Hosea 12: Divine favor and Israel’s provocation.
Judah and Israel reminded of the Divine favours. (1-6)
Ephraim feeds himself with vain hopes of help from man, when he is at enmity with God. The Jews vainly thought to secure the Egyptians by a present of the produce of their country. Judah is contended with also. God sees the sin of his own people, and will reckon with them for it. They are put in mind of what Jacob did, and what God did for him. When his faith upon the Divine promise prevailed above his fears, then by his strength he had power with God. He is Jehovah, the same that was, and is, and is to come. …Then let those who have gone from God, be turned to him. Turn thou to the Lord, by repentance and faith, as thy God. Let those that are converted to him, walk with him in all holy conversation and godliness. Let us wrestle with Him for promised blessings, determined not to give over till we prevail; and let us seek Him in his ordinances.
– Matthew Henry Concise Commentary.
V.1…feeds on the wind… Israel sought futile, subtle, and empty ways to satisfy desires that only God could fill Eccl. 2:11.
V.2…indictment against Israel… God, in the rest of the chapter recounts the incidents from the beginning of the history of Israel, inform them his endurance and kindness and the stubborn ingratitude.
Vs.3 & 4…heel…struggled… These are the two significant incidents in his life; 1. Incident at his birth. He took his brother by the heel at birth.
2. His struggle with the angel and he prevailed at Peniel, where the Angels touched Jacob’’s hip socket and put it out of joint. This divine wounding made Jacob into a new man, Israel. When Jacob complied with the command, and God reassured Jacob of his former promise.
Vs.5 & 6…His memorable Name… God was revealed as God El-Shaddai to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the beginning. But later God revealed Himself to Moses as ‘Jehovah.’ God is reminding Israel that the Name Jehovah is the only name to be chanted and worshipped.
The provocations of Israel. (7-14):
Ephraim became a merchant: the word also signifies a Canaanite. They carried on trade upon Canaanitish principles, covetously and with fraud and deceit. Thus they became rich, and falsely supposed that Providence favoured them. But shameful sins shall have shameful punishments. Let them remember, not only what a mighty prince Jacob was with God, but what a servant he was to Laban….We had better follow the hardest labour in poverty, than grow rich by sin. We may form a judgment of our own conduct, by comparing it with that of ancient believers in the like circumstances. Whoever despises the message of God, will perish. May we all hear his word with humble, obedient faith. – Matthew Henry Concise Commentary.
Vs.7 & 8…A cunning Canaanite!… deceitful scales…This is not a reference about Canaanites, but refers Israel as a merchant who is not righteous. Israel practices dishonest, cruel, and deceptive business tactics. They oppress, but still think of themselves as innocent.
Vs. 9 & 10…I have…multiplied visions;… (v. 10) God speaks not through just one prophets, but He confirms and reminds through multiple prophets, and they are special and very important to consider. Psalms 147:19 & 20 talks about the reason for which God speaks to His people multiple times. Gods of the other nations don’t do that.
Symbols… (v. 10). Other translations say Parables. Here, Hosea’s life itself is the parable, his relationship with his wife Gomer, intended to depict God’s love for Israel. What a great joy to let God make our life, by all means, a parable to people around us not only to share the Gospel but live as the symbol of God’s love to them.
Vs. 11…Gilead….Gilgal… As we have seen earlier in 6:8 & 9:5, these cities thoroughly devoted to the worship of idols. The very prominent area of remembrance for the great work of God can become the place of idol in our lives.
Vs. 12 – 14…Jacob… In verses 12 & 13, the LORD is talking about His preserving grace. When Jacob was fugitive for 20 years at his uncle’s place in Paddan-Aram, God preserved him. Then again Jacob went to Egypt to die and the generations lived there for 400 years to be saved by Moses. Despite knowing the preserving, sustaining, delivering and saving grace of God, Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly (v. 14).
Hosea 13: The abuse of God’s favor.
The abuse of God’s favour leads to punishment. (1-8)
While Ephraim kept up a holy fear of God, and worshipped Him in that fear, so long he was very considerable. When Ephraim forsook God, and followed idolatry, he sunk. Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves, in token of their adoration of them, affection for them, and obedience to them; but the Lord will not give his glory to another, and therefore all that worship images shall be confounded. No solid, lasting comfort is to be expected anywhere but in God. God not only took care of the Israelites in the wilderness, he put them in possession of Canaan, a good land; but worldly prosperity, when it feeds men’s pride, makes them forgetful of God. Therefore the Lord would meet them in just vengeance, as the most terrible beast that inhabited their forests. Abused goodness calls for greater severity. – Matthew Henry Concise Commentary.
V. 1… trembling… There was a time when Israel was doing well with God, his words were commanded respect. He was respected among the nations. …he died… No matter how long it took the nation to realize that it had died, death had nonetheless occurred. Similarly, for an individual, sin brings death, though the realization of it may not occur immediately. But, praise the LORD! We can be made alive by the blood of Jesus Christ and live forever.
V.2…let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”… Actually, this is human sacrifice. Isaiah 57:5 talks about Israelites sacrificing their children to Baal. Kissing the calves is showing their adoration for the idol-god. Read 1 kings 19:18 which talks about the remnant faithful.
V. 3 …morning cloud, early dew, chaff, smoke… This is the end of the un-repented wicked people. They will disperse, dissolve, scatter, disintegrate and dispelled (Ps. 1:4).
Vs.4 & 5…I am the LORD your God Ever since the land of Egypt… On the contrary to verse 3, God projects Himself to the people of Israel as their God who sustained them in the land of draught (v.5) by His devoted care. This is a reference to Exodus 20:2 where it says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” God requires our devotion and faithfulness to HIM because HE has saved us from sin and delivered us from death in Jesus Christ. In faith, let us acknowledge that there is no Savior besides the Lord Jesus Christ, and He alone is the one true God, and salvation come through no other than Jesus Christ.
V. 6…they were filled and their heart was exalted;…forgot Me… Their devotion in the wilderness diminished with prosperity. What is the ONE that makes our devotion to God diminish?
Vs. 7 & 8..a lion…leopard…rod…bear… Hosea’s contemporary also depicts Israel as the prey of wild beasts, an image of God’s judgement.Repentant heart will stay safely in the city. In the OT times, it was through the temporary ceremonial sacrifice. In Leviticus 16:7-10, we read about the scape goat to be sent into wilderness carrying the sin eventually to die by the wild beasts. In the NT times, it is through the permanent and ‘once and for all’ sacrifice we can live forever. Our Scapegoat Jesus took the cross and suffered outside the city (Hebrew 13:12&13).