He will help them to return and paints a picture of wonderful intimacy with Him that can be theirs if they respond. Today the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us and help us some to our senses, facing what we are really like and what our need is - of salvation through Jesus. Without His work none of us would have turned and been saved, so thank Him that He did that for you. Thank Him that when you turned to the Lord His Holy Spirit indwelt you and made you a child of God.