by Steve Carpenter

Hosea, one of Israel's ancient prophets, knew something about the heart of God. In these three short verses, he not only delivers God's invitation into a deeper intimacy, he gives us crystal clear directions to get there and a mind blowing "heads up" regarding the process.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. "And it shall be, in that day," says the Lord, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' and no longer call Me 'My Master."

Hosea 2:14-16

I will allure her.

The Lord is taking the initiative to draw His people to Himself and He is using a variety of means to do it. Perhaps He is using a revelation from the scripture or an inspired prophetic word. It could even be a sense of spiritual dissatisfaction or the aching hope of greater things to come. For Abraham, it was the promise of a son. For Moses, it was a bush that burned but was not consumed. For Gideon, it was the threat of an invading army. Whether it is spiritual or circumstantial, the Lord is trying to get our attention and our undistracted focus.

I will bring her into the wilderness.

It’s interesting that the Lord chooses the wilderness as the atmosphere and environment to draw His bride. The Lord actually allures His people into the uncultivated, uninhabited and sometimes inhospitable places which are far from the known comforts, luxuries and securities of former times. The wilderness can take on many forms. It’s not the same for all of us. It is a place that strips away all reliances and dependencies that we think sustain us. It’s the place of vulnerability. Life tends to be difficult enough, why would He bring us to this place? Why would the wilderness be included in the process of bridal preparation? Read on.

I will speak comfort to her.

The silence of the wilderness can be deafening. Feeling alone and vulnerable is real, but it is not the ultimate point of the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that His voice becomes clear. It is also in the wilderness where our own calling becomes crystal clear as He speaks to us. Just ask John the Baptist. Here in this vulnerable place the Lord says, “I will speak comfort to her”. He knows what we need and He knows how we feel. He also knows what He wants to say to us as He initiates deeper intimacy with us. The same God who said, “Let there be light” and said, “Let My people go” is saying, “I want to speak to you here in the wilderness".

Eugene Peterson’s translation of Deuteronomy 8:3 says it this way:

"Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth."

I will give her vineyards from there.

Let that sink in for a moment. “I will give her vineyards from there”. ‘From there’ means from the wilderness. This is pretty remarkable. He brings us to a barren place to give us fruitfulness. He is saying, “I have vineyards for you, I have abundance for you, I have prepared so many things for you and I wanted to give them to you from here.” Vineyards are received from God in the wilderness. Amazing.

I will make the valley of trouble a door of hope.

This is one of the signature characteristics of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Turning trouble into hope, mourning into dancing and death into life. The Valley of Achor [which means trouble] is a reference to the time of Joshua, when Achan took from the spoils in disobedience to God’s command and Joshua said, “Why did you bring this trouble upon us”? As a result of Achan’s sin, he and his family were stoned. You can read about it in Joshua 7:10-26. So, here in Hosea when the Lord says that He will turn that valley of trouble into a door of hope, it is no small thing. God takes our personal sins, spiritual challenges and circumstantial troubles and turns them into a doorway of hope. He truly is the faithful God who “takes what is meant for evil and turns it for good.” What a gracious God.

She will sing.

Yeah, no kidding. You bet she will sing. Lyrics of loving intimacy from a heart that has been set free. It says that she will sing “as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt”. Against all odds, the Lord’s strong arm delivered His people from the oppression of Egypt with a mighty deliverance. And so they sang. They sang, “Who is like You Oh Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders”. They sang, “In Your mercy, You have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation”. Exodus 15:11, 13. I suppose after the initial shock of such a deliverance, the only appropriate response is a heartfelt, exuberant and joyful song.

Deeper intimacy.

“And it shall be, in that day,” says the LORD, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,‘ and no longer call Me ‘My Master.”

From ‘my Master’ to ‘my Husband’. What a shift. What a mystery. Herein lies the stark difference between religion and relationship. This is where the transition from forced labor to fervent love is fully realized. The Bride with the Bridegroom - the place of intimacy where He has always desired us to be.