FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Hosea 11-14

3. God’s Promises for the Future

Please read Hosea 14:1-9 for the background to this section.

Though His people may turn away from Him, God will not abandon them, even though He disciplines them, for He is true to His covenant and His promises. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13.

God pleads with His people to return to Him and forsake the sins that were causing their downfall. He had already told them to plow up their hard hearts and seek the Lord (Hosea 10:12) and to turn to God for mercy (Hosea 12:6), but now He talks to them like little children and tells them just what to do. The Lord gives them promises to encourage them to repent.

He will receive us (Hosea 14:2–3). God had every reason to reject His sinful people, but He chose to offer them forgiveness. Instead of bringing sacrifices, they needed to bring sincere words of repentance and ask God for His gracious forgiveness. “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16–17.

He will restore us (Hosea 14:4). God restores the penitent to spiritual health and heals their backsliding (Jeremiah 14:7). When a person collapses with sickness, it’s usually the result of a process that’s been working in the body for weeks or months. First an infection gets into the system and begins to grow. The person experiences weariness and loss of appetite, then weakness, and then the collapse occurs. When sin gets into the inner person and isn’t dealt with, it acts like an insidious infection: it grows quietly; it brings loss of spiritual appetite; it creates weariness and weakness; then comes the collapse.

For example, when Peter denied his Lord three times, that sin didn’t suddenly appear; it was the result of gradual spiritual deterioration. The denial began with Peter’s pride, when he told the Lord he would never forsake Him and would even die for Him. The next stage was sleeping when he should have been praying, and then fighting when he should have put away his sword. Peter should have left the scene (“I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” – Matthew 26:31; Zechariah 13:7); but instead, he followed to see what would happen and walked right into temptation.

When we confess our sins to the Lord, He forgives us and the “germs of sin” are cleansed away (1 John 1:9) but, as with physical sickness, often there’s a period of recuperation when we get back our strength and our appetite for spiritual food. “I will love them freely” describes that period, when we’re back in fellowship with the Lord and enjoying His presence. We see the smile of His face, for His anger is turned away.

He will revive us (Hosea 14:5–8). Hosea pictures the restoration of the penitent as the emergence of new life in a dry field on which the refreshing dew has fallen. In the summer and early autumn in the Holy Land, the dew is very heavy and greatly appreciated (Psalm 133:3; Isaiah 18:4). That’s what the word “revive” means: to bring new life. The rich vegetation appears, producing beauty and fragrance where once the farmer saw only ugliness and emptiness. The fallow ground becomes a fruitful garden!

The closing verse presents us with only two alternatives: rebel against the Lord and continue to stumble, or return to the Lord and walk securely in His ways. The first choice is foolish; the second choice is wise.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life . . .” – Deuteronomy 30:19.

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Hosea 11-14

2. God’s Disciplines in the Present – Continued

Please read Hosea 12:1-13.16 for the background to this section.

The reasons for discipline (Hosea 12:7–13:6) – continued. After the death of King Saul, the Ephraimites refused to submit to David’s rule (2 Samuel 2:8–11); in fact, they had a strong prejudice against the tribe of Judah, the ruling tribe (2 Samuel 19:40–43). When the Northern Kingdom was established, so powerful were the Ephraimites that the kingdom was even called by their name.

But Ephraim abandoned Jehovah for Baal, and that brought spiritual death. They gladly participated in Jeroboam’s man-made religion by sacrificing to the golden calves—even offering human sacrifices—and kissing the calves in worship. But idols are nothing, and those who worship them become like them—nothing (Psalm 115:8). Hosea compared the people to the “nothings” with which they were familiar: morning dew that the sun burns away; chaff that the wind blows away; smoke that disappears out the window and is seen no more.

One more sin that Hosea condemned was the nation’s ingratitude. It was the same old story: the Jews were glad for what God had done for their forefathers—the Exodus, God’s provision and guidance in the wilderness, the abundant wealth in the Promised Land—but they didn’t really show Him sincere appreciation. In their trials, they turned to God for help, but in their prosperity, they became proud and turned away from God to idols. Moses had warned them about this sin, but they committed it just the same (Deuteronomy 8:10–20).

The name “Ephraim” means “fruitful,” and this was a very fruitful tribe. Through Jacob, God had promised abundant blessings to Joseph and his sons (Genesis 48; 49:22–26), and that promise was fulfilled. It’s too bad the people didn’t use what God gave them for God’s glory.

The kinds of discipline (Hosea 13:7–16). Once again, Hosea uses a number of similes and metaphors to describe the trials that God was sending on His disobedient people. Like a ferocious beast, He would suddenly attack them (see also Hosea 5:14), a reference to the invasion of the Assyrian army. The rulers of Israel would be weak, temporary, and ineffective (see also Hosea 8:4). Now the time had come for the nation to have no king (Hosea 3:4), a situation that would last for centuries.

The woman in travail is used often in Scripture to picture extreme pain and sorrow (see also Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah 4:31; Matthew 24:8), but Hosea adds a new twist. He sees the woman too weak to deliver the child and the baby too stupid to come out of the womb! All the travail was wasted.

The invasion of the Assyrians will be like a hot, dry wind from the desert that will smother the people and dry up the watercourses. All the nation’s treasures will be plundered, and their greatest treasure, their children, will be slain mercilessly. Why? Because the nation would not return to God.

Paul quotes Hosea 13:14 in 1 Corinthians 15:55 to emphasize the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the grave because of His resurrection, but Hosea’s words in this context may have a different meaning.

When New Testament writers quoted Old Testament statements, the Holy Spirit directing them had every right to adapt those passages as He wished, since the Spirit is the author of Scripture. Surely God sees much more in His Word than we do! For example, Hosea 11:1 refers to Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, but Matthew used it to point to Christ’s coming out of Egypt when a child (Matthew 2:11–15).

The next statement, “I will have no compassion,” as the NIV states it, supports our interpretation that Hosea 13:14 refers to judgment and not victory over the enemy. This doesn’t suggest that God no longer loved His people, because God’s love for His people is the major theme of this book. But the time had come for God to discipline the nation, for they had rejected every other manifestation of His love. “For I will not take pity on them!” is the way the New Living Translation (NLT) states it.

God revealed His love to Israel in His past mercies and now in His present disciplines. Hosea closes his book with a third evidence of God’s love.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Hosea 11-14

2. God’s Disciplines in the Present – Continued

Please read Hosea 12:1-13.16 for the background to this section.

The example of discipline (Hosea 12:2–6, 12) – continued. In obedience to God’s command, Jacob left Shechem and went to Bethel (Genesis 35), for it was at Bethel that he had first met the Lord years before (Genesis 28:10–22). There God had revealed Himself and given Jacob promises for himself and his descendants, and there Jacob had made solemn vows to the Lord. Actually, the return to Bethel was a new spiritual beginning for his whole family; for Jacob commanded them to abandon their foreign gods and worship Jehovah alone. It does a family good to experience this kind of dedication. Alexander Whyte said that the victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings, and he was right.

But the Bethel experience also included some pain, for it was on that journey that Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel died in giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:16–22). She called the boy Ben-Oni, which means “son of my sorrow”; but by faith, Jacob renamed him Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” (These two names suggest the two aspects of our Lord’s life and ministry, a Man of Sorrows and the resurrected Son exalted to the Father’s right hand.)

The divine title “Lord God of hosts [armies]” in verse 5 reminds us of Jacob’s experience at Mahanaim when he was about to meet his brother Esau (Genesis 32). Mahanaim means “the two camps,” for Jacob saw an army of angels watching over his camp. He was afraid of Esau and tried to appease him with gifts instead of trusting the Lord to deliver him. After all, didn’t God promise to care for Jacob and bring him safely back to Bethel? It was there that the angel of God wrestled with Jacob and “broke” him.

Jacob’s experiences getting a wife and raising a family are examples of God’s loving discipline (Genesis 29–30). In order to get the family blessing, Jacob had schemed and lied to his father Isaac, but now Laban would scheme and lie to Jacob in order to marry off two daughters in one week! Trying to please two wives, only one of whom he really loved, and trying to raise a large family, brought many burdens to Jacob, but he persisted, and God blessed him and made him a wealthy man. However, during those difficult years, Jacob suffered much (Genesis 31:36–42), yet the Lord was working out His purposes.

The reasons for discipline (Hosea 12:7–13:6). Now Hosea names some of the sins that His people had committed. Some of these he has dealt with before, so there’s no need to discuss them in detail.

He begins with dishonesty in business, defrauding people so as to make more money. Their prosperity led to pride, the kind of self-sufficiency that says, “We don’t need God” (see Revelation 3:17). But the Lord warned that He would humble them. Instead of enjoying their houses, they would live in tents as they did during their wilderness journey. When the Assyrians were through with Israel, the Jews would be grateful even for the booths they lived in for a week during the Feast of Tabernacles.

The prophets God sent had warned the people, but the people wouldn’t listen. They turned from the Word of the living God and practiced idolatry. This provoked God to anger, and the way they shed innocent blood provoked Him even more. (On Gilead’s wickedness, see Hosea 6:8–9).

Hosea singled out the arrogant attitude of the tribe of Ephraim. The name “Ephraim” is found thirty-seven times in Hosea’s prophecy. Sometimes “Ephraim” is a synonym for the whole Northern Kingdom, but here the prophet was addressing the tribe of Ephraim in particular. Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph whom Jacob “adopted” and whose birth order he reversed (Genesis 48). Manasseh was the firstborn, but Jacob gave that honor to Ephraim.

The people of Ephraim felt they were an important tribe that deserved to be listened to and obeyed. After all, Joshua came from Ephraim (Numbers 13:8) and so did the first king of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam I (1 Kings 11:26). The tabernacle of testimony was pitched in Shiloh which was in Ephraim (Joshua 18:1). In their arrogance, the tribe of Ephraim created problems for both Gideon (Judges 7:24–25; 8:1–3) and Jephthah (Judges 12:1–6).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Hosea 11-14

2. God’s Disciplines in the Present – Continued

Please read Hosea 12:1-13.16 for the background to this section.

From last lesson: “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” – Hebrews 12:6; (Proverbs 3:11–12).

Hebrews 12:11–17 is the classic passage in Scripture on chastening. The Greek word paideia means “the rearing of a child,” because the purpose of discipline is maturity. Sometimes God disciplines us to correct our disobedience, but He may also discipline us when we’re obedient in order to equip us to serve Him better. David is an example of correcting discipline (2 Samuel 12; Psalms 32; 51), while Joseph is an example of perfecting discipline (Genesis 39–42; Psalm 105:16–22). Note that the context of Hebrews 12 is that of athletics, running the race (Hebrews 12:1–3). Athletes must experience the pain of discipline (dieting, exercising, competing) if they ever hope to excel. Nobody ever mastered a sport simply by listening to a lecture or watching a video, as helpful as those encounters may be. At some point, the swimmer must dive into the water, the wrestler must hit the mat, and the runner must take his or her place on the track. Likewise, the children of God must experience the pain of discipline—correcting and perfecting—if they are to mature and become like Jesus Christ.

The need for discipline (Hosea 12:1). The Jewish people were living for vanity—“the wind”—and receiving no nourishment. The word translated “feed” means “to graze”; but whoever saw hungry sheep ignoring the green grass and chewing on the wind? The very idea is ridiculous, but that’s the way God’s people were living.

Israel was committing two sins: First, they were worshiping idols which are nothing, even less than nothing, and turning from the true God to live on empty substitutes. They were feeding on the wind. Second, they were depending for protection on treaties with Egypt and Assyria instead of trusting their great God. This too was emptiness and chasing after the wind, and God had to discipline Israel to bring them back to Himself and His Word.

The example of discipline (Hosea 12:2–6, 12). Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation (Matthew 3:9), but it was Jacob who built the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 46:8–27). Hosea used the name “Jacob” for the nation because Jacob is an illustration of God’s loving discipline. Hosea cited several key events in Jacob’s life.

“Israel” is the new name God gave Jacob after struggling with him at Jabbok (Genesis 32:24–32), but scholars aren’t agreed on its meaning. The generally accepted meaning is “prince with God,” that is, a “God-controlled person.” Others suggest “he persists with God,” which certainly fits the account; for Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and didn’t want to give in. Though Jacob made some mistakes and sometimes trusted his own ingenuity too much, he did persist with God and seek God’s help, and God used him to build the nation of Israel. Some people have been too hard on Jacob, forgetting that believers in that day didn’t have the advantages we have today. God has deigned to call Himself “the God of Jacob,” and that’s a very high compliment to a great man.

Jacob struggled with his brother even before he and Esau were born (Genesis 25:20–23), and at birth, Jacob tried to trip up his brother Esau even as they were coming from the womb (Genesis 25:24–26). The name “Jacob” means “he grasps the heel,” which is another way or saying, “He’s a deceiver, a trickster.” During most of his life, Jacob struggled with himself, with others, and with the Lord, and until he surrendered to God at Jabbok, he never really walked by faith. God had to discipline him to bring him to that place of surrender.

All of us are Jacobs at heart according to Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” The Hebrew word translated “deceitful” is the root word for the name “Jacob.” It means “to take by the heel, to supplant.” The English word “supplant” comes from a Latin word that means to “to overthrow by tripping up.” Jacob tripped up his brother and took his place when it came to both the family birthright and the blessing (Genesis 27:36). Of course, God had given both to Jacob before his birth (Genesis 25:23), but instead of trusting God, Jacob used his own devices to get what he wanted. Faith is living without scheming.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Amazed, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.