Hosea 12:7-14

REQUITINGEPHRAIM HAS PROVOKED

TEXT: Hosea 12:7-14

7

He is a trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.

8

And Ephraim said, Surely I am become rich, I have found me wealth: in all my labors they shall find in me no iniquity that were sin.

9

But I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; I will yet again make thee to dwell in tents, as in the days of the solemn feast.

10

I have also spoken unto the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets have I used similitudes.

11

Is Gilead iniquity? they are altogether false; in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the field.

12

And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

13

And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.

14

Ephraim hath provoked to anger most bitterly; therefore shall his blood be left upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.

QUERIES

a.

How is Israel a trafficker?

b.

When did Israel again. dwell in tents?

c.

Why mention Jacob's servitude for a wife?

PARAPHRASE

Israel has become Canaan, seeking its advantage in deceit and wrong because, like a fraudulent Canaanite merchant, it has attempted to become great by cheating. Israel is even proud of its unrighteousness, rationalizing that the wealth they have acquired justifies the means taken to obtain it. Let Me remind you, I am the God who led you from Egypt and to this moment I have been the source of all your prosperity, It appears that the only way you will recognize My sovereignty is for Me once again lead you through a wilderness experience where you are totally dependent upon Me, I proved to you over and over that I am the source of your strength by sending prophets to make known My gracious will and exhort you to repentance. I have sent the prophets to preach and teach in every way possible to lead you back to My will. The whole land, from Gilead on the east, to Gilgal on the west, is rotten. Its spiritual worthlessness and wickedness will result in physical destruction and oblivion. I did not even make Jacob's lot as easy as I have made yours. Jacob became a fugitive, served virtually in slavery many years to obtain a wife, and worked at the menial task of tending cattle. Contrast Jacob's lonely flight with your being led by a prophet; contrast Jacob's guarding of the cattle with your being guarded by Me through the prophet Moses. Israel, your failure to remember this and your rebellion against My loving kindnesses has provoked Me to righteous anger against you. You stand guilty and condemned for all your violent, evil, bloody crimes. You will not repent. Therefore justice will be done. Your sentence will be hastily executed.

SUMMARY

Israel's pride has caused her to delude herself. She has forgotten, deliberately, that Jehovah is the source of her very being and of her present wealth. God prepares to teach her again to trust in Him.

COMMENT

Hosea 12:7-8 HE IS A TRAFFICKER. AND. SAID, SURELY I AM BECOME RICH. FIND IN ME NO. SIN. The ASV has in the margin of Hosea 12:7, As for Canaan. and also in the margin, a Canaanite. The word translated trafficker is literally, merchant, which is the common, or appellative signification of the Hebrew word in the text here, Israel, far from being like the spiritually-minded Jacob, is like the crafty, cheating Canaanite (Phoenician) merchant or trader. The picture we get of Israel here and throughout the history of the northern kingdom is that her driving ambition was to become wealthy and powerful and she was not concerned with the ethics she used in attaining her goal. In fact, Hosea 12:8 represents Israel as an ethical relativist. She believes that the end justifies the means. She thinks she is rich and powerful, and this, after all, is what counts. So who would believe she has committed any wrong that could be called a sin. All's fair in love and war and making moneyaccording to Israel; but not according to God's commandments given to Israel. Cheating and robbery were strictly forbidden (cf. Leviticus 19:36; Deuteronomy 25:13-16; Leviticus 6:2-4; Deuteronomy 24:14).

Ethical relativism (sometimes known as Pragmatism) is the philosophy which says, Whatever works is true and right. Since one thing or one action may work profitably one day and not the next, truth and right can never be absolute. Truth may change at any moment. It becomes relative to every situation. Of course, if there is no absolute standard of right and wrong then each individual becomes the arbitrary judge of what is right and wrong for what may work for one person does not necessarily work for another. Furthermore, who makes the decision as to what works? In other words, is material prosperity the highest what works to aim for? This is what Israel had decided. What else can man conclude when he will not accept the divine revelation from God that there are spiritual things much more important? Actually, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, if Christ is not raisedif the apostolic message is not divinely authoritative, therefore falseman is silly to practice any religion or any code of ethics except hedonism (self-indulgence, self-interest). But, on the other hand, if the apostolic message (and we should include the entire Bible) is an authoritatively revealed will of an Omnipotent God, there are values much higher than things.

Israel's problem is well summed up in the problem the church of Laodicea. Cf. Revelation 3:14 ff: ... Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.

Hosea 12:9-10. I WILL YET AGAIN MAKE THEE TO DWELL IN TENTS. The people have deluded themselves into believing they are responsible for their own prosperity. God reminds them, in the first phrase of this verse, that He has been Israel's source of origin (when He formed them into a nation and rescued them from Egyptian slavery) and He has been the source of all their successes since that time until the present. Since they will not listen to mere words spoken by a prophet, God will cause them to experience once again a period of dislocation, wandering and testing through the captivity. This experience has as its goal calling Israel to penitent trust in Jehovah as they had in the wilderness under Moses, All their riches, power and even their land will be taken away. Perhaps then they will repent and turn to God in full trustsince they will have found there is no security in wealth or power. The dwelling in tents refers to the ceremonies connected with the Feast of Tabernacles (Numbers 14:33) which was to call to their remembrance the shielding and sheltering care and protection of God in their wandering through the great and terrible wilderness (cf. Leviticus 23:42-43).

In Hosea 12:10 God reminds them of all the intermediaries He sent to lead them, admonish them, teach them and care for them like shepherds tenderly caring for a flock of helpless sheep. The prophets, from Moses to Malachi, were given and used every means at God's command to turn the people of Israel in God's direction. Visions, miracles, predictions of the future and expositions of the Law were multiplied. Vividly arresting figures of speech, symbols, parables, metaphors, allegories, types, object-lessons were all used. These people could never claim lack of quantity or quality of communication as an excuse before God's judgment bar. And, as the writer of the Hebrew epistle puts it, ... if the message declared by angles was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.

Hosea 12:11 IS GILEAD INIQUITY?. IN GILGAL THEY SACRIFICE BULLOCKS. Gilead and Gilgal represent the two halves of the kingdom of the ten tribes. Gilead represents the land to the east of the Jordan which belongs to Israel and Gilgal represents the land to the west of the Jordan. The word translated iniquity is literally worthlessness. The moral decay of the whole nation, brought on by idolatry, will lead to physical disruption and destruction. The predictive present is used in this verse. The prophet looks into the future and sees it as presenttheir altars are as heaps in the furrows of the field. This is what is to happen to their altars to idolatry.

Hosea 12:12 JACOB FLED INTO THE FIELD OF ARAM. Earlier Jacob was used as an example of the diligence for spiritual things which God expected Israel to imitate. Now Jacob's long years as a fugitive, slaving away at such menial tasks as herding cattle, all the distress and affliction he suffered in those years, in made to contrast with the many years of prosperity, peace and security the nation of Israel has enjoyed under the protection of God. Jacob had endured his affliction and served the Lord faithfully and in gratitude. Israel, the nation, instead of thanking the Lord for their comfort and prosperity by lave and faithfuldevotedness to Him, spurned His love, and went after other gods.

Hosea 12:13. AND BY A PROPHET WAS HE PRESERVED. No such helpers were given to Jacob. God sent prophets to light the paths of Israel, the nation, by the proclamation of His Word. God demonstrated visibly, many times over, by miracles and predictions through the prophets, His power and His purposes. But it was not given to Jacob, to such an extent, to have the power and purpose of God demonstrated visibly. The nation had privileges and possibilities far beyond those of their father Jacob. God had every right to expect of the nation at least as much faithfulness as Jacob had manifestedeven more. To whom soever much is given, of him shall much be required.

Hosea 12:14 EPHRAIM HATH PROVOKED TO ANGER MOST BITTERLY. Israel's indifference to God's love gave provocation to God's righteous indignation. Unrequited love justly deserves anger. The perfect love of God, when spurned and mocked, merits perfect justice and righteous retribution. If men are moral, if God is moral, if the universe is governed by moral principles, then to repudiate the loving, protecting, sustaining will of the omnipotent God is to morally and justly deserve and deliberately choose the only reasonable and logical alternativethe indignation and wrath of the One spurned. A deliberate, moral choice of wrong can only result in deliberate, moral rejection of good. The crucial question is: Has it been sufficiently demonstrated, historically and pragmatically, or empirically, that God exists, that the Bible is His inerrantly recorded Will for man, that Jesus Christ is His Son, and does the Bible claim to be the exclusive and ultimate Good? The answer is now, and was then, unequivocally, YES! Therefore, man, the moral creature, must make his own decision. He is master of his fate. If man decides against the empirically demonstrated and exclusively ultimate Good, his blood shall be left upon him. If man will not, by faith and obedience toward God, allow God to forgive his sins, then man must pay the penalty for his own sins. If man chooses evil and rebellion against God (which makes man to be in disharmony with his created purpose) then this is what God will permit man to havefor all eternity.

QUIZ

1.

Why use the word trafficker in place of Canaanite? in Hosea 12:7.

2.

What was Israel's ethical philosophy?

3.

What is ethical relativism? Do people practice this today?

4.

Why is ethical relativism impractical?

5.

How and why did God intend to make them to dwell in tents again?

6.

How extensive were the opportunities for Israel to know the will of God?

7.

Does the person who deliberately chooses evil deserve the wrath of God? Why?