Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
Afterward - after the long period ("many days," Hosea 3:4) has elapsed.
Shall the children of Israel return - from their idols to "their God," from whom they had wandered. It shall not be their conversion merely, but their reverting to the God whose people they formerly were.
And seek. The Hebrew is intensive. As formerly she diligently sought after her idols (Hosea 2:7), so now shah she seek diligently after the Lord her God.
And seek the Lord their God, and David their king. Israel had forsaken the worship of Yahweh at the same time that they forsook their allegiance to David's line. Their repentance toward God is therefore to be accompanied by their return to the latter. So Judah and Israel shall be one, and under "one head, as is also foretold, Hosea 1:11. That representative and antitype of David is Messiah. All the older Jews interpreted this of Messiah. Compare Schoettgen, 'Horae, Hebraicae,' tom. 2, on this passage. "David" means The beloved. Compare as to Messiah, Matthew 3:17; Ephesians 1:6. Messiah is called David (Isaiah 55:3-4; Jeremiah 30:9, "They shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them;" Ezekiel 34:23-24; Ezekiel 37:24-25).
And shall fear the Lord and his goodness - literally, 'shall fear TOWARD the Lord and TOWARD His goodness' - i:e., trembingly flee to the Lord, to escape from the wrath to come; and to "His goodness," as manifested in Messiah, which attracts them to Him (Jeremiah 31:12), The "fear," is not that slavish fear which "hath torment" (1 John 4:18), and which makes men flee from the sin-hating God, but the fear of losing Him, which makes them flee to Him, and reverence inspired by His goodness realized in the soul (Psalms 130:4). Though fearing because of past unfaithfulness, they are attracted to Him and to His goodness by their fear of being any longer without Him.
The latter days - those of Messiah (Kimchi).
Remarks:
(1) This short chapter contains one of the most explicit prophecies respecting Israel contained in the Bible-part of which prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes, part remains to be fulfilled. The marvelous grace of God to His ancient people is vividly set forth by the direction to Hosea to exercise active love again toward one who had been originally unworthy of his love, yet raised to be his wife and beloved, and who notwithstanding had again played the harlot to the true friend and husband who had loved her throughout. Hosea's love to Gomer was to be exercised even after her fall, in order that at last he might raise her from her fallen state to become his forever. So the love of God was toward Israel even while she was looking to other gods and loving the sweets of carnal indulgence (Hosea 3:1). All gratifications outside of God are like the cakes of raisins eaten by idolaters-luscious, indeed, at first, but dry, and so sure soon to cloy the taste, and become loathsome and hurtful. The Jews, and not only they, but all whosoever seek justification outside of Jesus Christ, are leaving the true vine, the source of all spiritual life, for legal observances and their own righteousness, which, however for a time they may please the flesh, are dry and lifeless as far as the spirit and soul are concerned.
(2) The price which Hosea paid to redeem his erring wife from her paramour was the price usually paid for a slave, equivalent to 30 pieces of silver, the very price at which Messiah was sold by Judas the traitor to His murderers. Christ was sold as a slave to redeem the Church, who, in her natural state of carnality and alienation from God, was worthless as a slave: Israel's degradation beneath the level of man is marked by the food which was her appointed portion in her separation from God-barley the food of beasts. Yet it was for one so vile that the Lord still bore such love, that to reclaim her to Himself, He paid the price of His precious blood.
(3) Still, though the Lord has the most yearning love toward Israel, she must undergo a long preparatory discipline, in which she is to be kept as one no longer indeed wedded to idolatry, but not yet admitted to full communion with Him, for whom therefore she must long wait. Never could anything but divine inspiration have suggested a picture of Israel's state for 2,500 years, and of Judah's state for the last eighteen centuries, so exact to the letter as this. Their prayer continually has been, May Messiah be soon revealed! Their eyes have failed for waiting so long in vain. They, whose former besetting sin was idolatry and lying divination, have, in strict consonance with the prophecy, which was so contrary to what was to be expected from their previous character, remained for ages loathing idols, and "without an image and teraphim" (Hosea 3:4). They, of whose religion sacrifice was an essential part, have remained "without a sacrifice and without an ephod" all that time.
The line of the Aaronic priesthood is long forgotten and lost. Scattered through all peoples "without a king, and without a prince," they have yet remained a definitely marked and distinct people, being for God, and yet not enjoying full communion with Him, much less with any other object of worship. God is also for them (Hosea 3:3), seeing that nothing except a special divine agency interposing in their behoof could have prevented their nationality becoming fused into the several nationalities among whom they are scattered, according to the analogy of all other peoples so circumstanced. Israel is indeed, in her present and past state, an unanswerable witness for the truth of Scripture against the infidel and sceptic. Since a modern divine truly describes their state, 'Oppression has not extinguished them: favour has not bribed them. God has kept them from abandoning their mangled worship, or the Scriptures which they understand not, and whose true meaning they believe not: they have fed on the raisin husks of a barren ritual and unspiritual legalism, since the Holy Spirit they have grieved away' (Pusey).
(4) But the very peculiarity of their state, and of their nationality and worship of God, preserved under such anomalous circumstances, is the strongest pledge of assurance that, as the prophecy of their present and past isolation amidst dispersion has been so extraordinarily fulfilled, so also will the prophecy of their coming restoration to the Lord their God, and the Son of David their King, be fulfilled. It is for this end evidently that they are kept so distinct from all the peoples, waiting continually for Messiah to come and sit upon the throne of His father David, and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:42-43). Then shall the goodness of the Lord toward them melt them into penitent love toward Him who has so marvelously covered over their past unfaithfulness, and into fear of ever more displeasing Him again and losing His favour (Hosea 3:5). The same holds good in the case of the spiritual Israel, the Church, and of every true believer. The marvelous way whereby the Lord, through chastening discipline, has led us to Himself, and His gratuitous goodness, notwithstanding all our past unfaithfulness, will form a constraining bond of love binding us to our God and our Saviour indissolubly. We shall ever be receiving fresh revelations of that goodness which rejoices to impart itself to His people, and this shall be the chief happiness of the true Israel of God forever.