It was a big ask from God for Hosea to marry a prostitute who had been unfaithful to him multiple times—to illustrate how Israel had been unfaithful to God. But then God asks him to give his children rather sad names. Today, we are focusing on the daughter, who has a name that means no mercy: Lo-Ruhamah.
Today, we’ll explain why God asked Hosea to give his daughter this name and what it had to do with the Babylonian invasion. We’ll also see some silver linings in the names of Hosea’s children, not to mention silver linings for Israel as a whole. Let’s dive in.
What Book of the Bible Mentions Lo-Ruhamah?
We meet Lo-Ruhamah in Hosea 1. She’s the first daughter of Hosea’s wife, Gomer.
For those unfamiliar with the story of Hosea and Gomer, God often asked Old Testament prophets to do seemingly crazy things. They often perform jarring actions to show Israel how far it had strayed. For several examples of this, check out what God had Ezekiel do in his book of the Bible.
God didn’t make Hosea lie on his side for months at a time (as he told Ezekiel to). He asked Hosea to do something that would’ve been perceived as wild at the time. He told him to marry a prostitute, who would certainly not be faithful to him. And he obeyed.
And has to buy her back at one point when she runs away.
She gives birth to a few children to him, and God tells him what to name each.
- The first is Jezreel, a son. His name means “God sows.” But not in a positive context. Essentially, God is sowing the wrath that Israel had planted through their actions.
- Her second child is Lo-Ruhamah. We will explore her name further in a moment.
- Finally, she has Lo-Ammi, whose name means “not my people.” In essence, Israel had broken their covenant with God. So, he no longer claimed them as his people because they kept chasing after foreign idols. Because of their actions, he allowed them to be taken over by a foreign nation, the Babylonians.
Unfortunately, we don’t learn much about what happened to these children. We don’t know if they went on to live beautiful lives and have beautiful children of their own. We can imagine their family had a lot of drama if Gomer refused faithfulness to Hosea.
Lo-Ruhamah and the others’ names illustrate God’s wrath toward Israel at the time. Let’s explore the meaning of Lo-Ruhamah’s name.
What Is the Meaning of Lo-Ruhamah’s Name?
Lo-Ruhamah’s name means “not pitied,” “not loved,” and “no mercy,” depending on which translation you consult.
Not our first pick at a gender reveal . . . no matter how eclectic names get these days.
God had loved Israel tenderly throughout its history, like a husband to a very unfaithful wife. Israel kept seeking foreign gods during the time of the judges and even more so during the age of the kings.
Eventually, God’s wrath bubbled over, and it poured out.
Israel had become an object of wrath.
Therefore, it was not to be pitied, loved, or shown mercy. For they had not shown others pity, mercy, or love. They had sacrificed their children, let the temple become desolate, and cheated on one another (in certain instances, even started eating one another).
And if we had left off the story at this point, we’d say, “Wow, that’s really depressing. What a terrible thing to have a name like that for the rest of her life.”
With that said, God’s wrath didn’t last forever. If we remember correctly, the captivity lasted 70 years. In the Bible, seven is often the number representing completion. So, seven multiplied by ten means quite a bit of completeness regarding God’s justice.
Then, we start to see some hope in Lo-Ruhamah’s name.
How Can Lo-Ruhamah’s Situation Be Hopeful?
If God had been any less merciful, he would’ve left Israel in Babylon. He would’ve abandoned them and sought after another group of people.
But he doesn’t.
We see they make a return in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra.
Although Hosea saw the bitter end of the stick with his family situation, he probably remembered that God’s wrath gave way to tender mercy. Although Israel, at the moment, was not to be pitied, loved, or shown mercy . . . eventually, God would do so.
Many people may jump in and say, “Well, why didn’t God just show them mercy the whole time? Why couldn’t he hold back his wrath.”
To those people, I’d like to present an illustration. Imagine being in a relationship with a very abusive person. Although we may have mercy for a time, eventually, we cannot continue to be treated that way. So, we distance ourselves until the person repents and changes their ways.
In the same way, ancient Israel was abusive to God. They cheated on him time and time again, destroyed the very people he had designed (killing each other and their children), and used their gifts to serve other gods.
So, God distanced them from their land.
But he didn’t give up on them. Israel repented during the captivity, and God showed pity, mercy, and, most importantly, love.
What Can We Learn from Lo-Ruhamah in the Bible?
Lo-Ruhamah certainly isn’t a name we’ll give our children anytime soon. But her story doesn’t have to end in complete despair. God didn’t leave the Israelites in Babylon, and he continues showing us love and mercy when we deserve it the least. Here are some takeaways.
God’s wrath is necessary (even if we don’t like it)
Admittedly, I have a very hard time with God’s wrath. I’m a naturally very merciful person. I often give several chances before I cut ties with people. But God would not be just if he did not have wrath. The blood of innocent people cried out to him in Israel for the atrocities they had committed. He would not have been good without doing something about the situation.
God often uses jarring illustrations to show difficult truths
Often, I’ve had a lack of empathy for something unless God puts me through that something. And the same is true for Hosea and his family. Hosea had a much better understanding of Israel’s unfaithfulness when he married Gomer and had children with an unfaithful wife.
Sometimes, God moves in your life in a difficult way. He’ll throw you into something that you’d prefer not to endure to show you how you have been less than merciful and less than loving—to him or to others. Sanctification hurts and isn’t always lovely.
God continues to show love, mercy, and tenderness.
Nevertheless, God does not leave us in Babylon forever. His mercy will triumph, and he will hold us tenderly in his arms.
It’s often difficult to see this in the midst of trials. We may have felt as though God’s mercy ran out and that he had abandoned us forever.
I’m sure Israel felt the same way. Seventy years is a long time.
But he will eventually call us back. And we will make a triumphant entry back home, just as they had.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Iryna Imago
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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