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“Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. – Hosea 1:10‭-‬11

This passage is the first water related passage in the book of Hosea. Apparently Hosea was a minor prophet whose message is metaphorically mixed up with his marriage. He will be called on to do some very hard, and sometimes strange things. I have never spent much time hiking the Hosea trail so I am looking forward to this part of my float through the Bible.

The water reference here is to the sea, or more specifically the seashore. The Israelites are predicted to be as numerous as grains of sand along the seashore. This is clearly meant to be hyperbole, but it is interesting none the less.

The middle of the passage contains the nugget of gold for me when Hosea says “they will be called ‘children of the living God.'” Clearly in this passage God is specifically referring to the people of Israel. but I think through adoption it refers to all those who faithfully pursue a relationship with God.

Jesus spoke many times about God’s adoption program. For example in John 1:12 Jesus says “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” What an amazing thing God has done.

As I have been chewing on this passage I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, “Meet the Robinsons“. In the movie the main character, an awkward orphan named Lewis, tries very hard to get adopted without success until a decidedly quirky couple shows up and accepts Lewis just as he is, warts and all. Lewis and his inventions go on to change the world.

From God’s perspective we are all like that quirky child Lewis and God has agreed to adopt us into his family, warts and all. This adoption is not just so we can be happy and comfortable, and it is certainly not merit-based. God wants us to do something with our new role as His Children. What that something is varies for each us. It is for God to know and us to find out.

Prayer: God help us to discover our role as part of Your adopted family.