Hosea Chapter 13
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "When Ephraim spoke,
there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, but through Baal he
did wrong and died."
The tribe of Ephraim took the leadership
in the northern nation of Israel, and when the leaders of that tribe
made a pronouncement, there was a response of "trembling" (fear) in the
people of that land. "He" exalted "himself," as so many countries and
leaders do, but the people were led in the wrong direction. "Baal" can
be translated as "master", "possessor", "lord" or "husband" and usually
referred to the "gods" of crops, flocks and farm animals possessed by
the Canaanites and Phoenicians. Ephraim killed the nation through
idolatry.
"Idolatry" (the worship of idols,
statues, like this "Baal") can be anything we do that takes the place of
God in our lives, and it is a form of self-destructive behavior. It’s
obvious when a person points a weapon at themselves and uses it, that
they want to destroy themselves. It’s less clear, but it still can be
seen, that when people use drugs such as cocaine or alcohol, such
behavior leads to the destruction of the person. What is more difficult
to see, is that to place ANYTHING ahead of God in our lives, will
ultimately destroy the soul.
Verse 2. "And now they sin more
and more, And make for themselves molten images, idols skillfully made
from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them,
‘Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!’"
An artistic person would take metal,
originally placed in the ground by God for the benefit of His people.
God created the earth and all that is within it, and did it with the
thought, "they will like this, I know they will. My little ones will
find this USEFUL," and we did. He gave the talent to the artistic
person, but they melted these substances, and instead of something
useful like tools, made idols from them. Golden calves were part of the
worship of the nation Israel – one of the calves was at Bethel and the
other was at Dan.
You’ll recall the first Chapters of the
Book of Hosea, where the writer/prophet was led to marry the harlot
Gomer, who betrayed him with other men. That marriage was the analogy
(or parable) which laid the foundation for the ministry of Hosea and for
this book. The people were told by the political leaders and priests to
"kiss the calves" as though false religion could do anything for them!
This, of course, was horrible sin, and they went from bad to worse. God
will judge the nation that prefers "things" to Him.
Verse 3. "Therefore they will be
like the morning cloud and like dew which soon disappears, like chaff
which is blown away from the threshing floor and like smoke from
a chimney."
What wonderful (but also terrible)
imagery. There are a number of Scriptures that compare people to the dew
in the morning, which quickly disappears in the heat of the day; or to
the smoke that rises from a fire. A campfire starts from a spark and can
blaze brightly for a time, but it quickly goes out and the warmth is
gone. Ephraim, one of the ten tribes of the north, had a position of
prominence, but much like the outer covering of the grain is typically
blown (thrown) away, soon they would be seen no more.
Isaiah Chapter 40 is an excellent look at
who we are. The nations "are like a drop from a bucket" and are "a speck
of dust on the scales" (Isaiah 40:15). We are like "grasshoppers" to Him
(Isaiah 40:22), and the purpose of all this is that we might finally
look up and SEE the God who made us. "Lift up your eyes on high and see
who has created these stars, the One who brings out their host by number
and calls them all by name" (Isaiah 40:26). Look up from your troubles
and look to God, for He will deliver you.
Verse 4. "Yet I have been the Lord
your God Since the land of Egypt; and you were not to know any god
except Me, for there is no savior besides Me."
It is obvious that it was the LORD who
delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They did not deliver themselves,
for they were taken out by many miracles, not possible for any person
among them. The God who has delivered you many times, will deliver you
now, if only you will let Him. Turn to Him and see, for there is no God
except Him, and there is no savior besides Him.
The whole world has been delivered from
the slavery of sin by the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into our country,
our lives, delivering us from sin by His death. But we are not to know
any "god" except Him, for there is no other savior besides Him. Just
like Israel was rescued from Egypt, so you have been saved from sin and
death. The prison door has been opened, but are you willing to go out?
He has set you free. Won’t you come?
Verse 5. "I cared for you in the
wilderness, in the land of drought."
This life is such a dry and thirsty land.
It’s like a wilderness. True comfort is rare and it does not last.
Friendships don’t last, and if they do, it’s only for a time. The One
who will care for you in this desolate place, is Jesus Christ. He gives
"living water" to those who thirst, which will become in you "a fountain
of water springing up into eternal life" (John 4:14). "Whoever drinks of
the water that I shall give him will never thirst" (same reference).
In this "land of drought" you shall be
filled. We were at the ocean, this past weekend. Plenty of water, but
none of it fit to drink. Wet but undrinkable, and so much like the
competing religions of this world. Full of busy activities but no Savior
to deliver you from sin and death. You can’t get out of this
"wilderness" alone – You need HIM, who has trod this dry and thirsty
place; and He will care for you, that you might live.
Verse 6. "As they had their
pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became
proud; therefore they forgot Me."
In Deuteronomy, God said to Israel, "when
the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful
cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which
you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and
olive trees which you did not plant – when you have eaten and are full –
then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, from the house of bondage" (Deuteronomy 6:10-12). They forgot the
Lord!
(Can’t say He didn’t warn them.) And of
course, He is warning us, as well. You have been given much, and our
tendency is to receive FROM God, and then turn AWAY from the very One
who gave it all to us. I love words and the use of them, and I am
continually aware that it is GOD who gives the words. To be successful
in something is satisfying, and therein is danger, for pride lurks and
draws us away from the One who gives us – everything!
Verse 7. "So I will be like a lion
to them; like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside."
We have seen that God is a good Shepherd
to us, jealously guarding His "flock" from harm; and leading us
constantly to "green pasture". But what if we refuse to remain in good
pasture, and continually test the fences, struggling to get out of His
care? Why, the lion will tear us, and the "leopard" lies in wait just
ahead of us; beside the path we are now on.
God doesn’t even have to "be" the lion
and the leopard – He merely withdraws His protection from those who
refuse Him, and we are gone in a moment. It is our own sin that has
eaten us up. After years of self-abuse from riotous living, we bear the
marks in our own bodies, of sins that are like claw marks, spoiling our
youth; eroding our lives. Our lifestyle hastens the aging process and we
fall into death, not unlike a lamb taken by that lion.
Verse 8. "I will encounter them
like a bear robbed of her cubs, and I will tear open their chests; there
I will also devour them like a lioness, as a wild beast would tear
them."
The "lamb" (representative of Israel,
America, people like you and me) is obviously no match for a bear. Sheep
have no real defenses at all, whereas the bear not only has great claws
and teeth, but she has SPEED, and can catch the lamb in a moment. Once
the chest is torn open, the life goes, and the formerly cute little lamb
is now only the meal of a predator. This is a parable of what would
happen to Israel if they did not turn back to God. They needed only to
seek Him and He would protect them from all harm.
This is also a parable of what will
happen to every one of us, if we do not receive the LIFE offered in
Christ, and turn from our sins. The Holy Spirit of God, who has been
protecting us, merely steps out of the way at the appointed time, and
life becomes like a bear that tears us to pieces. We call such an event
in our lives an "act of God," which has some truth, for surely God IS
sovereign – but also understand that your "trouble" is intended to bring
you to faith in Him.
Verse 9. "It is your destruction,
O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help."
I believe that self-destruction is at the
heart of all sin. We become proud and turn away from the God who has
given us so MUCH! He gives life, and yet we want MORE in life than we
have. So, we become moody and bitter, and turn to something like
alcohol, which makes us turn mean, and we hurt someone and then go into
some kind of prison. There is so much anger in the prisons of life, and
yet, the greatest imprisonment is inside of our soul.
Give up your anger, your bitterness and
your pride! It is pride that makes us want to be taller, or shorter, or
of a different appearance, for if we did not have pride, we would not
feel we deserve more. We destroy ourselves and then we blame it on our
parents (who were sinners, too), and finally we blame God, who would
give us so MUCH, if only we would LET Him. For it is not God who is
against us, but it is we who are against God.
Verse 10. "Where now is your king
that he may save you in all your cities, and your judges of whom you
requested, ‘Give me a king and princes’?"
"I don’t want much; I just want what
OTHER people have!", is the cry of many. Israel was like that – "She"
just wanted to be like the other nations around them and have KINGS, but
God wanted more for them (1 Samuel 8). HE intended to be their king, but
they preferred a MAN to God. They got their kings, and at this point in
time, they still had them. The throne was full, but the man would be
inadequate to save them.
Judges, Kings, Presidents are fine, but
we need more – we need the Lord! Who do you look to in your hour of
need? Your insurance policies are nice, but you need so much more than
ANYTHING man can do for you. Israel got their way with "kings and
princes", and ultimately it led them to destruction. We are no different
and we need to trust in Him now, as individuals and as nations – we
truly need the Lord.
Verse 11. "I gave you a king in My
anger and took him away in My wrath."
The nation cried for a king (1 Samuel)
and God gave them what they wanted. First Saul was given, and then the
line of David, which apparently ended, but it ultimately led to the true
King (Jesus). Israel had made outward choices that were not pleasing to
God, but the problem went much deeper. It was the hearts of that people.
As a nation and as for most individuals in it, their hearts were simply
– wrong before the Lord.
What do you do when you have a son or
daughter who is simply – wayward? They go their own way, do their own
"thing", and won’t listen to the voice of experience or reason. What do
you do? Why, eventually you just have to let them go! GIVE them their
own way and so very soon they discover that THEIR way can be the way of
destruction. Kings or the lack of them was not the point – they needed
changed hearts. God’s "wrath" (as in this verse) was the concern of the
Parent who loves His child.
Verse 12. "The iniquity of Ephraim
is bound up; his sin is stored up."
Joseph Excell compares this to a "miser
that puts his money into a bag and seals it up to prevent it being
lost." He would carefully count it and "so the sins of Ephraim (Israel)
were reckoned, laid up in the treasure of wrath, till the amount should
be full and the day of reckoning arrive" ("The "Pulpit Commentary"
volume 30). Sin within us is not unlike a boil which grows larger and
more painful – there is a point where the Physician must lance that boil
and remove all infection from the body.
Unfortunately, humanity has no remedy for
this "boil", this "sin" within us. Our religions have not done the job,
our philosophies have failed us, and science falls short of the glory of
God. Only Jesus through the cross can open up (lance) the sin inside and
return us to life and health. It was said of Him (long before His
birth), "He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and
by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
Verse 13. "The pains of childbirth
come upon him; he is not a wise son, for it is not the time that he
should delay at the opening of the womb."
When you are being born, it is not the
time to say, "Not today; I don’t think I will be born today; maybe some
other time!" Israel was about to be "born" into a whole new world. They
would leave the place of abundance, and be taken against their will,
much like a child leaves the womb, into a life of suffering and trouble.
Not a pleasant world, but one that would be proper for "him" at the
time, because Israel was "not a wise son," in that he turned against the
God who loves him.
Solomon told them the truth when he said
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your
paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn
away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your
bones" (Proverbs 3:5-8). He was a wise man, for he understood that true
WISDOM comes from the Lord and from no other source.
Verse 14. "Shall I ransom them
from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where
are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden
from My sight."
We have needed to be ransomed (bought
back) from the power of sin. It’s like we were captured by pirates who
sent a ransom note, and we will not be released until all is paid. God
asks (as though He did not already know the answer), should these
people; not only Israel but also the whole world – should they be bought
back from sin and death? His answer to that question is "yes" and we
have been PURCHASED by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to
be served, but the serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark
10:45). "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the
Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all… (1 Timothy 2:6). In
the midst of grief and horror, including the "thorns" and "sting" of
death, when compassion seems to be simply GONE from our lives, remember
His Answer: "Shall I ransom them?" His answer is YES in Jesus Christ,
and we must turn to Him today.
Verse 15. "Though he flourishes
among the reeds, an east wind will come, the wind of the Lord coming up
from the wilderness; and his fountain will become dry and his spring
will be dried up; it will plunder his treasury of every precious
article."
The "east wind" in Israel is a dry and
scorching wind from the desert, which dries and shrivels everything in
its path. Israel was lush and green at that time. There were abundant
trees, lots of water and they were the envy of their neighbors. It was
like the people lived within a lovely and large oasis. This "east wind"
would come and dry the country up, and they would lose – everything!
This is an excellent picture of the one
who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ. God has lovingly "planted" us into
the circumstances of this world. Some situations are better than others,
but all is designed to bring us to faith in Him. If we will not turn to
Him, our time "among the reeds" will be over, our "fountain will become
dry" and our "spring will be dried up." Sometimes losing can be winning,
if it brings us to trust in Him.
Verse 16. Samaria will be held
guilty, for she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the
sword, their little ones will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant
women will be ripped open."
"Samaria" (God was speaking of the
northern nation Israel), was "found guilty as charged" in God’s
courtroom. The evidence was all in, judgment had been pronounced, and
now it was time for sentencing by the Court: They were to be invaded and
overrun by the godless nation Assyria, and terrible things would happen
during that invasion. The words of this verse are not God’s wish for
them, but instead they are His lament, for these awful things would
shortly happen.
It is not God’s intention that any of us
should suffer. As stated earlier, the troubles of this world are
curative in nature. The "fruits of the Spirit" (of God) include "love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness" and so on (Galatians 5:22-23). But where
He sees in us tendencies toward the "deeds of the flesh" such as
"immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery", etc. (Galatians
5:20-21), our good Father will eventually allow the "sword" to enter our
lives, unless we voluntarily turn to Him.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
