Hosea 13

God’s Mercy Misunderstood

Date: February 14, 2021

Introduction

Good Morning. If you have your Bibles please turn to Hosea chapter 13. Last week Jason taught chapter 12. Chapter 13 begins where chapter 12 ended. God punishes Israel for rejecting Yahweh and pursuing false gods. Israel refuses to listen to God’s voice, or His prophets and they broke the covenant. Israel deserved to die for their sins. God in his mercy punishes them to bring them back to him. Today we will see more of the same. Israel will continue to refuse to turn from their sin and repent. God continues to be merciful by bringing hardship on them to bring them back to him. They prove to be very prideful and stubborn. Toward the end of the chapter God says He will redeem them. This will continue into chapter 14. I will read the text as we go through the chapter.

Throughout this series we have had to make some adjustments in the wording of the text to accommodate our young listeners. I will not summarize any verses this morning. I do want to put your minds at ease though with verse 13. I will not go into any details. I hope it goes without saying that you know our desire is to stay true to teaching the Bible accurately. Today we are not compromising the text but choosing words appropriate for our young listeners.

Let’s Pray before we get started.

Exposition 1: God in my image. (Pride)

Hosea 13:1 (ESV)

13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel, but he incurred ​ ​ 2 guilt through Baal and died. And​ now they sin more and more, and make for ​ themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”

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In the text today Ephraim represents the northern territory. There was a time when the other tribes treated Ephraim with reverence and respect. When Ephraim spoke, there was terror. Hosea is saying, if Ephraim could leave Yahweh and worship Baal then the other tribes could do the same thing. And they eventually did. When the tribes turned to Baal, Israel died morally and spiritually.

is the same word used for the golden (מסכה) ”In verse 2 the word used for “cast image bull in Exod 32:4, and Deut 9:16. Let me try to illustrate this verse. Let’s say I made a bull out of wood and I have it here this morning. I am not saying this but what if I said we can worship this bull. What would you say? We would say No! Hosea says they had skilled craftsmen among them. They would make these idols to represent their gods. Hosea mocks them with this last statement, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”. The words “human sacrifice” is difficult to understand. Some commentaries say they are not sure what this means. Others say this refers to sacrificing animals to these idols. However, we do have references of kissing calves. In 18 1 Kings 19:18 (ESV) Yet​ I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have ​ not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”~~ Kissing the idol was a sign of devotion to the idol. I think today in our culture we would really question this. How could someone worship a false god like this? Before we dismiss this let’s consider our idols today. If I removed the bull what would we put in its place, money, house, career, maybe our children. The point of making an idol is that the idol I made is in my image. I can make the idol I want. I can make the idol have the values I choose. Isn’t this what some people do when they are looking for a church? Does the church believe what I believe rather than what God has said in the Bible? This mindset is what got Israel in trouble and it gets us in trouble today. We put ourselves first. We put ourselves over God. Now let’s read verse 3 to see what this does to Israel.

3 Hosea 13:3 (ESV) “ Therefore​ they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that ​ goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.” ~~

The smoke from a window is misleading. We should think of the window more like a chimney. Have you ever seen the due evaporate from the roof of a house or the rain from the highway? Have you ever seen the frost lift from a field or a landscape? What about a small whirlwind or the smoke ascending over a fire? In this verse there are four similes and they all have something in common. What is it? The mist, dew, chaff and smoke disappear. What they used to be is no more. This is what is going to happen to Israel. Because they pursued these false gods Israel will no longer occupy the promised land. They will no longer be free. They will no longer live-in prosperity.

2 Because of their idolatry, the nation of Israel will no longer exist. In verses 4 and 5 Hosea reminds them who God was to them. We should never lose the relationship with God that the wilderness experience produced.

Exposition 2: Never lose the relationship with God that the wilderness produced.

4 Hosea 13:4–5 (ESV) But​ I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no ​ ​ 5 God but me, and besides me there is no savior. It​ was I who knew you in the ​ wilderness, in the land of drought;

These verses take us back to the covenant formed at Mount Sinai. God said these things to Israel in the ten commandments. Let’s read Exodus 20:1–4 (ESV) “20 And ​ 2 ​ God spoke all these words, saying, “I​ am the Lord your God, who brought you out of ​ 3 the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You​ shall have no other gods before 4 ​ me. “You​ shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is ​ in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” ~~ In verse 4 and in Exodus God describes to Israel the type of relationship they are to have with Him. God is a jealous God and they are not to have any other god but Him. Israel’s relationship is exclusively with God. God goes on to say, “and besides me there 11 is no savior”. This is a quote from Isaiah 43:11 (ESV) “ I,​ I am the Lord, and besides ​ me there is no savior.” ~~ Yahweh is the only God that offers salvation. No other god they could worship is a savior, there is only one messiah. Only Yahweh has the ability to save them for eternity. Even though God is punishing Israel for the sin of idolatry, His is still their God. In verse 5, God knew them in the wilderness, the land of drought. The drought is a very dry land. The wilderness is a place of hardship. There is nothing but God in the wilderness. Israel depended on God in the wilderness and God provided for them. God provided manana, birds(Exodus 16) for food, and water(Exodus 17, Numbers 20) in the desert and the Promised Land. God wants us to desire Him like we desire food and water. He wants to be in our lives all the time. This was true of Israel and isn’t this true of us. When do you experience God the most? For me it is when I am in a difficult place. When I am at the mercy of God. When there is nothing anyone can do for me to resolve my problem. I often try to fix it myself but when I finally surrender to God and let Him carry me through it, I see God work in my life and use other people in the process. Isn’t it wonderful in the midst of hardship to know that God holds you in his 13 hands? A verse I like to read in the middle of hardships is in Isaiah 41:13 (ESV) “ For​ ​ I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” ~~ The image in my mind is a father holding a child’s hand. There are times when we can feel as if we have been reduced to the emotions of a child. God knows! It is in the wilderness when we can really know God. It is when we come out of the wilderness that we forget God. Hosea describes how Israel forgot God in the next 3 verses.

3 Exposition 3: Remain faithful

6 Hosea 13:6–8 (ESV) but​ when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and ​ 7 their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me. So​ I am to them like a lion; like a ​ leopard I will lurk beside the way. 8 I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her ​ cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.~~

When Israel came out of the wilderness, they forgot God. This was predicted in 20 Deuteronomy 31:20 (ESV) “ For​ when I have brought them into the land flowing with ​ milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.”.~~ In the wilderness Israel depended on Yahweh. Once in the Promised Land they had all they needed. In their prosperity they forgot Yahweh and pursued other gods. Israel wanted to do what they thought was right in their own eyes. It was because they did not have food, shelter, and they were slaves. All of this drove them to God. Did they depend on God for material blessings or spiritual blessings? When they were blessed materially, they lost their spiritual relationship with God. In 7 8 Proverbs 30:7–9 (ESV) “ Two​ things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: ​ ​ Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the ​ Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” ~~It is not wrong to prosper or to be wealthy. It is a sin to put prosperity over God. It is because Israel has turned from God to follow these false gods that He says in verses 7 and 8 that He is going to devour them.

The lion, leopard and bear are wild animals. Hosea draws from Old Testament references to describe what is going to happen to Israel. One reference is in Jeremiah 7 4:7 (ESV) ” A​ lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he ​ has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be in ruins without inhabitants.” ~~ The New American Commentary says, “The metaphor of a bear robbed of her cubs appears elsewhere (Prov 17:12), but it is used here with deliberate purpose. Yahweh has been robbed of his children (the common people of Israel) by his wife (the woman Israel, that is, the royal and priestly leadership). She has made them to be the children of Baal.”~~ The royal and priestly leadership has led the common people of Israel to Baal. The wild beasts represent Assyria that will attack at a time when they will not expect it. The metaphoric language describes a graphic picture of these wild beasts tearing open the chest which exposes the heart. The point is God wants to tear out their wickedness. He wants to remove the wickedness from their heart. In the next few verses God will express His love through hardship to restore Israel.

4 Exposition 4: The love of God is expressed through hardship to restore Israel.

9 Hosea 13:9–11 (ESV) “ He​ destroys you, O Israel, for you are against me, against your ​ helper.

10 Where​ now is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers— 11 those of whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? I​ gave you a king in my anger, ​ and I took him away in my wrath.”

Depending on your translation, your Bible may say “It destroys you”, “You are destroyed” or “I destroy you”. In verses 7 and 8 Hosea wrote that God was going to devour Israel through Assyria. It is God who is going to destroy Israel. God and Israel had a covenant relationship. Part of the covenant included God protecting Israel from 29 their enemies. This is in Deuteronomy 33:29 (ESV) “ Happy​ are you, O Israel! Who is ​ like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”~~ In the covenant relationship God protected Israel from its enemies. When Israel chose to turn away from God, they broke the covenant and lost their protection. Israel showed contempt for Yahweh by choosing their own kings. Their kings led them into believing these false gods. Most likely Assyria took their leaders and the royal families first. This would mean Israel was without a government. And now at the time of their destruction, their kings cannot help them. The loss of the government is part of the 11 covenant punishment. The first part of verse 11 says, “ I​ gave you a king in my anger,” ​ means that God will send them a king but not the king that they expect. The king God sends is the ruler of Assyria as their conqueror. The second half of verse 11 is: “and I took him away in my wrath.” means that God will remove the Israelite king from his throne. Israel continues in their rebellion and suffers the consequences described in verses 12 and 13.

12 13 Hosea 13:12–13 (ESV) “ The​ iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is kept in store. ​ ​ The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb.”~~ There have been several interpretations of verse 12 offered by commentaries. Some will refer to verses in Job or Zachariah. These references don’t fully explain the verse. We have seen some similar 6 wording in Hosea 2:6–7 (ESV) ” Therefore​ I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I ​ 7 will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. She​ shall pursue her ​ lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.”~~ Hosea uses the woman or the wife to represent the evil of Israel. In chapter 2 we learned that God was removing Israel’s ability to sin by building a wall of protection around them. This protection was exile. God will remove Baal and the other fertility gods

5 from Israel’s reach. They will no longer have access to them. Here in chapter 12, God is saying He will put an end to these false gods to end Israel’s idolatry so they will no longer have children for Baal. Verse 13 describes the pain Israel will receive for persistently pursuing Baal. The metaphor is childbirth. The metaphor breaks down when Hosea mentions the wisdom of an unborn child. Let’s first talk about the process and then apply it to Israel. Some of your Bible versions may mention a birthing stool. Jason said in our meeting this week the stool is still used in some European countries. The stool is in the shape of a U. The stool is a good way to explain what Hosea is saying is going to happen to Israel. Back in Hosea’s day, during delivery the mother would sit on a stool. This is how it gets its name, the birthing stool. We know that childbirth is a painful experience for the mother. The longer the mother is on the stool the more pain she will endure. The longer the mother is on the stool the more likely it is that something is wrong with the child putting the mother and the child at risk. So what is Hosea saying? The lack of wisdom of the unborn child refers to the ability of Israel to 28 make Godly choices. This is mentioned in Deuteronomy 32:28–29 (ESV) “ “For​ they ​ 29 are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. If​ they were wise, ​ they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!”.~~ A birth would represent Israel making the choice to return to God which would end their punishment. Since they are still following the fertility gods, in the metaphor, they are not born which means the punishment will continue. One commentary says the mother represents Israel and the child represents the people. If the people do not turn from these false gods and worship Yahweh, the child and the mother are doomed.

Exposition 5: You will never drift beyond God’s reach.

Hosea 13:14–16 (ESV)

14 ​ I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

Hosea sometimes changes subjects abruptly and he does so here. Sheol is the place of the dead. Twice in this verse Hosea uses similar words in ransom and redeem. The word for redeem is a financial term. It means there has been a price paid. It is unlikely that Hosea knew that this verse would be more meaningful in the New Testament. By 28 what means were they redeemed? The answer is in Matthew 20:28 (ESV) “ even​ as ​ the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This verse points to the Gospel Message. Jesus’ death and resurrection on cross. The verb used for redeem also has the meaning of kinship or kinsman-redeemer. A kinsman-redeemer is a male relative and according to the laws of ​ the Pentateuch, had the responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in need or

6 danger. The kinsman redeemer could redeem property or people. We have studied an example of a kindred redeemer. Do you remember who it was? In the book of Ruth, Boaz was the kindred redeemer. In the new testament we know Christ is our redeemer. Here in Hosea Yahweh is Israel’s redeemer.

Hosea continues with two questions: “O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, ​ 55 where is your sting?” Paul quotes these questions in 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV) “ O​ ​ death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”.~~ When Paul quotes this verse he is taunting death because Jesus Christ has taken the sting out of death through His death and resurrection. The Minor Prophets commentary says, “These two questions affirm more than just deliverance from the danger of death. They affirm the conquest of death itself. Death is being challenged to do its worst. It will not be victorious. The only meaning which this verse had for the Israelites of Hosea’s day was that Yahweh possessed the power to redeem them from death, and raise Israel from destruction into newness of life. The full and deeper meaning of these words is [1] understood by the death and resurrection of Jesus. ”.~~​ The last sentence in verse 14 ​ 31 is “Compassion is hidden from my eyes.”. In Deuteronomy 4:31 (ESV) “ For​ the Lord ​ your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.”~~ The name “Ephraim” means “double fruitfulness”. The Lord would not let his people be annihilated in the coming judgment. Let’s read the last two verses of this chapter.

15 Hosea 13:15-16 “ Tho​ ugh he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind ​ of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his 16 spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing. ​ 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.”

Most commentaries did not have an explanation for “flourishing among his brothers”. It is really not understood who the brothers were mentioned in this verse. During Hosea’s time it is believed that there were wetlands or pools of water where the cattle and sheep would drink and the livestock flourished. Jason taught about the east winds in chapter 12 last week. The winds normally came off of the Mediterranean Sea but sometimes the winds would shift and come off the desert. The winds from the desert were very hot and 3 dried up the wetlands. This is first mentioned in Hosea 2:3 (ESV) “ lest​ I strip her ​ naked and make her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and make her like a parched land, and kill her with thirst.”.~~ The hot east winds were judgement. Israel is like a plant that will die from a lack of water. Their wetlands will dry up and there will be no rain. The treasury that is mentioned is a reference to a

7 storehouse, things they would have stored or their reserves. Everything Israel has will be depleted.

In verse 13 the child was unwise by not turning away from the false gods and returning to Yahweh. And because of this continued rebellion the nation of Israel will die. Here in verse 16 is the graphic nature of their death. The people who were alive will die by the sword. The children and pregnant women will die violent deaths. Similar actions are recorded in 2 Kings chapters 8 and 15.

Conclusion/Application

It is hard to believe that we are almost finished with the book of Hosea. We have one chapter left. This book has been a tough book in many ways. There is a lot of punishment in this book, but I think it is a matter of perspective. This is a book that could be told from one perspective as a victim. Israel would have a lot to say about their journey and the heartache and pain they have endured. And all of it would be true. Another perspective would be one of victory. This chapter starts almost like a story book. Once there was a time, when Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. There was a time when Israel followed God but then they slipped away. What happened? As I was studying, I came across these verses in 1 John 15 2:15–17 (ESV) “ Do​ not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the ​ 16 world, the love of the Father is not in him. For​ all that is in the world—the desires of ​ the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from 17 the world. And​ the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the ​ will of God abides forever.”~~ When we studied this last summer we learned that there are two kingdoms that are at odds with each other. These two kingdoms cannot live peacefully together. This is what Israel was trying to do. They were worshiping Baal and the other fertility gods and still offering sacrifices to Yahweh and celebrating the festivals. They were trying to do both but you cannot serve two masters. As we read in Exodus God is a jealous God. He must be the only God in our lives. But God was patient, and merciful with Israel. Through His great love He pursued Israel with these hardships so they would turn back to Him. If Israel would just turn away from these false gods and repent of their sin God would restore them. This situation has happened many times in the Bible. We studied about drifting away from God in Hebrews chapter 2. The apostles wrote about it. And Christ said in the book of Revelation chapter 2 that the church of Ephesus had lost their first love. The question for us is: are we trying to serve two masters? Have we lost our first love or are we slowly drifting away from God? My journey following God has not been a straight line. I have had some detours along the way. I would say that most of us have. If you have drifted away or you are trying to serve two masters you may be experiencing some unrest. There is good news. Repent and let God restore you.

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Let’s Pray

[1] ​ Smith, J. E. (1994). The Minor Prophets (p. 278). Joplin, MO: College Press. ​ ​ ​

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