The time as a child (v 12)

In today’s passage, the history of the people of Israel is spoken of in three stages. The history of the people of Israel begins with Jacob. In other words, the time of Jacob corresponds to the childhood of the people of Israel. (1) Jacob fled to the land of Aram (Syria), where his relatives lived. This was in order to escape from his brother Esau and also to avoid intermarriage with the Canaanites, who were steeped in idol worship. (2) In the land of Aram, Israel (Jacob) worked in order to take a wife. Because of the deception of his uncle Laban, he ended up working for fourteen years. His work was that of a shepherd. (3) Jacob lived a life of earnestly pursuing the Lord’s blessing. Then he returned to the land of Canaan, leading the wives, children, and flocks of livestock that he had gained in Aram.

The time as an adult (v 13)

The people of Israel grew and became adult in Egypt. In order to lead the people out of Egypt, where they were in slavery, God raised up “one prophet.” That was Moses. God brought the people up out of Egypt through Moses, and through Moses, He protected them. The reason the people of Israel were able to become adult and return to the land of Canaan was because of the love of God, who is faithful to His covenant.

The time as an unfaithful nation (v 14)

The people of Israel forgot the walk of their ancestor Jacob and began to live like the Canaanites. That is, unrighteousness, deceit, and idolatry became rampant within Ephraim. To such Ephraim, Hosea spoke of the coming judgment of God and urged repentance. As it is written, “Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger; so his Lord will leave his guilt of bloodshed on him and bring his disgrace back to him” (Hosea 12:14). When we look back on the history of the people of Israel, we cannot help but be moved by the fact that God is faithful. Paul writes this: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). How are you responding to God’s faithfulness?