The Valley of Trouble
Hosea 2:14-17 (NIV) “‘Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor [Trouble] a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.’ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘you will call me “my husband”; you will no longer call me “my master.” I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips, no longer will their names be invoked.’”
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Temptation springs from our own hearts, but it is the Lord who allows the test. Tests and trials refine our hearts, but they also build our confidence and trust in the Lord. Genuine intimacy is built on two primary pillars: trust and love. The wilderness grows intimacy - authentic intimacy - with the Lord as we continue to trust and choose love.
In this passage, the Lord is talking to the prophet Hosea about the destiny of idolatrous Israel. The Lord is the one who will “allure her” into the wilderness, the place of trial. However, He promises to “speak tenderly” and “give her back her vineyards.” Vineyards are a metaphor for peace, prosperity, and true intimacy with the Lord. God promises the “Valley of Trouble” will become a door into a new hope. The Lord’s ultimate promise and purpose behind the wilderness will be the destruction of Israel’s idols (the “names of the Baals”) and a restoration of spiritual intimacy. The mindset of Israel will transform from that of a slave (“my master”), to that of a youthful bride (“my husband”).
The lesson is that there is idolatry in the heart of Israel, which the Lord intends to destroy. However, there will be a process. The process will be deeply troubling but the Lord promises to be present, offering tender words every step of the way. The result will be Israel’s realized union with God and the joyous rediscovery of Her first love.
As God’s spiritual Israel, this lesson is just as relevant to us. Wilderness seasons draw us into desperation for our Beloved, who responds to our cries by destroying the idols that distract us from our joyous spiritual union with Him.
