Hosea 14:4-9

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 14:4 (HCSB)

4 I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger will have turned from him.

Reflection/Application:

This is the final pericope in Hosea, and it’s a great one. After so much of the description of failures on the part of Israel, and the coming punishment, here we have a whole passage that concerning the restoration that God promises.

Note that there is no discounting of Israel’s sin, their “apostasy” is certain and real. But the beauty here is that God has taken it upon Himself to heal it. This is most certainly an act of genuine and true love. And this sets the stage for the rest of Hosea 14:5-7. After all the many similes used to describe the short-comings, the rebellion, the apostasy of Israel, here we have the opposite: word pictures of a blossoming, growing, and strong Israel. And this is all God’s work, not man’s. The difference should be striking: in their own power and sin, Israel falls and destroys themselves, with God they survive and thrive.

Hosea 14:8 seems to be a final charge for Israel to turn from their sin and return to God. And Hosea 14:9 seems to be a summary statement, and sounds like something out of Proverbs. Combined, these last two verses are an exhortation of sorts for Israel to repent and return to God.

One other thing that strikes me as I read through this passage is the references to “he”, “him”, and “his”. I suppose it is possible that these are references to Israel, or Ephraim, but the choice of the singular pronoun doesn’t seem to fit how the passage starts out talking about “their” and “them”. Also, in Hosea 14:7 we read, “The people will return and live beneath his shade.” Again, it seems this could be the to-be-exiled people and the land of Israel being referred to, but it seems odd wording to me.

Anyway, I at least like the idea of a sort of double entendre here, whether it truly is one or not. If we read these verses and assume the “he”, “his”, and “him” are referring to Jesus, the picture is quite powerful and prophetic as well. And ultimately is that not what God succeeds in doing: turning physical Israel, with national borders, into a spiritual Israel with no borders, and expanding His kingdom all over the world? This is a powerful passage, and a wonderful ending to a powerful book.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the beautiful promise of restoration at the end of Hosea. What a joy it is to know that You do not abandon Your people! I pray that we take this as a great hope, but not an excuse, or license, to continue to sin. I pray we take it as just one more reason to turn from our sin and run to You! Thank You for the gift of eternal life with You! Amen.

Hosea 14:1-3

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 14:1 (HCSB)

1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God, for you have stumbled in your sin.

Reflection/Application:

This pericope reads to me as Hosea’s words of exhortation to Israel. The previous chapter was simply brutal in God laying out what was to come upon Israel, and it seems natural for the prophet of God to implore God’s people to return to God. This is not a simple, “Believe in God,” type plea. We shall examine just what Hosea is telling Israel they should do.

1. Before we get to Hosea’s instructions, let us look at Hosea 14:1. Obviously Hosea does not think the book is closed on Israel! “Return to Yahweh,” and “you have stumbled,” are phrases that suggest all is not lost. What great hope it should bring us to know that our sin is not bigger than God’s grace!
2. Repent: Hosea’s first piece of instruction is to repent. Repentance encompasses all the sin we are guilty of. If we are not repentant, meaning we truly are sorry for our sin and desire to be saved from it, then this step is pointless, as is much of the remainder of Hosea’s plea. Repentance puts our heart in the right place to be reconciled to God.
3. Part of repenting is asking for, and receiving, forgiveness. Although Hosea does not explicitly say Israel should receive forgiveness, it seems implied by the following actions he suggests. Repentance without forgiveness is fruitless. Forgiveness without acceptance is as well. We must repent, God is faithful to forgive, and we must accept that forgiveness and be restored.
4. Praise God: The natural response to being forgiven and restored by God should be to praise Him! What greater gift can we possibly receive than the exchange of death for life? And if that is not something to praise God about, then something within us is not right.
5. Grow in righteousness: We should see tangible growth, we should become more like Jesus as we go through this process. If there is no impact, no change, in our life, then we might want to examine what our real relationship with God is. For Israel, Hosea suggests it is abandoning Assyria as the one who will save them, and no longer pursue idol worship. What is it in our own lives?

Hosea closes this passage with another message of hope: “For the fatherless receives compassion in You.” Israel had become fatherless, they had rejected and abandoned God, thus were alone. But God is merciful and loving, and His compassion and grace continually extend out to us. Are we choosing to employ the steps Hosea suggests and be restored to God, or are we continuing on our own path?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your mercy! We must individually, and corporately, repent of our sin, and return to You. What a wonderful hope to know that You are bigger than our sin, both in conquering it and forgiving it. I pray that we would have truly repentant hearts, and grow in You. Amen.

Hosea 13:15-16

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 13:15 (HCSB)

15 Although he flourishes among his brothers, an east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. His water source will fail, and his spring will run dry. The wind will plunder the treasury of every precious item.

Reflection/Application:

This brief passage again outlines the coming judgment upon Israel. This is a stark and brutal picture of the future of Israel. It is a stark and brutal picture of war, and a reminder of what can happen when we separate ourselves from God.

The passage starts with a reminder of the prosperity of Ephraim. But this quickly fades as a wind from God will rise and end Ephraim’s prosperity. What is interesting is the word translated “wind” in Hosea 13:15 is the Hebrew word “ruah”. This happens to be the same word used in Genesis 1:2 that is translated as “Spirit”, referring to the Holy Spirit. I would not claim that the wind here is literally the Spirit of God, but we should not overlook the fact that, as Hosea 13:15 states, this is a “wind from the Lord”. The fate of Israel here should not be chalked up to bad luck, or unlucky events, or even circumstance. This is judgment by God, not random blind events.

The second, and final, verse of the passage is tough, it’s brutal, it’s not what we want to see, but it is what we must recognize lest we follow the same path. This is a prophecy of Assyria’s war on Israel, and what we read here are the brutalities of war. And again, this is not a capricious act on the part of God, it’s not the reaction of a bully who did not get his way. This was all avoidable had Israel sought after God. But instead they “rebelled against God”, and judgment comes.

The message here should not be, “Follow me or else.” God is not interested in obedience for the sake of escaping punishment. Instead the message is, “God is long-suffering, and He is always chasing and calling us, but we cannot rebel against Him forever and escape judgment. God is loving, merciful, and gracious, but He is also just, and will not permit evil forever.”

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for being perfect, and for defeating death, and for the promise that evil will be crushed and done away with. This is what we should hang on to! I pray that You would guide me so that I do not seek evil, so that I do not rebel, but that I turn from my sin, saved and renewed by You, and glorify and honor You forever. Amen.

Hosea 13:4-14

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 13:6 (HCSB)

6 When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot Me.

Reflection/Application:

This pericope is interesting in that it continues on the motif of Israel’s rebellion against God, but at the same time it contains what appears to be a beautiful promise. There is a more graphic image of the coming punishment, and this sense of heightened tension. And the passage, despite a brief suggestion that things will be “ok”, seems to end very grimly for Israel’s prospects.

The passage starts out again with a reminder of Israel’s past, and how there was a relationship between them and God. Take note how Hosea 13:4 is in the present tense: “you (Israel) know no God but Me.” We might expect this to be in the past tense, that Israel used to know God. But even though Israel has sinned against God, and turned to the false god Baal, God discounts that as idol worship, because after all, He is the only real and true God!

Hosea 13:6 is sort of the “pivot” verse, everything sort of turns here. We go from Israel knowing God, and God knowing Israel, this apparently positive relationship, which leads to satisfaction, to this ugly, vain attitude on the part of Israel. And once Israel was proud, they forget about God. One has to wonder how close to home this attitude is in our nation.

The next part of the pericope outlines, in a graphic way, the punishment that is inevitable for Israel. I found Hosea 13:9 very interesting. We generally do not think of God in a destructive way, yet He clearly says here that He, Himself, will destroy Israel. And although it goes against the popular, lovey-dovey God that gets peddled, it only makes sense that the all-powerful Creator, the One who abhors sin and evil, the One that reserves judgement for Himself, also wields the power to destroy. And this fact, these attributes, along with His grace, mercy, and love, are the exact reasons why He tells Israel that He is, at the same time, their only help!

But as the pericope closes we are seemingly rejuvenated. It would seem that God is not going to allow the story to end with the death of His people. In Hosea 13:14 we seem to see a change on God’s ultimate plan here as He suggests He will ransom His people and rescue them from death. And although we certainly know that Christ has done exactly that, the final line, “Compassion is hidden from My eyes,” suggests otherwise. A more appropriate translation, one that seems to be more comprehensible with the final line, can be found in the NET translation:

Hosea 13:14 (NET)
14 Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion!

But, we do know from Paul, in 1 Corinthians, that death in fact has been defeated: “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” So, although we have been redeemed, we do have the promise of eternal life with Jesus, Israel’s punishment here seems to be sealed. A stark reminder that although God has redeemed His people, we are not free from consequences in this imperfect, sin-laden world and life.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for redemption and eternal life through Your death and resurrection! We stand in a similar place that Israel did, help us to turn back to You. Help Your people be like Hosea, conveying your truth among a people that are self-assured, and have forgotten about You. I pray for the courage, will, and words for us to do so. Amen.

Hosea 12:12-13:3

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 13:1 (HCSB)

1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

Reflection/Application:

This is an interesting passage, as it shows a contrast with what Israel was, or at least could have been, and what it had become. But, overall, as has been the general theme, Israel is condemned for its rebellion against God.

The first two verses, Hosea 12:12-13, give a very brief reminder of the history of Israel, where it had come from. From Jacob’s less than stellar choices which resulted in him fleeing to Aram, where he was tricked by Laban into tending sheep in order to earn Rachel, his wife, to Moses, who “tended” Israel as God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. I think the message here isn’t so much what sort of losers Israel were, with these two seemingly lackluster misfits in their history, it is more about the fact that God was guiding and involved. It was about how God worked through these men to achieve His purposes and rescue Israel. Yet, despite this reminder of God’s providential involvement and care for them, Ephraim, Israel, continues sins against God. And God will repay Israel for their sin.

Hosea 13:1 is a single paradoxical verse in the sense that Ephraim was “exalted”, yet died. It is the picture of one who is on top of the world, yet has nothing. Israel had everything, yet they turned their back on God and died. Baal was not the true God, nor was he able to provide life. Instead, Israel followed Baal and died. That spiritual death was not because of God, it was because of Israel and his rebellion! We ought to be very careful not to follow the same path. We ought to continually seek God, worship God, and honor God.

And it is interesting, even with Hosea’s proclamation of this news, of the death of Ephraim, Israel continues to sin! Their fate is sad: temporary and forgotten like morning dew. Rather than a change of heart, a return to God at the news, they continue their sinful ways. Again, we would do well to take heed: there can be points that our sin becomes so great that we are no longer able or willing to turn back to God. Certainly nothing is beyond the power of God, but we should be wise enough not to test Him in way that we are doomed to the same fate as Israel.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for all You have done, are doing, and promise to do for us. I pray that we would avoid the same traps that Israel fell prey to, that we would always worship You alone. Help us to stay true to You. Amen.

Hosea 12:9-11

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 12:10 (HCSB)

10 I spoke through the prophets and granted many visions; I gave parables through the prophets.

Reflection/Application:

Three verses is all that comprise this short pericope in the HCSB. In a few of the other translations I looked at, these verses are grouped with others, some much longer passages. But, despite the continued similarity of God pointing out and revealing Israel’s failure to worship and follow Him, I think this short little passage highlights something that I may have been failing to focus on previously.

Until now it has been clear that Israel has drifted from God, not by anything God has done, but solely due to Israel’s sin. But at the same time, this focus has sort of over-shadowed what steps God had been taking to counter Israel’s sin. And this short passage, I think, hints at just that.

God reminds Israel in Hosea 12:9 that He has been their God “ever since the land of Egypt.” And the truth is, He was their God even before that, but things were brought to another level when God brought His people out of slavery.

But Hosea 12:10 is the verse that jumped out at me. God is basically telling Israel that He has always been there, speaking to them, wooing them, calling them, instructing them. And it wasn’t just occasional things, so infrequent that nobody would notice. There were multiple prophets. There were “many visions”. And God gave parables, stories that relayed important points and messages, to the people through his prophets. God is basically saying, “I’ve been trying all along, I’ve been giving you every opportunity.” Yet Israel fails, they sin against God.

Finally, in Hosea 12:11, we see how they are still making sacrifices. But those sacrifices are fruitless, they are not recognized by God. The sacrifices are tainted, because Israel is “full of evil”. But those altars, even if they were originally built to worship and honor God, are nothing more than “heaps of rocks” because their significance is lost when God is not the focus.

So again, we today should stop and look at Israel. Are we turning our backs on the messages from God? Could it be that He has not gone anywhere, but that we are drowning Him out? Just as Israel drifted away, we risk the same consequences if we drift away, replacing true worship of God with false worship, as we fill ourselves with evil.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for being intolerant of evil! Although that means I might be subject to correction and punishment for my sin, it also means that I have a perfect and righteous Father who loves me enough to pay the price I cannot. I pray that we would turn to You always, and keep our worship pure, and our eyes on You at all times. Amen.

Hosea 12:1-8

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 12:6 (HCSB)

6 But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God.

Reflection/Application:

Much of the past pericopes have focused primarily on the northern kingdom of Israel, called Ephraim throughout. Not that Judah has not been mentioned, it certainly has, but this pericope splits time between the two rather than Ephraim having the lion’s share of negative attention.

Overall, this passage describes God’s people as those who simply continue to go their own way, chasing their own desires, and apparently leaving God out of the mix. I think the whole passage centers on the one instructive verse in it: “But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God.” (Hosea 12:6) Everything surrounding this verse illuminates the failure of God’s people to do exactly what it instructs! Ephraim “multiplying lies and violence”. Judah “wrestling with God”. The lives of God’s people are not lives seeking after God, following His instructions. Instead they are fleeing from God, revolting against Him, cutting Him out of their lives. Whatever “weeping” and “seeking His favor” is occurring is most assuredly feigned.

The quote attributed to Ephraim in Hosea 12:8 sums up the attitude of God’s people at this time. They are insolent, and have denied God any of the praise and glorification that is due to Him. And though they think themselves “rich”, they have immense “earnings”, and are guiltless, we can see clearly that they are fully guilty due to their rebellious and sinful lives. They are destitute, without God and His mercy. They lean on their own feeble power, and that is about to fail them as God allows punishment to sweep over them.

We, in our present time, should be aware of how we walk with, or without, God. How much are we depending on our own imperfect power, rather than placing our hope and trust in God? Are we blessed by Him, yet claim our riches as our own earnings? We should constantly evaluate our stance, and avoid the same sin that Israel fell into.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for sustaining us, for making us rich. We might not be rich monetarily, but we are rich in Your love. I pray that You are the treasure we seek, and that we lean on You and Your power, not our own. Amen.

Hosea 11:1-12

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 11:8 (HCSB)

8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; My compassion is stirred!

Reflection/Application:

This passage contains the big message of hope the Israelites were surely awaiting while hearing this book from Hosea. Although, be assured, there is still the outlining and reminder of Israel’s great sin, yet this pericope is one of hope for a future restoration.

The metaphor employed here is the Father-son one. God, the loving Father, who rescued his son, Israel, from Egypt, taught him to walk, provided for him, and guided him through times as a loving dad, reflects upon Israel’s constant rebellion all along the way. You can feel the anguish as God recounts Israel’s Baal worship, ignorance of His healing, and their “turning from Him”.

And then, in the pivotal verse of the passage, Hosea 11:8, there is this switch, an about-face, on the part of God. This seemingly sort of struggle comes through in His rhetorical questions. How can He give up His son? How can He treat His son like the cities that were destroyed? And suddenly the plan takes a twist! Certainly we had plenty of allusions to this in prior passages, but this section is bold and memorable due to the contrast. God’s mercy and grace are at play here, the plan is not total destruction, but we see the plan is for God’s people to return to Him.

Be assured, the punishment is still part of the plan. The exile is still coming, the death and destruction at the hands of Assyria are still on the agenda, but the ending has a twist now, with God “settling them in their homes”.

I want to dive into the last line of Hosea 11:8 as well: “I have had a change of heart; My compassion is stirred!” I always find verses that talk about God “changing” his mind interesting… and challenging. My understanding of the nature of God is that He is omniscient, both at the present time, and at all points in time past and future. So, it would seem that God knew He was going to change His mind? And what’s more, it would seem that for God to actually change His mind would suggest there is a “better” way for Him to do things, which, as the perfect Being, would always be His course of action… so why ever have the first way as His choice? Finally, the changing of a mind typically means something has occurred that has impacted one’s decision making process: a piece of information has been revealed, there has been a revelation of a wrong thought pattern, etc. But the idea of God having something “revealed” to Him is contrary to who God is. So how do I reconcile this? Typically I interpret verses like this as simply metaphor, a personification of God that conveys the situation in a way that man can better wrap his head around what is happening. Perhaps here it is used to convey just how serious the sins of Israel were, and just how close they were to the brink of total destruction, and thus further emphasizes the amazing power of God’s saving grace. Whatever it is, it seems clear that it should not be taken literally, nor should any weight be put into the notion that God is being influenced by external circumstances and events. God remains in full control, unshakable, all-knowing, and full of justice, grace, and love.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the promise of restoration! Ultimately we have the promise of eternal life with You due to Your perfect sacrifice for us. Israel in Hosea is just a foreshadow of that grace and mercy, yet we can learn just how dangerous our sin can be in separating us from You. I pray we turn back to You, we fly back like flocks of birds, to settle with You. Amen.

Hosea 10:9-15

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 10:10 (HCSB)

10 I will discipline them at My discretion; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their two crimes.

Reflection/Application:

In this pericope we have a heavily agrarian metaphor for Israel. The message remains consistent: Israel has sown seeds of apostasy, rejecting God, chasing after their own lusts, and punishment is coming. But a few things stand out in this passage.

1. As mentioned, the metaphor here is agrarian. Ephraim is even referred to as a “well-trained calf”. The references to sowing, plowing, and reaping make the picture clear. This must have been a powerful message to the Israelites, who certainly were an agrarian society. It is cool how God speaks to us, in all ages, where we are at, and in a way that is meaningful and relative to our lives.
2. The first part of Hosea 10:10 is cool: “I will discipline them at my discretion.” How many times do we try to usurp God’s power and authority? I love the book of Jonah, and he was the first one that popped into my mind when I read this verse. Wasn’t that Jonah’s beef: he wanted God to discipline Nineveh at Jonah’s discretion, not at God’s discretion. This single little phrase here reminds me that God’s the One running things, not me, not my boss, not the President of the US… God.
3. Check out Hosea 10:12. The last few passages have been pretty grim, not much “hope” coming through without really trying to tease it out. But here we have this message of “reaping faithful love” and “seek the Lord until He comes”. Hope is not lost! It can be too easy to think God is small, smaller than our sin, and that we’ve outdone Him and He can’t possibly save us. But here is the nation of Israel, wicked, on the brink of some nasty punishment, flat out, boldly rejecting God… and God slips in this message of hope, this picture of His future return, “sending righteousness like rain.” Look, the pain is coming, the consequences of sin are going to be felt, Hosea 10:13-15 slaps us back into reality, but God is still here, and hope remains.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your grace! And thank You for being God! What a wonder that the ultimate being acts with the ultimate mercy, towards His ultimately sinful creation. I pray that we begin to sow righteousness and real Your faithful love. Guide us and correct us as we continue to seek after You. Amen.

Hosea 10:1-8

Key Verse(s):

Hosea 10:2 (HCSB)

2 Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.

Reflection/Application:

Again we continue to read about the sin of Israel, her apostasy and rejection of God, and the resulting punishment that is coming. In this passage we get more of a glimpse of the spiritual failure of Israel in the sense of a failure of worship.

The pericope begins with a comparison of Israel to a “lush vine”. This vine yields fruit, and apparently is quite plentiful judging by the second and third sentences in Hosea 10:1 – “fruit increased” and “land produced”. And that’s about where the good stuff ends.

What we then read is about how instead of Israel directing their worship and praise towards God in response to His provision, they increase the number of altars they had erected to false gods, and made them better and better. Their worship was misplaced. And not only that, they then proceeded to flat out verbally deny God! Hosea 10:3 shows the Israelites saying they no longer fear God, and that they have no use for Him. And, as a side note, do not miss one of the results of denying God described in Hosea 10:4 – deceit and dishonesty becomes rampant and lawsuits break out (take special note of our nation’s current state of lawsuits as the solution to everything!). Israel is a nation guided by itself, guided by its own sinful nature, and when your god is a broken sinful nation of broken sinful people, everything is a mess.

But God goes on to say that this all will not last. It will come to an end, but not because of the will of Israel, or any reformation on their own part. In fact, Israel will mourn over, and be shamed by, these things, so much so that they will desire to be crushed by the mountains. The picture does not seem to be of an Israel anxious to return to her King, but of one who clings to her false gods as they drag her down and down until she cannot go any further, and is then destroyed, ripped from her, and she is lost.

We should examine ourselves and our nation. The parallels seem numerous. It would seem that no longer is God our standard, the One we look to for guidance. Instead we have placed our trust and hope in man, in a legal and political system that stands on the merits of men. Our courts are clogged with no sign of the lawsuit frenzy slowing down. We build our altars, and we remodel them, while we continue to push God further and further out to the margins. When we welcome profanity into our homes and minds via television and radio, yet persecute those who might pray to, or even mention, God… things are backwards. We might do well to take a look at how similar we are becoming to the Israel Hosea documents.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your mercy. We don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it. Lord, I pray for our nation, I pray for my community, for my church, for myself, that we, I, would wake up and follow You. Smash my idols, destroy my false gods, and do the same for the rest of Your people. I pray for an awakening, and a shift away from a nation similar to that of Hosea’s Israel. Amen.