Hosea 12:1-6

LOVE REBUKING
REQUITINGEPHRAIM HAS PROVOKED

TEXT: Hosea 12:1-6

1

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he continually multiplieth lies and desolation; and they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.

2

Jehovah hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.

3

In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:

4

yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him at Beth-el, and there he spake with us,

5

even Jehovah, the God of hosts; Jehovah is his memorial name.

6

Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep kindness and justice, and wait for thy God continually.

QUERIES

a.

When did Israel make a covenant with Assyria?

b.

Why refer to Jacob's birth and manhood?

c.

What is Jehovah's memorial name?

PARAPHRASE

Israel is fattening itself for the slaughter by vainly seeking to sustain itself on deceitful military alliances with Assyria and Egypt. Judah, too, will reap the destruction it has sown by sinning against JehovahJehovah will render justice. If this covenant people had only followed the example of their forefather, Jacob! Jacob was so zealous to appropriate God's promised blessing that while he was still in the womb of his mother he struggled in order to obtain the spiritual birthright by grasping the heel of the first-born, Esau. Then, when Jacob was full-grown, he struggled with all his might, wrestling with God and, through intense prayer and supplication, he conquered and won the blessing of Jehovah. And so it was that Jacob found favor in the heart of God at Bethel, Jacob's exemplary faith and God's covenant blessing there at Bethel applies to us, for we are the children of Jacob, if we follow in the steps of Jacob's faith. We may have confidence that God will bless our faithfulness as He did Jacob'S, because He is the God who commands all the forces of heaven, both visible and invisible and rules the universe with unrestricted omnipotence. He is the Great, I AM! He is the Rock of our salvation, and besides Him there is no god! Therefore, O Israel, repent! Return, by faith, to a vital, meaningful fellowship with God. Let this fellowship be expressed in your every-day living through kindness, justice and longsuffering, by faith in the faithfulness of God!

SUMMARY

Israel and Judah's sin brings the just punishment of the faithful God upon this generation of covenant people. The example of their forefather, Jacob, should have led them to lives of faith and righteousness.

COMMENT

Hosea 12:1 EPHRAIM FEEDETH ON WIND. MULTIPLIETH LIES. MAKE A COVENANT WITH ASSYRIA The double indictment of God continues from the last verse of the preceding chapter (Hosea 11:12). The prophet continues his pronouncement of judgment upon both Israel and Judah.

The word feedeth is literally, pastures or shepherds. Israel strives eagerly after, or pursues, what is empty or vain. The east wind in Palestine is a fierce, hot wind blowing in off the Arabian desert which dries up everything in its path and makes desolate. Israel pursues that which will bring about its own destruction. Israel is fattening itself for slaughter by living on deceit and lies. During the reign of Hoshea (731-722 B.C.) Israel attempted to liberate itself from the oppression of Assyria by means of a treaty with Egypt (2 Kings 17:4). Hoshea sent splendid presents (perhaps olive oil) to the king of Egypt, to bring him over to his side, and induce him to send him assistance against the king of Assyria, although Hoshea had bound himself by a sacred treaty to submit to the sovereignty of the latter, Undoubtedly there were lies and deceitful arrangements made on both sides, for in order to keep up appearances of alliance with both sides (each bitter rivals for world supremacy), Israel would have to resort to deception, falsehood and intrigue. Such a policy could only end in self destruction and desolation, Such duplicity not only aroused the wrath of their allies, but it was also open rebellion toward God who had demonstrated over and over again His faithfulness in giving them victory, protecting and sustaining them. Furthermore God had commanded that they make no such alliances.

Hosea 12:2 JEHOVAH HATH ALSO A CONTROVERSY WITH JUDAH. Judah too is condemned, Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah and during both their lives the good king Uzziah king of Judah, had died to be succeeded by Jotham and then Ahaz, both faithless and unrighteous men who led the people of Judah into the same kind of sin as Israel had been led into. Judah will know God's holy justice. She will get what she deserves. Whatever Judah has sown, so shall she reap.

Hosea 12:3-5 IN THE WOMB HE TOOK HIS BROTHER BY THE HEEL. HAD POWER. PREVAILED. FOUND HIM AT BETH-EL. THERE HE SPAKE WITH US, EVEN JEHOVAH. Jacob, evidently referring to all the covenant people (both Israel and Judah), deserves God's justice. But, Jacob (both nations of covenant people) may have God's mercy if they would exercise the same zealous faith to obtain it that their progenitor, Jacob, exercised in obtaining the birthright and the subsequent covenant blessings from Jehovah. Jacob's conduct in obtaining the birthright is definitely held up here as a lesson of earnest striving for the spiritual treasures God has to offer the faithful and diligent. Not only his diligence in obtaining the birthright (whereas Esau, to whom it could have belonged, despised it and preferred physical food), but his persistence and endurance when he was tested by God obtained for him a covenant blessing from God. The test mentioned is apparently the wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22 ff). It was here Jacob made supplication with loud crying and tears and was heard for his godly fear (cf. Hebrews 5:7-8 where the true Jacob wrestled and prevailed). Thus humbly, but persistently, Jacob wrestled with God in prayer (probably wrestling more with self than with God) and won the victory. As proof of Jacob's victory, Hosea cites Jacob's experience recorded in Genesis 35:9 ff where, in Bethel, Jacob not only had his own name Israel confirmed, but the promise made to his forefather, Abraham, was given to him and he was declared to be the chosen of God.

What God said to Jacob there at Bethel, God meant to be applied to all of Jacob's posterity, the spiritual seed of Abraham. This means, of course, all Jews descended from Jacob until the time of Christ and all Christians afterward who would walk in the same steps of faith as Jacob (and Abraham) walked (cf. Romans 4:11-17, etc.). All such faithful are members of the kingdom of God and recipients of the covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (which promises find their reality, full-blossomed perfection, in Christ and His church).

The phrase ... God of hosts is intended to portray the God of Israel as sovereign of the universe. He commands the forces of the whole universe, whether visible or invisible. He is omnipotent! This is the God with whom Israel has to do! (cf. 1 Samuel 1:3; 1 Samuel 17:45; 2 Kings 6:16; 2 Chronicles 32:7; Romans 8:31-39). We take this opportunity to quote at length from Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, by Merrill C. Tenney, on the article entitled JEHOVAH:

JEHOVAH. the English rendering of the Hebrew tetragram YHWH, one of the names of God (Exodus 17:15). Its original pronunciation is unknown. The Jews took seriously the third commandment. (Exodus 20:7) and so, to keep from speaking the holy name carelessly, around 300 B.C. they decided not to pronounce it at all; but whenever in reading they came to it they spoke the word adhonai which means -Lord.-' This usage was carried into the LXX where the sacred name is rendered -Kurios,-' i.e. Lord. Consequently in the KJV, Lord occurs instead of Jehovah, whereas ASV renders the name -Jehovah.-' When the vowel points were added to the Hebrew consonantal text, the Massoretes (Jewish scribes) inserted into the Hebrew consonantal text the vowels for adhonia. The sacred name is derived from the verb -to be,-' and so implies that God is eternal (-Before Abraham was, I AM) and that he is the Absolute, i.e. the Uncaused One. The name -Jehovah-' belongs especially to Him when He is dealing with His own, while -God-' is used more when dealing with Gentiles. See for instance 2 Chronicles 18:31.

There are ten combinations of the word -Jehovah-' in the O.T.. Jehovah-ropheka, -Jehovah that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26); Jehovah-meqaddeshkem, -Jehovah who sanctifieth you-' (Exodus 31:13); Jehovah-tsabaoth, -Jehovah of hosts-' (1 Samuel 1:3); Jehovah-elyon, -Jehovah Most High (Psalms 7:17-'); Jehovah-roi, -Jehovah, my Shepherd-' (Psalms 23:1); Jehovab-jireh, -Jehovah will provide-' (Genesis 22:14); Jehovah-nissi, -Jehovah is my banner-' (Exodus 17:15); Jehovah-shalom, -Jehovah is peace-' (Judges 6:24); Jehovah-shammah, -Jehovah is there-' (Ezekiel 48:35 m); and Jehovah-tsidkenu, -Jehovah is our righteousness-' (Jeremiah 33:6; Jeremiah 33:16).

Jehovah gave His name as a memorial (cf.Exodus 3:15; Psalms 102:12; Psalms 135:13). This means, of course, that Jehovah was the name by which Israel was to remember God. The name, I AM THAT I AM, was to cause Israel to recognize and remember that their God was Self-existent, Eternal, Unchangeable and Immutable. He is from everlasting to everlasting (cf. Genesis 21:33; Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 63:16; Jeremiah 10:10; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 93:2; Micah 5:2). Such a God would never let one of His promises go unfulfilled! His word is inviolate! His name memorialized in the minds of the faithful all the past historical demonstrations of His unchangeableness and fulfilled promises.

Hosea 12:6 THEREFORE TURN THOU TO THY GOD: KEEP KINDNESS AND JUSTICE. The therefore refers back to the immediately preceding verses. These six verses form a very concise homily in logical sequence. First, the sins of the covenant people and the warning of judgment; second, the example of Jacob's faithfulness and God's blessing of Jacob; third, the nature of God; finally, the conclusion, an exhortation to repent based on the three reasons above. The main reason for repentance is to be found in God's nature, for each of the above points have their bases in the nature of God's unchangeableness. This is the leading idea of all the prophetic literature, indeed of the entire BibleTHE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD IN KEEPING HIS WORD!! On the basis of that faithfulness man may respond toward the will of such a God in full trust and faith and enjoy complete peace and harmony in fellowship with the Unchangeable God! In a world of dissolution, disappointment, inconstancy, temporalness, what a blessed peace comes to the soul who trusts in a God who has historically demonstrated His Immutability, His eternal love! The fruits of such trust are kindness and justice.

QUIZ

1.

How did Ephraim feed on wind?

2.

What connection did Israel's alliances with Assyria and Egypt have with the multiplication of lies and desolation?

3.

Why was Judah to be punished?

4.

How does Jacob's diligence to obtain the birthright become an example to Israel?

5.

What does the name Jehovah mean?

6.

Upon what basis does Hosea call for the covenant people to turn to God?

7.

What should be the fruits of their turning?