Episode Details

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

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Our shout-out today goes to Jeffrey Mattson from Woodland Park, CO. Thanks for your partnership in Project23.

Our text today is Hosea 1:7-9.

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen." When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, "Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God." — Hosea 1:7-9

What happens when a people who belong to God stop living like they belong to him?

That question sits at the center of today's passage.

After the birth of Lo-ruhamah—"No Mercy"—another child is born. This time, God commands Hosea to give the boy a name that would have stunned the nation.

Lo-ammi.

The name means "Not My People."

To understand how shocking this would have been, we have to remember the covenant language God used with Israel for centuries. When God rescued Israel from Egypt, he declared:

"I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God." — Exodus 6:7

That phrase defined Israel's entire identity. They were the people of God.

But now, because of persistent rebellion and idolatry, God declares something unthinkable.

"You are not my people."

The statement does not mean God stopped being sovereign over them. Instead, it reveals that the covenant relationship had been broken by their unfaithfulness. Israel had chosen other gods, other loyalties, and other sources of security.

In effect, they had already walked away from the relationship.

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