Chapter 13
We have spent weeks reading about the sin of Israel and Judah. We’ve learned about the much-deserved judgment they received and the captivity that resulted. Chapter 13, describing the sin and judgment God’s people will receive, is a stark contrast to Chapter 14, in which Hosea not only tells us how to return to God, but also how much God loves us.
Redemption and healing are uppermost in the heart of God, because He loves us more than we can possibly understand.
Hosea 13:1-3
As a result of Baal worship, according to Hosea, Ephraim “died”. The word translated here is muwth,(1) an ongoing destruction that is not yet complete. In a way, the worship of idols killed their faith, one idol-sacrifice at a time. It was an ongoing, unrelenting kind of death.
So, too, we seldom lose our faith all at once. Instead, we walk away from our Lord with one compromise at a time. Faith, all too often, dies a slow death because of our ongoing idolatry.
Ephraim, though once respected, lost the respect of the world and their standing as a powerful nation because of their sin.
1) How might America be experiencing the loss of worldwide respect and honor as a result of our sin?
Hosea makes reference to those who offer sacrifices to the golden calves also kissing them. 1 Kings 19:18 suggests this was a literal kissing, as if the inanimate, man-made idol was a living organism and, symbolically, a kind of joining to the idol.
When Elijah was in hiding because Jezebel had vowed to kill him, God assured him that he was safe and that he was not alone.
2) How many faithful still remained in Israel and what demonstrated their faithfulness? (See 1 Kings 19:18)
Hosea 13:4-6
God had been the Lord of Israel since He brought them out of Egypt. Verse 4 says, “There is no savior besides Me.” The word translated as “savior” is yasha` and indicates a continuous action. We were saved, we are being saved, we will be saved. The salvation God offers is a forever salvation, not a transient, one-moment-in-time salvation. We are saved for eternity, and there is no other Savior beside our Lord. (2)
These same words are echoed in Isaiah 45:21,22.
Isaiah 43-44 is a breathtaking passage that describes the love of God for His people, His faithfulness to us, and the promises to which we can cling.
3) Read through Isaiah 43 and 44 and make notes on the promises of God that speak to you.
Hosea 13:6 tells us that, when God met their needs, Israel became “satisfied” and it led to pride. Because they forgot the source of their blessings, they credited themselves with their own provision. This should serve as a reminder to us that offering thanks to God is not optional and is more for our protection than for God.
4) What does offering a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” do for God? (See Psalm 50:23)
5) What does God do in response to a “sacrifice of thanksgiving”? (See Psalm 50:15, 23)
Hosea 13:7-8
Hosea again uses the imagery of wild animals to describe how God will respond to the sin of Israel. Lions, leopards, and bears are all native to Israel.
Lions (3) kill an estimated 250 people per year, but that number would have been much higher in Hosea’s time. The people in Israel would have understood the imagery of an attacking lion without any problem. (We’ve studied the imagery of the lion’s roar already, so I’ve not repeated that information.)
Lions are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and hunt at night. A lion lies in the grass or in other vegetation and watches its prey patiently, waiting until the moment of greatest vulnerability to attack. The lion sprints toward the prey and lunges for the head. Lion attacks on humans are usually aimed at the face and neck. It is extremely rare to escape a lion attack.
If God will be “like a lion” to Israel, He will watch them patiently, waiting to see how they will respond to His pleas for repentance. When He finally moves, however, it will be rapid and devastating. He will attack their source of pride (face) and the source of their false claims of piety (neck/mouth). There will be no escape.
Here's a link to a video of an attempted lion attack. (No one was harmed. The lion was behind a glass wall.) The speed and ferocity with which the lion moves are astounding.
The Arabian Leopard (4) is native to Israel and generally lives in the mountains. Their attacks are, like the lion, usually to the head and neck. The leopard also waits patiently before attacking its prey, as Hosea 13:7 mentions. Their spots provide excellent camouflage. They move with great speed, but are not as large as lions. Leopard attacks are sometimes survivable.
If God is “like a leopard lies in wait”, His presence and impending attack will be disguised, in a way, so that Israel will not realize, at first, that God is the one from whom their troubles arise. God’s judgment will be on them before they realize its coming. They may be able to survive it, but only if they are repentant and broken.
Bears (5) don’t usually attack humans, but a bear robbed of her cubs is a different story. Mama bears are both ferocious and relentless. They defend their young at all cost. Bears, like lions and leopards, attack the head and neck area.
If God “will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs,” He will move suddenly, decisively, and with incredible ferocity. If God is like a bear robbed of her cubs, He is desperate to defend the helpless and most vulnerable from the danger presented by the one He attacks. In the case of Israel, the “cubs” (infants) were sacrificed on the altar of Molech. Infant sacrifice was one of the sins for which Israel was judged.
God’s judgment against Israel, in a way, was a defense on behalf of the helpless infants. By stopping their idol worship through exile, He saved the lives of many infants. He defended the helpless ones with the ferocity of a mother bear.
Verse 8 tells us God will “tear open their chests”. The word translated as “chest” indicates the “heart enclosure” and might also be translated as “pericardium”, which is the protective sack surrounding the heart.
God “cuts away” the things with which we have surrounded and protected our hearts with the goal of bringing us back to Him.
PRAYER PAUSE:
What have you used to “protect” your heart from hurt? What have you used to insulate your heart from the call of God to move closer to Him?
Now is the time to allow God to rip away all the things of this world that we’ve used to insulate us from Him and allow Him full and open access to our hearts and lives. Pause now to offer your heart to Him without reservation.
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Before we move on, let’s look at the price of disobedience in a little more detail.
6) How did God say He would use beasts to discipline Israel? (See Leviticus 26:21-22, Deuteronomy 32:24, and Ezekiel 14:21)
Hosea 3:9
I love the KJV translation of this verse. “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in Me is thine help.” God was telling them the destruction they experienced was all their own fault. It wasn’t the “fault” of the Assyrians. It was Israel’s own fault.
7) In what ways had Israel destroyed themselves?
8) In what ways have we, as the United States, destroyed ourselves?
We can’t miss the promise God offered. “In Me is thine help.” He gave them a lifeline to which they could cling in the midst of their disaster.
No matter how bad our situation, God will not reject a repentant heart. All that was needed to turn their crisis around was that they bend their knees and their hearts before the Only One who could redeem them.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Hosea is right. Israel’s only hope for help was God Himself. That’s equally true for our nation, as well. Pause now to pray that, as a nation, we will turn to God and seek His healing for our land.
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Hosea 13:10-11
These verses refer back to Israel’s demand for an earthly king, rather than God as king. As we’ve already seen, God gave the people a king who looked good from the outside, Saul, but who was tormented by demons and insanity. Israel had one bad king after another. Judah had a few good kings, but also had the likes of Rehoboam, Queen Athaliah, and Manasseh.
9) Why was the king of Judah absent? (See 2 Kings 17:4)
Hosea 13:12
Hosea says the sin of Ephraim is “stored up”.
11) Why would the sin be “in storage”?
12) For what purpose is it stored? (See Romans 2:5-6)
One of the most amazing demonstrations of mercy and grace is found in the final sermon of Moses.
13) What did Moses foretell? (See Deuteronomy 32:15-18.)
God knew what His people would do when He responded to their cries in Egypt and brought them to the promised land. He knew about their sin, their idolatry, and the sacrifices they would make. He knew, yet He loved them anyway. He rescued them anyway. He led them, blessed them, and protected them anyway.
PRAYER PAUSE:
How have you seen the mercy and grace of God in your life, despite your sin? One definition of mercy is “not giving us what we deserve.” Grace is “giving us what we don’t deserve.” Be sure to thank God for the grace and mercy He has extended to you.
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Hosea 13:13
Isaiah 66:7-10 speaks of the birth of the nation of Israel. It could not be accomplished in a day, but God’s plan would not be denied. Hosea 13:13 suggests that Israel had come to the point of “birthing” but had failed to move from the birth canal into the life God had planned for her.
14) In what ways did Israel “delay at the opening of the womb”?
15) How did Israel come short of becoming the “wise son” God intended?
Matthew Henry explained this passage in a wonderful way. The natural outcome of “the pains of childbirth” is great joy at the birth of a child. When we experience the suffering that comes from sin, it should result in repentance and great joy. Instead, Israel had stopped short of repentance in their suffering. Rather than great joy, they had only pain and sorrow. (6)
Hosea 13:15-16 give a description of the coming horrors accompanying judgment. The east wind (Assyria) would soon come, as history has shown.
16) What would happen to Israel, according to these verses?
17) Read the following passages to see how Hosea’s prophecy was fulfilled:
2 Kings 17:5
2 Kings 24:12-14
Jeremiah 27:19-22
Ezra 1:7-11
Amos 1:13
Nahum 3:10
The heartbreaking reality is that none of this was necessary. Repentance would have resulted in forgiveness and healing, but it came too late.
Despite all the destruction, death, and loss their sin caused, one beautiful truth still remains. God’s plan for Israel has not changed. He still loves His people. He still intends good for them, and not evil. He will still bring it to pass.
16) Read Jeremiah 29:11 and write the promise of God here.
We close this chapter with a look at verse 14 and the promises of what God will do for His people.
My NASB version translates this verse as “shall I…” The KJV translates it as “I will…” I believe the “I will” most closely matches the intent of the passage. (See Psalm 49:15, Ezekiel 37:12-14) Despite all the sin of God’s people (not just Israel, but also we, His people), He is still willing to redeem, still willing to ransom us.
17) How was that ransom accomplished? (See 1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
PRAYER PAUSE:
We serve a risen Savior whose death paid the penalty for our sin. He ransomed us, redeemed us, with His own body. Should we not then live as those who have been bought with a terrible price? Spend some time worshipping our King and thanking Him for your sin-redemption that was bought on Calvary.
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Closing thoughts:
One more chapter and we’re done. It’s the love passage we’ve been working toward. The hope we’ve longed to hear. Don’t stop now. Treasure lies just ahead.
God bless you for your efforts and your willingness to sacrifice to step closer to our Lord.
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A little extra:
The tattered Israeli flag, photographed in Caesarea in 2013, is a reminder that, though Israel was dispersed throughout the world, God's promise to return them to the land He had promised held true. May 14, 1948, more than 2,500 years after they were taken into captivity by Babylon, the nation of Israel was "established" once again. It should serve as reminder to us that God always keeps His Word and fulfills that which He has promised.
Here's the link to Chapter Fourteen. The final chapter.
Here's the link to Chapter Fourteen. The final chapter.
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Footnotes:
(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion. Accessed 7/19/16.
#Hosea #Biblestudy #indepthBiblestudy
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