Hosea Chapter 12
Commentary by Ron Beckham
This
week: Hosea 12:11-14
Verse 1. "Ephraim feeds on wind,
and pursues the east wind continually; he multiplies lies and violence.
Moreover, he makes a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to
Egypt."
In a recent sermon, Pastor Davie Copp
referred to Ephesians 2:2, where it speaks of the enemy as the "prince
of the power of the air." In relation to that verse, he asked, "What is
air?" Pastor Davie continued, "It’s nothing! He’s the prince of
NOTHING!" Ephraim (Israel), like the enemy, was involved in
pursuing – nothing! Their dealings with other nations and with one
another, had become – emptiness, like feeding on the wind!
All of their national and international
relationships involved lies and a kind of emptiness (KJV), in which they
ruined themselves. They made meaningless, dangerous treaties with the
Assyrians and Egyptians. Their olive oil was currently being exported to
Egypt, but soon the nation Israel would be destroyed and they would be
taken into captivity. To be human is to be one step from disaster; one
heartbeat from entering eternity. It’s time to trust in our Lord. We
need Him now.
Verse 2. "The Lord also has a
dispute with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will
repay him according to his deeds."
The "dispute" or "charge" here is a legal
complaint in God’s Court of Law. Not only is Israel (Jacob) accused
before the Court of the Lord, but so is Judah, to the south. And so is
every person who ever lived. Yes, it is our hearts which give birth to
the deeds that condemn us, but it is our deeds which become the physical
evidence for the Prosecution on the day of judgment. We will be repaid
according to our deeds on this earth.
There’s more. "The wages of sin IS death"
but also "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 6:23). Israel was guilty and Judah also, and so are you and me.
But God has a surprise for the world, and His Name is Jesus Christ. Yes
we are condemned under the law, but we are set free in the Son of God.
We can be repaid in relation to HIS deeds and not our own (when we trust
in Him).
Verse 3. "In the womb he took his
brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God."
Jacob (which means "supplanter" or
possibly "heel catcher") grasped his twin brother’s heel as the two boys
were being born. Esau, his brother, came out first, but Jacob learned to
covet the blessing that went to his older brother. He reminds me of two
Canadian boys I knew. They were just a year apart, and the younger one
continually attempted to take the "older" position, "nipping" at his
heels constantly. Many of us are much like Jacob.
Jacob not only struggled with his
brother, but he also wrestled with the Lord. We see an instance of this
in Genesis 32:24-28, when he "wrestled with a Man" through the night. It
likely was the Lord, for he said, "I have seen God face to face and my
life is preserved" (Genesis 32:30). So often we struggle with God and
man, when the Lord simply longs to bless you and answer your need.
Verse 4. "Yes, he wrestled with
the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found Him at
Bethel and there He spoke with us,"
Not only did he (Jacob) struggle with the
Angel and live, but he also hungered and thirsted for the Lord, and with
many tears sought Him. Jacob had many experiences with God, but his
brother Esau, who did not seem to seek the Lord, apparently had none.
(You tend to receive what you ask for – Esau did not ask). In Genesis
28:12 and forward, Jacob dreamed and experienced a vision of the Lord.
He saw a ladder with its top in heaven, and "the angels of the Lord were
ascending and descending on it."
The same Jesus, who died on Calvary for
you and for me, also died for Jacob, and appeared to him in this dream.
In John 1:51, it is revealed this "Ladder" is about Jesus Christ: "You
shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man." To reach a high place, we need a ladder. To reach
heaven, we need something similar, and we are given our "Ladder" in the
person of Jesus Christ. We need to be like Jacob, who "wept and sought
His favor" – in doing so, we will find Him.
Verse 5. "Even the Lord, the God
of hosts, the Lord is His name."
Right after God told Moses "I am who I
am", in response to Moses’ question, "What shall I say to them?" (if
Moses was asked about God’s Name – Exodus 3:14) – the Lord answered that
Moses should tell them, "I am the Lord God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." God continued, "This is
My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations" (Exodus
3:15). "I am" – He simply IS!
The "memorial" of God is His Name,
expressed through Israel and given also to you and me (if we trust in
Him). I have often thought that the "new name" offered in Revelation
2:17, is HIS Name, as the groom’s name (the Lord) is given to the bride
(the church), so is His Name given to all those who love Him and trust
in Him. "The Lord is His Name" and He is ours through the cross and in
our willingness to trust in Him.
Verse 6. "Therefore, return to
your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God
continually."
In this verse is God’s prescription for
all who fall into the illness of sin: Turn to Him, the Great Physician,
and with His help (He IS helping you), your heart will be healed and may
return to the One who created you and loves you. With Him in your heart
and life, the MERCY you have needed all this time will be yours. And He
will bring kindness and justice to those who wait on Him. These
qualities may be IN us, but they are FROM Him.
We are to wait on Him continually. If you
think about it, He waits on you. The very breath in your lungs right
this moment, is His gift to you. He cares for you so much, it is only
reasonable for you to care for Him. Jesus said "Abide in Me" (John
16:7), which is precisely what is meant here, where it says "wait for
(or "on") your God continually." It is as natural as breathing to
receive the Son of God.
Verse 7. "A merchant, in whose
hands are false balances, he loves to oppress."
The ATTITUDE of the people Israel at that
time, is expressed in Amos 8:5, where they ask petulantly, "When will
the New Moon be past, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we
may trade our wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large,
falsifying the balances by deceit." They had become a nation who cheated
other nations and also one another. Most of all, they cheated God, who
had given them everything.
How honest are you? God sees your heart
and He knows your ways. He knows your likes and dislikes, your
propensities, and if you love to oppress others through bad business
dealings, He knows all about it. He gave us the formula for LIFE in
verse 6: "Return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for
your God continually." There is NO OTHER WAY - in Him you will find the
"kindness and justice" you have hungered for all this time.
Verse 8. "And Ephraim said,
‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my
labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin.’"
In Revelation 3:17, the Lord says to the
Church at Laodicia, "You say ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have
need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor,
blind and naked…’" It is often when we think we are doing so well, that
we actually have missed out on - all that is important in life. When we
look around and think, "I’ve got it all" - watch out! We may be in great
need, right at this moment.
Just like the Church at Laodicia, Israel
had become wealthy, and they thought their wealth meant God approved of
their behavior. "They will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin",
was their attitude, and yet, the complete reverse was true about them.
We are not as smart as we think we are, and it’s often our "best" that
is the worst. Humility is: "I can’t, but God in me can." Meekness is: "I
can’t, but my neighbor can, and I am glad that God has blessed him."
Love is: "Thank You, God – in everything."
Verse 9. "But I have been the Lord
your God since the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again,
as in the days of the appointed festival."
It’s interesting here that He was their
God "since the land of Egypt." Yes, He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, their forebears (fathers), but He laid their foundation during
the time of SLAVERY, in an alien land. You may bear some kind of label,
as a member of or an adherent to some kind of religious organization.
But God intends to become PERSONAL to you, and often some "trouble"
(like losing much) in your life, will allow you to be changed
sufficiently in order that you might personally receive Him.
They had become "rich" (verse 8) and had
strayed from Him. Now He would take them out of comfortable living, and
make them nomads (a people of tents) once again. It might be that their
difficulties would reveal to them the true need of all mankind: "There
is no Savior besides Me" (God Himself – Hosea 13:4). Therefore, when
Paul, in 2 Timothy 1:10, refers to "our Savior Jesus Christ," he is
declaring the Son to be God. We NEED God the Son.
Verse 10. "I have also spoken to
the prophets, And I gave numerous visions, and through the prophets I
gave parables."
There is an interesting comparison
between verse 10 and verse 11. God has COMMUNICATED through His people
we call the prophets. To Israel, He gave many such men, and they
expressed "visions" that offered everything the people needed to know.
If that wasn’t enough, they were provided with parables (analogies) that
gave understanding from an additional perspective.
And they had the written Word of God
(much of what we call the Old Testament). We have God’s Word also, and
we are blessed that it is more complete than theirs. The Messiah, who
was foretold throughout the Old Testament, is REVEALED in the New. But
we have often strangely responded like those in verse 11. We are given
EVERYTHING, including the FREEDOM to know Him, and yet people often
respond with empty promises and a lack of love.
This week: Hosea
12:11-14
Verse 11. "Is there iniquity in
Gilead? Surely they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, yes,
their altars are like the stone heaps beside the furrows of the field."
Gilead was land owned by the nation
Israel, which was east of the Jordan river, extending from the southern
end of the Sea of Galilee to the northern end of the Dead Sea, eastward
to the desert. It was a plateau, some 2,000 feet in elevation. At the
time of Moses, it was a lush region with forests, rich grazing lands,
and plenty of water. It had become, from God’s perspective, a place full
of worthless, sinful people.
According to the Jewish/Roman Historian
Josephus, Gilgal was about ten miles from the Jordan river, and about
two miles from Jericho. It was to Gilgal that Saul was sent by Samuel to
be confirmed as king over Israel (1Samuel 11:15). It was not the "Gilgal"
from which Elijah ascended (2 Kings 2:1). This Gilgal was a religious
place, where they had many sacrifices, but their altars, from God’s
view, were like heaps of stone, piled alongside a field. They were not
dedicated to Him, and they meant – nothing.
Verse 12. "Now Jacob fled to the
land of Aram, and Israel worked for a wife, and for a wife he kept
sheep."
John Calvin seems to have the correct
"handle" on this verse. He comments, "Their (Israel’s) father Jacob, who
was he? He was a fugitive from his country. Even if he had always lived
at home, his father was only a stranger in the land. But he was
compelled to flee into Syria (Aram). And how splendidly did he live
there? He was with his uncle, no doubt, but he was treated quite as
meanly as any common slave; he served for a wife. . . in the lowest and
meanest, the hardest and the worst kind of servitude."
It should have been clear to Israel that
they came from the lowest poverty. Their forefather fled from the land
"on the run" from his brother, who wanted to kill him. He became a
tenant sheepherder. Jacob (Israel) had NOTHING, and everything Israel
presently owned, was the gift of God. They should have turned to the
Lord in JOY, and yet they turned their backs on Him, in favor of idols
that could do nothing at all for them.
Verse 13. "But by a prophet the
Lord brought Israel from Egypt, and by a prophet he was kept."
This was the nation that ended up as
slaves in Egypt. It is just like they fell off the "ship" of life, and
God threw His lifeline; a prophet, who was given to a nation of drowning
men. The name of that prophet was Moses, and he was the one sound man in
a perverse generation. They had entered into the slavery of this world,
and God led one prophet to speak the words of FREEDOM to a people who
didn’t even seem to care to be free.
Yes, they were reluctant to be free, and
would have remained in slavery, except God practically DROVE them from
the bondage of Egypt. For forty years, they lapsed from complaint to
unbelief, in one situation after another, and yet they were kept, again
and again, by the words through that prophet. When they were thirsty,
God showed him water within a rock. When they had no food, God, through
Moses, told them of the "manna" that would satisfy their hunger. God had
given them – EVERYTHING.
Verse 14. "Ephraim has provoked to
bitter anger; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and bring
back his reproach to him."
Ephraim (Israel) should have been
grateful to the Lord for setting that nation free. God took them from
slavery and poverty, and made them both free and rich! And yet they
turned their backs on Him, worshiping instead, dumb idols that could do
nothing for them. This is very much like the loving husband (or wife),
who gives everything out of love, and their "mate" responds by running
off with someone else!
The person who has experienced such a
thing, feels – anger. Outrage and bitter anger is quite normal for such
a time, and your sins are not pleasing to God. Only the love of God in
Christ Jesus can save you. God longs that you will find REST in Him,
along with peace and the joy of the Lord. But so often people just give
"lip service" to their relationship with Him, and so the Lord will allow
the feelings of guilt and reproach to remain. This is just for a time,
because He longs to BLESS you and me.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
