The focus of Chapter 12 is the faithfulness of God throughout the generations.
Hosea addresses Ephraim, Jacob/Israel, and Judah. Hosea reminds them of God’s faithfulness, and pleads for all God’s people to return to Him.
Jacob/Israel/Ephraim:
Hosea reminds God’s people of the beginnings of the nation of Israel. Jacob, who began as a “grabber” in the womb (Hosea 12:3. See Genesis 25:26), eventually stole his brother’s birthright (Genesis 25:27-34) and his blessing (Genesis 27:1-38).
Jacob fled for his life. (Hosea 12:12) En route to Paddan-aram, he paused for the night at Bethel and dreamed of the ladder to heaven. God spoke to Him there and made a covenant with him. (Hosea 12:4b. See Genesis 28:10-22)
1) What did God promise Jacob?
2) What did Jacob promise God?
PRAYER PAUSE:
Jacob’s vow to give the Lord 10% of all that God gave to him was an acknowledgement of God’s ownership of everything that came into his possession. Jacob recognized he was only a steward of God’s property. He began his new relationship with God by returning a portion back to Him.
This passage (as well as Genesis 14:20) is the basis for giving a tithe (or 10%) of all our income. The tithe was not given because God needed the money, the livestock, or the produce. The tithe was given as an acknowledgment of God’s favor, God’s grace, and His generosity. It was an act of worship.
Let’s pause to consider our own faithfulness with the tithe.
Do we tithe our gross income or only that portion that comes to us after the government’s tax has been removed?
Is our tithe an act of worship or merely a nice tax deduction?
Read Malachi 3:10-12 and consider the promises of God concerning the tithe.
Now is the time to ask God to adjust our attitudes about tithing and our habits of giving if needed.
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Laban, Jacob’s uncle, was also a deceiver. As Hosea reminds us in Hosea 12:12, Jacob worked for his uncle, Laban, seven years for his first wife, Leah, and seven more years for his beloved wife, Rachel.
Jacob finally gathered his family, his livestock, and all his possessions to return home. The night before he met his brother Esau again, Jacob sent the women and children ahead.
He was left alone and wrestled with the angel of God. (Hosea 12:4a. See Genesis 32:24-32) Jacob left the struggle with a new name (Israel) and a permanent limp.
Hosea begged the people to remember the sweetness of relationship that began at Bethel when Jacob begged for God’s favor. The same attitude of submission and repentance would be the beginning that would bring God’s favor to Israel again.
Instead, both Israel and Judah have piled sin upon sin. We’ve looked at their sin before, so we won’t belabor the point, but are a few points worth noting.
Hosea says Ephraim feeds on wind and pursues the “east wind”. (vs. 1) The “east wind” is not a gentle breeze that brings refreshment on a hot day.
3) What is the effect of the east wind on crops? (See Genesis 41:6, Ezekiel 17:10)
4) Of what does God accuse Ephraim in verses 7 and 8? (Canaanite being used interchangeably for merchant)
5) How does God view “false balances”? See Proverbs 11:1 and Amos 8:4-6.
This chapter closes with verse 14, in which Hosea says that Ephraim has provoked the Lord to bitter anger and, as a result, God will leave their bloodguilt on them.
6) In what way have they “retained” their bloodguilt? (This is a reference to Ezekiel 33:1-5)
In verse 10, Hosea reminds us that God has already spoken through his prophets. He’s given them visions and parables, but the people have listened to none of it. In verse 13, he reminds Israel that the prophets have been invaluable to them, because a prophet (Moses) brought them out of Egypt and “by a prophet he was kept.”
7) There’s a sweet truth hidden in the phrase “he was kept”, so check out BLB for more information and record it here:
8) The word translated as “he was kept” in verse 10 is shamar and is also found in verses 6 and 12. Look at these verses in BLB (you can scroll down from the link above) to see how it’s used and record here.
9) How did they respond to the prophets and what were their consequences? See 2 Kings 17:13
PRAYER PAUSE:
In what ways have we heard the watchman’s cry in our culture? How have we responded to the warnings of the prophets of our time? How do you think God views your response and your actions? If there are changes that need to be made, list them here and make a commitment to honor God in all your ways.
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10) What does verse 2 say about Judah?
The terminology used in verse 2 is similar to that used in Hosea 4:1 and Micah 6:2. God has issued an “indictment” against His people, and Judah is not exempt.
Hosea 12:11 makes reference to the altars in Gilgal.
11) How did Gilgal get its name? (Read Joshua 5:1-9)
12) What else happened in Gilgal? (See Judges 3:19, Hosea 9:15, Amos 5:5)
Now, we come to the good part of Hosea 12. Read Hosea 12:5-6 aloud.
13) What does the word translated as “God of hosts” mean? (See BLB and be sure to check Gesenius:https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6635&t=NASB)
14) How many mounted warriors of God will be used in Revelation 9:16?
PRAYER PAUSE:
Consider for a moment the forces under the command of our God. There is nothing He cannot accomplish. There is no enemy He cannot defeat. He is able. No matter what battles you face, our God can handle them. Stop for a few minutes to worship our Lord of Hosts and place your battles, your trials, your pain in His loving hands.
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After nearly thirty years as a physician, I know a prescription when I see one. Hosea 12:6 is the prescription for the treatment of sin-sickness.
15) Write out the prescription God prescribed for His people, then read it aloud.
I love the way this verse is translated in ESV.
“So you, by the help of your God, return,
hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
Hosea 12:6 esv
Let’s work through these instructions. (The Hebrew lessons all come from BLB)
We’ve seen shuwb, the word translated as “return”, repeatedly in Hosea. This is the Qal imperfect verb form and describes an action that is not yet completed, but is in the process of occurring. We might say, “As you are returning” or “start returning and keep on returning”.
The word translated as “observe” or “hold fast”, shamar, is in the imperative verb form. It is used to indicate a command. We are to “hold fast to love and justice.” The holding is not optional.
The word translated here as “love” is checed. It is often translated as mercy or kindness and can be used to describe the mercy of God toward His wayward people. We are to show the mercy God has shown to us to those around us.
It implies a greater responsibility than “love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
This directs us to love our neighbor, be merciful to our neighbor, in the same way that God has loved us, been merciful to us. It’s one thing to love someone as I love myself, but to love them with the great love God has shown to me is another matter entirely.
16) If we are to love others as God has loved us, we need to remember the love He has shown to us. Take a few minutes to write out the ways God has demonstrated love to you.
The word translated as justice is mishpat. This instruction to “hold to justice” does not mean we are to administer justice in God’s stead. It means we are to hold to what is right. To do what is right.
Here’s a blog post that deals with the issue of “mishpat” and our desire for “justice”.
Here’s a quote from that blog:
“We have neither the right nor the authority to take matters of justice into our own hands. Our Lord has given us clear direction to treat others as we want to be treated. No matter how they treat you, treat them back in the way you want to be treated. Our behavior is not dependent on what other people do or fail to do.”
The principle of mishpat, or doing what is right, is not popular in our culture. When people talk about getting justice, what they most often want is revenge, but that is not God’s way. The job of vengeance is His alone.
17) What do the following verses say about vengeance?
a) Deuteronomy 32:35
b) Romans 12:19
The word translated as “wait” is qavah, also an imperative verb form. The stem is “Piel”, which (according to BLB) “expresses an intensive or intentional action.”
Our waiting for God to move in our situation is to be both ongoing, intensive, and with expectation.
Of all the verbs used in this verse, the waiting is the most active action we are to take.
The word translated as “continually” is tamiyd. It implies an ongoing action that persists, night and day, in perpetuity.
To put it all together, God’s people need to live in a continual state of returning to Him. Our desire should be to draw ever closer to Him. We are to grab hold of the mercy God has shown to us and pass that mercy along to all we encounter, whether they treat us well, or not. Justice is not for us to administer. Instead, we are to do what is right and seek what is right. We leave the issue of justice to the only One who is qualified to administer it. He will do what is necessary. If we believe that (and we should), all that is required of us is to wait for God to move.
The overriding action of God’s people should be waiting on Him with expectation and anticipation.
As I’ve studied the issues of social injustice and inequality, I’ve found one verse that sums up our responsibility in the situation quite nicely.
18) Read Colossians 3:14 and write the verse below. Consider how you can make love a greater part of your life.
PRAYER PAUSE:
Take a moment and consider the verse above. How well do you clothe yourself in love? How do you use love as a “binding agent” in an inharmonious situation? What changes do you need to make in the way you treat others, especially those in different socioeconomic or racial groups?
____________
The photo above is the entrance to a cave beside the shepherd's field near Bethlehem. As you can see, the door is small. The area inside is fairly large. Shepherds would herd their sheep inside for the night. To ensure their safety, the shepherd would sleep in the doorway. Any predator would have to "go through the shepherd" to get to the sheep.
In that same way, when Jesus says He is the door, it is this door to which He likely referred. The "door" that secures the sheep is the watching, protecting presence of the Good Shepherd.
Take courage fom this truth. Our Shepherd has given Himself to protect us from the devouring enemy of our soul and it is He who will keep us safe until the day we enter our eternal home.
_________
Final thoughts:
We're nearly to the end. This lesson was shorter than the last and the next one will likely be shorter still. If you've worked through all twelve chapters, you've learned a lot and, likely, changed, as well. I'm praying for you to persevere all the way through to the end. Good job!
Here's the link to Chapter Thirteen.
#Hosea #Biblestudy #in-depthBiblestudy
In that same way, when Jesus says He is the door, it is this door to which He likely referred. The "door" that secures the sheep is the watching, protecting presence of the Good Shepherd.
Take courage fom this truth. Our Shepherd has given Himself to protect us from the devouring enemy of our soul and it is He who will keep us safe until the day we enter our eternal home.
_________
Final thoughts:
We're nearly to the end. This lesson was shorter than the last and the next one will likely be shorter still. If you've worked through all twelve chapters, you've learned a lot and, likely, changed, as well. I'm praying for you to persevere all the way through to the end. Good job!
Here's the link to Chapter Thirteen.
#Hosea #Biblestudy #in-depthBiblestudy
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