Hosea 2:16-17 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, [that] thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.
One needs to understand the terms used in today’s scripture to understand it.
Ishi refers to man.
The normal term Adam used for man is not used to imply that Jesus Christ was not born of man, even though He was born from a woman’s womb. It was a virgin birth/surrogate birth. This enabled Him to be born without sin [nature] and become the perfect sacrifice.
The term Baali means unknown God.
It speaks of our not knowing God, and only through Jesus Christ have we come to know Him. He manifested Him/His Name.
The second verse speaks of our baptism in Him. Of us dying/losing our identity and putting on the identity of Jesus Christ, in other words, becoming Christians. That does not mean we individually will become like Christ. It means we, the Church, together as a whole, will be like Him. Individually, we carry a part of Him and only, along with others, become Him.
Let us get deep within us this fundamental understanding that defines us as Christians.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are Almighty God. You, Lord, are Holy God. You are Perfect in every way. Lord, we individually are unable to be like You, so You, in Your mercy, called us together to be like You. You called us to be Your Bride. Lord, we pray that we know our limitations and do not fall into the trap of incompetence or hallucination that leads us into failure…
We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.
Hebrews 7:3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God), abideth a priest continually.