Hosea 11:1-11
1 When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
2 The more they called them,
The more they went away from them;
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
And burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
4 I pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love,
And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and fed them.
5 They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyria—he will be their king
Because they refused to return to Me.
6 And the sword will whirl against their cities,
And will destroy their oracle priests
And consume them, because of their counsels.
7 So My people are determined to turn from Me.
Though they call them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
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?
My heart is turned over within Me,
All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will not carry out My fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.
10 They will walk after the Lord,
He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar,
And His sons will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt,
And like doves from the land of Assyria;
And I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
God’s Love towards Israel
God’s love in the past (v 1-7)
In this passage, God’s love in the past is spoken of. (1) It was God who led the people of Israel out of Egypt. God calls the people of Israel “My son.” God and the people of Israel are in a parent–child relationship. (2) However, the people of Israel forgot God’s love and began to offer sacrifices to the Baals (idols). (3) Nevertheless, God gently guided the people of Israel with a father’s love and care. Even so, they forgot that love of God and walked in self-centered ways. Because of the sin of that unfaithfulness, judgment comes upon the people of Israel. That judgment is the Assyrian exile. They will not return to Egypt but will be taken away as captives to Assyria. They rejected God and placed their trust in Assyria, and as a result, they will come to be ruled by the one in whom they trusted.
The prophesy of Israel’s restoration (v 8-11)
In this passage, God’s future love for Israel is affirmed. (1) God will not completely abandon the people of Israel. God says, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel?” (2) “Admah” and “Zeboiim” were cities that were destroyed together with Sodom and Gomorrah (ref. Gen. 14:2; 19:25). God says that He cannot bear for the people of Israel to perish like those cities. (3) God is One who acts with a love far beyond human understanding. That God declares, “I will not come in wrath.” (4) Israel will surely be restored. The day will certainly come when they return to God with repentance. (5) They will “come trembling from the west.” Coming from the west refers to the return that takes place after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. In other words, this return will occur in the end times. Furthermore, they will come trembling both from the south (Egypt) and from the north (Assyria). Now let us meditate on the conflict between God’s righteousness and love. God is the One who punishes our sin, and at the same time, He is the One who loves us and forgives us. What was prepared for that purpose is the cross of His Son Jesus. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Amen.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I thank You for Your love shown through the cross of the Lord Jesus. Please help me walk in a manner worthy of one who is loved by You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.