I will redeem them from death

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” - Hosea 13v14

Many times in the Old Testament God uses teachings and prophecies with a two-fold purpose. One is immediate and the other is for future reference. Here God is promising to redeem Israel from their captivity, but there was a future application that Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 15 when he wrote – “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

It is clear here that Hosea’s comments were a harbinger of the day when Jesus Christ would redeem us from death. Death and the grave were finally, totally conquered by Christ. Today, because of His work we well and truly have nothing to fear. Praise God that the greatest enemy to man, death and the grave, have no power over us!