Hosea 12:7-13:8

Hosea 12 7-14

v.7 In this verse Israel is described as a dishonest merchant. The word “merchant” is a translation of the word “Canaan”. Canaan was the land of the pagan people Israel was called to expel from the land (Joshua 3:10). They were known for their moral and religious corruption. The specific sin mentioned is greed. It is manifest through taking financial advantage of people. This was a common way that the rich oppressed the poor. God had called Israel to bring about godliness in the land. The problem was that Canaan influenced Israel more than Israel influenced Canaan. Hosea uses wordplay to show that Israel has become Canaan.

v.8 Israel brags that her sin will not be found out. She boasts about her wealth in her deception. She may even believe that she is not in sin. The nation had become so bold in their sinful ways that they did not even fear judgment. This could have been partially due to the fact that the legal system of Israel was not holding her responsible for her sins. Many of the sins Israel was indulging in were punishable by death. The sexual immorality and idolatry carried the punishment of death by stoning. Israel’s leaders did not apply the law, however. As a result, the conscience of the people obviously became desensitized. We should remember that just because our nation approves of behavior does not mean that God does.

v.9 The appointed feast mentioned here describes the feast of tabernacles. This was an appointed time that Israel spent a week living in tents. The purpose of this time was to remember the deliverance from Egypt in which Israel spent 40 years dwelling in tents in the wilderness (Lev. 23:33-44). God is the LORD that delivered them from Egypt and caused them to dwell in tents. This time, there will be no deliverance. Israel will be attacked. Many will be taken prisoner; others will flee in all directions. They will have no homes to live in; therefore, they will be dwellers in the wilderness as they were the days following the exodus.

v.10 Israel has no reason to complain of the coming judgment. God has been busy warning the people.

* He has spoken by the prophets. Prophets are mentioned two times in this verse. God has always had His prophet’s busy warning the people (6:5). Hosea was busy warning the Northern kingdom as this was being spoken. The people refused to listen to the prophets.

* He has multiplied visions. These were revelations, often visual, that were given to the prophets. They usually involved a warning about a coming judgment upon the people. God had given the prophets these visions and they were communicated to Israel (Daniel 7:1, 8:1). Israel still refused to listen.

* He has used parables. The word means “quiet, to be silent”. It describes something difficult to understand. God in the Old Testament spoke to the people in parables as Jesus did in the New Testament. An example of this may be the relationship of Hosea and Gomer. The people still refused to listen.

v.11 Two cities are mentioned in this verses, Gilead and Gilgal. Gilead is also mentioned in 6:8. It was a city full of idolatry and sin. It was also the place where Laban caught up to Jacob to confront him about stealing his idols (Gen. 31:30). Gilgal is mentioned in 4:15 and 9:15. In 9:15 it is said to summarize the sin of the entire nation. Both cities were full of idolatry. The fact that the altars are in the furrows is important. Israel’s altars were not extravagant by any means. In fact, they were basically a heap of rocks. God forbade Israel from “hewing” rocks to make altars (Exodus 20:25). Altering the shape of the rocks would be seen as an attempt to build an idol. Israel’s altars were like great stones in a field someone was trying to plow. They were hindering progress. God wanted to bear righteous fruit through the nation. The religion of Israel was keeping Him from doing that. Ironically, it was Israel’s religion that kept them from being righteous.

v.12-13 Hosea continues to draw similarities between Jacob and Israel. This time he compares Jacob fleeing for his life with the Exodus. Jacob lived in Syria (Amram) for twenty years. He stayed there this long because he was working for the hand of Rachel, Labans daughter. Laban deceived Jacob into working an extra seven years by tricking him into marrying Rachel’s sister, Leah. Eventually, Laban is happy to see Jacob leave as Jacob’s flocks are outnumbering his own (Gen. 31:1-2). When Jacob left Laban, he was the one with the spoil. Jacob’s new name is used in this verse. He is called Israel.

In the same way, Israel was forced to work in Egypt by an oppressive Pharaoh. When God brought plagues upon Egypt, eventually Pharaoh was happy to see them go. When Israel left Egypt, they were the ones with the spoil (Exodus 12:35-36). The LORD raised up a prophet to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses was their shepherd. He preserved them, which means he guarded and cared for them.

Thoughts to Consider

1. Either we are influencing the world or the world is influencing us.

2. Sin is far too ugly and obvious to hide from the Lord.

3. God speaks many times and in many ways to warn the world before He judges it.

4. Religion can hinder righteousness.

Hosea 12 14-13 8

v.14 Israel is in trouble. Two great sins are mentioned in this verse.

* “His bloodguilt” is a word that describes the slaughter or taking of a life of someone. This could be through violence or child sacrifice (9:13). Israel is guilty of murder and will pay for it.

* “His disgraceful deeds” describes Israel’s contempt for God. Israel did not fear God. They broke His laws, polluted His worship and treated Him as if He were a common idol.

For these reasons, God is angry with Israel. They will be found guilty and held accountable. The reproach they have for God will be turned on them. God will treat them with contempt. He will disrespect them through humiliation and judgment.

Ch. 13

v.1 There had been a time when Ephraim was exalted. It was the strongest tribe of the Northern kingdom. Because of this, it is often taken to stand for the entire Northern kingdom. When this tribe walked in fear of the Lord, nations were afraid of them. Now, they were a dead tribe. As a result of their Baal worship, they died. The wages of sin is death! This verse clearly shows how a living nation can die. Sin will kill us as individuals, and it will kill us nationally. It will transform us from strong to weak.

v.2 Even as a dead nation, Israel continues to sin. Their sinfulness is seen in this verse to increase. They have their craftsmen make them idols with great precision. They sacrifice and even kiss these idols! Hosea is stressing just how ridiculous idol worship is. The people know that the gods are made of silver. It is foolish to worship something made by humans. The kissing of the calves is the height of foolishness. Who in their right mind would kiss a cow? Hosea is giving us insight into what the Israelites did when they worshipped Baal. No doubt it made him sick.

v.3 Israel is described in this verse in many ways. She is like the morning mist, the early dew, chaff, and smoke. These all have one thing in common. They will soon disappear. Israel will as well. She has a limited time before she vanishes into Assyrian captivity. She would soon discover that kissing her precious Baal would do her no good. She should have “kissed the Son, lest she perish” (Psalm 2:12).

v.4 God reminds Israel of two things.

*He reminds them that He, not Baal, is the One who delivered them from Egypt.

*He reminds them of the first commandment.

The Lord changes the wording of the first commandment. He changes “have” to “know”. “Know” is often used in the Scripture to describe an intimate relationship enjoyed between husband and wife. Israel was supposed to have such a relationship with God. Yet she was “kissing” other gods. God is using the commandment to rebuke Israel for having improper relationships with other gods.

When Israel was in Egypt she needed a Savior. It wasn’t Baal who saved her. It was the Lord God. Israel will need a Savior again. In Assyria they will recognize that Baal cannot save them. Their dependence on him looks foolish and is futile. He can do nothing for them.

v. 5-6 As God led Israel out of Egypt; He enjoyed a deep relationship with them. He took care of them in the wilderness and it was as if they were in a great pasture! In their wanderings, they did not suffer need. Instead of being grateful, Israel became proud. Their heart was exalted, and they turned away from God. God warned them not to do this (Deut. 8:11-20).

To forget God means that we lose awareness of His goodness toward us. We begin to think that we deserve more than we have and what we have is because of our own effort. This happens when we focus more on the provisions of God rather than the Person of God. Our culture is certainly guilty of this. Our sense of entitlement has caused us to become proud. Our pride has caused us to forget that God owes us nothing. Everything we have we owe to His grace.

v.7-8 God is described as four different animals in these verses. Each of the animals are savages that signify judgment is coming to Israel.

*The lion. God will devour them like a lion devours its prey.

*The leopard. God will use the Assyrian nation to pounce upon them unexpectedly.

* The bear. God will tear them open as a mother bear would tear someone open that robbed her of her cubs. The imagery is especially brutal here. It speaks of one’s heart literally being torn out. The Assyrian invasion would be a brutal one.

*The wild beast. Again, the imagery is vivid. Israel would be torn open as a wild beast tears open its prey.

This imagery may disturb us when it is applied to God. What we should understand is that God takes the rebellion of humanity seriously. He will punish sin and it will not be pretty. He is indeed a Savior (4), but He is also a consuming fire.

Thoughts to Consider

1. Sin will kill whatever it touches.

2. When we get comfortable with our sin we will sin more and more.

3. Our deepest passions should be reserved for love toward our Great God.

4. When God judges the earth, it will not be pretty.