“I will take you to be My wife in righteousness, justice…” ~ Hosea 2:19b
I thought I was going to finish up Hosea 2:19 today…God had other plans, though. There is a lot to learn about the next vow – justice – and this blog will only scratch the surface.
In my last post, I talked about God’s vow to make us righteous. It was something He does for us, as we could never accomplish it on our own. The vow in Hosea is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. Justice is similar to righteousness in that sense, but it has its own distinct meaning.
Wedding our Court?
Justice is a strange word to use in wedding vows, although perhaps it does not strike us as odd when it comes from God. But if a person said it, it would sound unnatural…and rather ominous. It kind of sounds ominous coming from God, too.
Strong’s definition of this Hebrew word shows just how grave it is. “Mishpat” – or justice – is, “properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree…including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty.” Only in the abstract is it rendered as “justice.”[1]
Basically, it’s a invoking the idea of a courtroom…which is very far from what a marriage is. We know our crimes, we know our guilt, and we know the penalty. Justice would be our deaths.
Wedding!
The Israelites knew this quite well, as being justified in regards to the law had a very specific meaning. They had a yearly reminder at Passover, when a lamb was slain for their sins. Justice would be their deaths, but God allowed a substitutionary death.
Here, however, God is vowing to take us forever in justice – meaning that we will for all time be seen as “not guilty” in the eyes of the law. God is not giving us more laws to follow, nor is He turning the wedding into a courtroom. Rather, He is telling us that an eternal sacrifice will be given and accepted.
What was only a promise in Hosea’s day was fulfilled for us in Jesus the Messiah. Jesus lived a perfect life devoid of sin, and His righteousness is given to us when we believe in Him – when we “marry him,” so to speak. Because of His perfection, he was the only one qualified to die a sacrificial death one time for all mankind – therefore allowing justice be done, and our union with God.
“I will take you to be my wife in righteousness, justice…” Rather than vowing to list our crimes, God is vowing to wipe them clean, beloved. He has made you righteous, and what is more justice has been done once and for all.
Sources
[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4941&t=HCSB
