"Gathered together"
Text: Hosea 1:11
THE DIVIDED KINGDOM
Israel was once a “United Monarchy”. But because of the foolishness and arrogance of King Rehoboam, Israel became a “Divided Kingdom”. Jeroboam the son of Nebat became the first ruler of Israel, the Northern Kingdom (1 King 12). Rehoboam continued to be king, but his kingdom was now much smaller. It was called Judah. The Kingdom of Israel remained divided until both nations were judged for their many sins. Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC (2 Kings 24-25).
A NEW HOPE AND FUTURE
Hosea prophesied of a new hope that God would give to the Divided Kingdom. This was beautifully stated in this text.
“Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel
Shall be gathered together,
And appoint for themselves one head;
And they shall come up out of the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel!”
Hosea 1:11
1. “The children of Judah and the children of Israel”
a) No more would they see themselves as citizens of separate kingdoms.
b) There will be no distinction between Judah and Israel.
2. “Shall be gathered together”
a) This prophecy would be fulfilled in the days of Ezra.
b) The book of Ezra described how the children of the captivity organized themselves to return to Jerusalem, Judah.
3. “And appoint for themselves one head”
a) That “head” would no longer be called “king”.
b) The monarchy as it existed in the past would now be part of the history of ancient Israel.
4. “And they shall come up out of the land”
a) Babylon had conquered Assyria.
b) Thus, the word “the land” would be a reference to the Babylonian kingdom.
i) The Babylonian empire encompassed a huge region.
ii) Assyria was part of “the land”.
5. “For great will be the day of Jezreel”
a) Jezreel was the place of judgment against evil.
b) It would also be the place where things began to change for the better after judgment had been meted out.
c) Jezreel would also be the place of hope and a new future that would come from the hand of mercy of the LORD God.