Hosea 13-14
Dear RTB’ers,
Hosea, continued – and ended. Today, again two chapters very different from each other, with chapter 13 continuing God’s judgment on Israel and chapter 14 speaking of His deliverance.
Earlier in this book we saw a lot of greed and subjugation of the poor and helpless by the wealthy and powerful. We haven’t seen that for a while; mostly the last few chapters have been about idolatry, about Israel seeking after other gods, about idol worship. Hosea likens this worship of other gods to morning dew, chaff and smoke, all of which exist for a while and then are gone. Good imagery there!
Earlier I posted about “prosperity, luxury, complacency”. Today we see something similar, but something even more hurtful – pride: As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and as they became satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot Me. (13:6, NASB) Complacency is bad enough, but when we get to the point where we don’t acknowledge all that we have been given from God, when we see ourselves as being successful for our successes, when we become prideful, then we have problems!
Hosea ends chapter 13 on a horrible note: Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open. (13:16) But that’s his necessary transition to his main message – return! Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the LORD… (14:1-2a) It’s easy to miss something very important, Take with you words… Hosea is telling these people that their sacrifice of bulls and goats is not enough, but what is needed is a turning of their hearts, their words!
Sadly, we never see that Israel repented. We learn that they went away into exile to Assyria in 722 BC. And we sometimes speak of “the ten lost tribes of Israel”. Judah will also have problems and will go into exile to Babylon in 586 BC, but she will come back (see Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel). Hosea closes with a proverb for us all, Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. (14:9)
Blessings!