Posted August 13, 2020 08–13–2020 Hosea 12.1–14 Bible Study 12:1 Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria and send olive oil as tribute to Egypt. 2 The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. ISRAEL MUST RETURN TO THE GOD OF JACOB 3 In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God. 4 He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him! 5 As for the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is the name by which he is remembered! 6 But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice and by waiting for your God to return to you. THE LORD REFUTES ISRAEL’S FALSE CLAIM OF INNOCENCE 7 The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales. 8 Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful.” 9 “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again as in the days of old. 10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.” 11 Is there idolatry in Gilead? Certainly its inhabitants will come to nothing! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Surely their altars will be like stones heaped up on a plowed field! JACOB IN ARAM, ISRAEL IN EGYPT, AND EPHRAIM IN TROUBLE 12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her. 13 The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet Israel was preserved alive. 14 But Ephraim bitterly provoked him to anger; so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed; his Lord will repay him for the contempt he has shown.
COMMENTS: Some historical background helps us understand todays reading. The story of the Children of Israel begins with God’s selection of Abram and Sarah to be the founders of a nation through which ALL people would be blessed. Although Abram and Sarah got tired of waiting for God to give them a child, in God’s time, Isaac, the child of promise was born.
Isaac and Rebekah were the parents of twins, Esau and Jacob. During Rebekah’s pregnancy she felt the two struggling within her. God told her that the older would serve the younger, which is the opposite of what was expected. When they were born, Esau was the first born, but Jacob was holding on to his heal when he was born. Latter we know Esau sold his birthright to Jacob when he came in from a hunt. (Gen. 25:29–34)
That is not end of the story. Rebekah and Jacob conspired to deceive blind Isaac so that he gave the blessing of the firstborn to Jacob instead of Esau. (Gen. 27:1–29) When Esau discovered what had happened, he was ready to kill Jacob so he fled to the home of his Uncle Laban. (Gen. 27:41)
On the way to Laban, God comes to Jacob in a dream. God promises to give him the land on which he slept and even more. He says that Jacob and his offspring shall bring a blessing to all the families of the earth which is finally accomplished when the Messiah comes to redeem the world (Gen. 10:10–22). Jacob promises God he will give a tenth of all that gives him back to God.
About 20 years latter when Jacob returns to his home, he has another encounter with God and wrestles with God who appeared in human form and gave him a new name: ISRAEL. Through Jacob two wives and their two concubine he was the father of 12 sons. That is why the 12 tribes of Jacob become known as the Sons of Israel (Gen. 32:22–32). All of the descendants of Jacob are rescued from slavery in Egypt.
They lived under the guidance of God himself and the leaders that he raised up in times of need which were called Judges. Then c.1051 B.C.they wanted an earthly king like the nations around them. They lasted as a United Kingdom for c.120 year, during the 40 year reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. Then c/931 B.C. the 10 tribes split into two kingdoms: 10 tribes in the Northern Kingdom, Israel, & the Southern Kingdom, Judah.
The Bible books written by prophets occur leading up to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom c.721 B.C. (The time of Hosea). Next comes the Babylonia Captivity which climaxed 586 B.C. with the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Then more prophets spoke during the return from the Babylonian Captivity and the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem. Then the 400 years of silence until Jesus is conceived and born.
These stories were taught in Sunday School, but many never placed them in historical order. You might want to copy everything I have printed for you today. If you learn these events in order it will help your study of the Old Testament.
The “c.” printed before date means circa in Latin and indicates the date is somewhat approximate. Not enough information is found in Bible or history of surrounding nations to assure an exact date. The Northern Kingdom is referred to also as EPHRAIM in Hosea. Now back to our reading for the day.
12:1 mentions the treaty with Assyria. The sin of Israel was looking to the east, Assyria, for help instead of turning to God. Like his predecessor Menahem, Hoshea was initially forced to pay tribute to the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III.
The Assyrian Annals even boast that when Hoshea assassinated Pekah to take the throne of Israel that the Assyrian king “placed Hoshea as king over them.” It also notes that Hoshea paid “ten talents of gold [and] a thousand (?) talents of silver” as tribute, probably to confirm his position as king in 732.
Oil tribute to Egypt is also noted. Shortly after Hoshea had accepted the role of Assyrian vassal king in Israel, he then shifted his allegiance by sending a large quantity of olive oil (one of Israel’s major forms of wealth) to Egypt. This would have been a valuable commodity, especially in Egypt where olives were not grown. Playing to both superpowers and their factions, however, would soon draw Assyrian ire and lead in 722 to the invasion of Israel by Shalmaneser V.
Not all of God’s displeasure is with the Northern Kingdom, God also see failures in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Here is where we see a reminder of the father of the children of Israel, Jacob. Vs. 3–5 is what spurred me to give you the detailed history today. Then in v. 6 God call them to repent.
God declares that a sign of their repentance will be when they work at maintaining love and justice in their midst. They are also to learn the lesson of waiting. Too often we want it now when God is saying “wait.” Charges are now brought against the cheating businessmen who used dishonest scales. Ephraim trusted in their wealth, rather than God. Our recent pandemic has shown how insecure earthly wealth can be. At a time when we thought the world was ours to do as we please, God reminded us how temporary wealth can be.
They even had the gall to claim they gained their wealth without sinning. Now God reminds them he knows all about them. Because of their disobedience they were a tent people for 40 years, and God can return them to tent people quickly.
God did not abandon them quickly. He sent prophets to warn them. He revealed himself with visions for many. He spoke parables through his prophets, pleading with them.
Their worship of god was not the worship of Yahweh, it was the worship of idols. Those altars were as worthless as a pile of rocks. God reminds them how their father Jacob had to work tending sheep for many years to pay for his brides.
God had a claim on Israel, because he brought them out of Egypt by his prophet Moses and he used Moses keep them alive despite their disobedience. Therefore he will hold them accountable and he will repay them for the contempt they have shown God. He will require payment for their sin.
REFLECTION QUESTION: What fools we mortals be if we think we can hide our sin from God. You may be able to hide your sin from other humans but you will never ever be able to hide even the least of your sins from God. There are those who think they can. But thinking doesn’t make it so. We need to listen to God. Serving God does not end with going to church. It begins and ends when we, out of love for God and others, we work to share love, provide justice in an unjust world, and we care for those who cannot care for themselves. That is what God has done for us and what we do to make his love real to those who do not yet know him.