Hosea 12 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Hosea 12

12:1   Ephraim feeds on the wind
    and pursues the east wind all day long;
  they multiply falsehood and violence;
    they make a covenant with Assyria,
    and oil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord’s Indictment of Israel and Judah

2   The LORD has an indictment against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
    he will repay him according to his deeds.
3   In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
    and in his manhood he strove with God.
4   He strove with the angel and prevailed;
    he wept and sought his favor.
  He met God¹ at Bethel,
    and there God spoke with us—
5   the LORD, the God of hosts,
    the LORD is his memorial name:
6   “So you, by the help of your God, return,
    hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God.”
7   A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
    he loves to oppress.
8   Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich;
    I have found wealth for myself;
  in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9   I am the LORD your God
    from the land of Egypt;
  I will again make you dwell in tents,
    as in the days of the appointed feast.
10   I spoke to the prophets;
    it was I who multiplied visions,
    and through the prophets gave parables.
11   If there is iniquity in Gilead,
    they shall surely come to nothing:
  in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
    their altars also are like stone heaps
    on the furrows of the field.
12   Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
    there Israel served for a wife,
    and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13   By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt,
    and by a prophet he was guarded.
14   Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
    so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
    and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

Footnotes

[1] 12:4 Hebrew him

Commentary

v1: See 8.7; Eccl 2.11,17; all is vanity, and a grasping for the wind; such is the folly of disobedience. Lies and desolation increase daily, an indication of utter rebellion and iniquity.

v2: The warning for Judah, watching Israel suffer to her north.

v3-5: Jacob struggled and prevailed. For all his inconsistencies and faults, God honoured him and blessed him, and spoke to him. This does not condone sin, but gives encouragement to seek God. Surely the Bethel blessing (Gen 32.28) could be repeated!

v6: But blessing comes by repentance and obedience; return, maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always, continually. Such repentance to be seen in both attitude and action. God is not reluctant to answer prayer, but he does look for real commitment to prayer. There is a constant need for dependence and submission.

v7-8: Israel grew rich by trading; see Amos 4.1; 6.1,3-7, but also by dishonesty. The people found their satisfaction in riches gained by dishonest means.

Here is their deadened conscience, and ignorance of personal sins, and self-justification.

v9-10: God spoke repeatedly to His people, having redeemed them and brought them out of Egypt. Here is promise of the Feast of Tabernacles, as Israel will once again live in tents, and live in peace. God gives repeated words of promise and repeated words of rebuke.

Note that the prophets spoke in visions and symbols.

v11-12: The folly of idolatry, given God's faithfulness. Idols are vanity, which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing, 1 Sam 12.21.

v13-14: God has always raised up prophets for His people, bringing them into wonderful blessings, including the deliverance from Egypt, their preservation thereafter; yet there remained persistent rebellion in their hearts. We see obedience as a mark of gratitude.

Israel and Judah both recognised the prophets of the past, but failed to recognise the prophets of the present, ie: Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, who all ministered to the people at this time. See also Matt 23.29-31. God is always speaking.