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NOTE: As with much poetry, Hosea uses imagery and references filled with unspoken meaning. While Hosea’s original audience, the people of Israel, would have been familiar with these references, those of us in the twenty-first century may not share the same context, so links are provided in the Dig Deeper section for more information.

In Hosea 11, think of Israel as a rebellious teenager with the nickname “Ephraim.” God has given him life, taught him to walk, fed him, protected him, and provided for him, but Israel continues to run away, ignore warnings, demand privileges, and fall in with the wrong crowd. This is where we meet up with God in chapter 11. He is done! In verse 7, God declares “My people have made up their minds to turn away from me. Even if they call me the Most High God, I will certainly not honor them.”

But then, in verse 8, we can hear the tenderness in God’s cry, “People of Ephraim, how can I give you up?” Though hurt at His people’s rebellion, God refuses to leave them to destruction as the cities of Admah and Zeboyim, both destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. We see God’s compassion heal His hurt and His perseverance power the plan for Israel’s return to Him. Despite the rebellion, God’s love surpasses His anger and fuels his forgiveness of Israel.

Not only will God not destroy the nation of Israel, He will bring them, and us, back to Him through Jesus Christ. In verse 10, God predicts, “I will roar like a lion against my enemies. Then the Lord’s people will follow him. When he roars, his children will come home trembling with fear.” Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and this verse foretells of His coming like a lion, guarding the souls of His people, and of their remorseful return to Him. But this isn’t just about the people of Israel, this is about us, too.

We are the rebellious teenager. We run away from Him when we see things we desire. We ignore His warnings of dangers in this world. We demand privileges born out of our own entitlement. We follow people and things for instant gratification. We are like Israel, but God was not done with them and He is not done with us. Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10), to protect us from the enemy and our poor choices (2 Thessalonians 3:3), and to restore our relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Today we read the continuation of Hosea’s metaphors for Israel. He uses two examples: the luxuriant vine and a trained calf (or a heifer in the NIV). The first example of a vine is a common image used for the nation of Israel (see Ps. 80:8-16; Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 15:1-8; 17:1-10). It is typically employed to call out the unfaithfulness of Israel when it does not bear the fruit it was designed to bear. That would be like a lime tree producing apples or rotten limes.

Yet in this passage, we see that the vine is luxuriant and prosperous. That is, the more Israel gains on a worldly scorecard, the more sin it commits. They have given their worship to both the pagan gods and Yahweh. In verse eight, Hosea uses the phrase “thorns and thistle” to convey the unproductiveness of Israel as God’s people. They had continually done anything they wanted rather than follow God’s design. This theme carries on in the metaphor of the trained calf, Ephraim. Threshing was a relatively light activity compared to the other task for cattle, which was to plow. In order for cattle to plow the field, they would require a yoke. Israel abused its freedom to thresh in the field by planting wickedness. This is why God will place a yoke upon them: plowing under the yoke will lead them in paths of righteousness.

There is a command in verse 12, and it is the key point that we should take to heart:

            “Sow righteousness for yourselves,

              reap the fruit of unfailing love,

            and break up your unplowed ground;

            for it is time to seek the Lord,

            until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”

We are to sow righteousness and seek the Lord. Likewise, Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” How often have we decided to pursue our own ways and trust in our own gifting and abilities without properly recognizing that God is the one who gives them to us for His own glory? Speaking of the yoke, let us consider Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus teaches us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we decide to surrender our desires and take up the yoke of Jesus, we find greater freedom there than we would trying to live life on our own. He is gentle and lowly in heart. By plowing with Him, we may reap His steadfast love. 

The opening verses of this chapter instruct the Israelites to refrain from rejoicing because they have been unfaithful to God. Disobedience is not a new trend in the time of Hosea; it has been a theme throughout Israel’s  history. The Israelites are a forgetful people. Namely, they forget over and over again the covenant made between them and God. In the book of Deuteronomy, God makes a covenant with Moses, promising the people of Israel His blessing for their obedience (which we call the Mosaic Covenant).

The Israelites try to shortcut the promise and seek prosperity apart from God, and this leads to disastrous consequences. Throughout the prophetic book of Hosea, these consequences are described in detail. In this chapter, the Israelites experience diminished fruitfulness and exile from the land of Jerusalem. Their forgetfulness leads to rebellion and as a result, God’s judgment on them.

“They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him” (v. 4). God doesn’t want our offerings. He doesn’t need our external acts of obedience – He seeks repentant hearts. David’s confession to God in Psalm 51 speaks to this:

16 “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

God is gracious. He allows us to come to Him broken and in need. We don’t need to have everything tidied up in order to be in relationship with Him. He just wants us. He wants hearts that are turned toward Him. He does the restoring and the redeeming as we draw near to Him.

In our study of the book of Hosea, the Hebrew word “Yada,” meaning “acknowledge” has appeared several times. It’s used in the context of Israel acknowledging God. The meaning of “Yada” goes beyond simply knowing about someone. It implies a deep knowledge, one that defines an intimate relationship. Israel claims to “yada” God, but their actions do not match in the slightest. In today’s reading, Hosea continues to lay out how Israel has willfully and continually fallen short. 

In chapter 8, Hosea continues to call out Israel’s hypocrisy. Even though they say with their mouths that they “yada” God, their actions don’t follow suit. What Israel does betrays the condition of their hearts. They lack the sincere desire to completely abandon their sins and follow God. While Israel appears to be making strides economically and politically, their spiritual condition is actually deteriorating. Her people are involved in idol worship. She seeks alliances with pagan nations, but they no longer desire her (v.8 she is among the nations like something no one wants).

God takes hypocrisy very seriously and is not pleased with his people. Judgment is near. God is about to chasten Israel with the very things that His people have pursued for their own fulfillment. Soon, everything that God’s chosen people have exalted above their Lord will viciously turn on them (v.9 Ephraim has sold herself..). Their allies and political role models will become their conquerors. Israel will be transformed into a seemingly forsaken land, a people without a home. 

Even for all of Israel’s shortcomings and failures, God’s rescuing hand still reaches out. Despite their rebellion, before time began a restoration plan had already been put in motion. Psalms reminds us that the Lord chastens those he loves.  Like all of us,  Israel is never too far gone.   In His infinite grace, God gives His people a wakeup call to bring their focus back to Him. Today, take time to thank God for His grace and love that abounds.

God’s desire all along was to redeem Israel. But as we see in this chapter, the nation was not willing to give up their sin. Not only were they not repentant of their sin, but they were so deep in their sin that they were not aware of it. Hosea gives us several images to illustrate this in verse 8: a cake that is burnt on one side, but uncooked on the other; strength that has been devoured from an able body; and gray hairs that are overtaking a man’s head. To each of these illustrations, Israel’s response is the same…”he knows it not.”

As humans, we have the amazing ability to deceive ourselves when we are in sin…and this is exactly where the nation of Israel finds itself. Israel realizes that they have a problem: God’s blessing has been removed from them, and they are experiencing extreme hardship as a result. What they do not acknowledge is the role of their own sin and disobedience in getting them to this point. God desired to heal Israel from their sin and its effects, but not as long as they behaved as their sin didn’t exist.

We are no different from Israel. In much the same way, our own pride tells us to hide our sin. It often feels safer to hide sin than to experience the pain of remorse. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession and repentance lead to healing and safety.

Hosea warns Israel about leaving the safety of God and looking to the world for answers. He closes in verse 16 by describing them as a “treacherous bow.” They are a useless and dangerous weapon that is completely missing the mark. God desires to redeem us. May we courageously and consistently confess the sins in our lives so that we can live in that freedom.

Hosea 6 is a poem calling for Israel to return to God for redemption and restoration of a right relationship. This is not the first or last time we will see a plea for Israel to return and repent. All of Hosea is about rebellion, consequences, and the power of God’s mercy.

In Hosea 4, Israel’s downfall is described clearly. It reads, “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (v. 6). This idea of destruction coming from a lack of knowledge of God is not lost on us. We live in a culture that gleans information about God from short sound bites in social media. Hosea 6 describes a knowledge of God that requires his people to press on and in. Our knowledge of Him is meant to be an intimate pursuit, an endeavor, and a life-long quest for the Almighty. Too often, we settle for second-hand knowledge. A snippet of a sermon here. A podcast there. When we do, we bypass what God desires. He wants us to know and love Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul.

So often, we think, like Israel, our sacrifices to God is what He wants from us (Hosea 6:6). If only we could stop doing that one thing we know is bad or start doing that one thing we know is good, then we will be in good standing with God. We fool ourselves just like the Israelites did when we think that way. Sure, we should stop doing bad things we know are bad and start doing things we know are good. That is not the point. The point is God does not desire our sacrifices as much as He would rather have our hearts full of mercy and acknowledgment of Him. Sacrifice without mercy and knowledge of God is a vain attempt to please God.

God desires a relationship with His people. The right relationship goes beyond sacrifices. He wants us to pursue Him and know Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. He wants to revive and restore us. There is a harvest waiting for us.

Hosea 5 has much to teach us about the character of God. Specifically, this chapter teaches us about God’s wrath and our pride. God’s anger towards Israel is described as unrelenting, crushing, rotting, and mighty. The image of a cup poured out is used to describe the overwhelming and unrelenting fury of God (v. 10). Next, God is described as “a moth” and like “dry rot” to Israel (v. 12). This is depicting that God will slowly eat away and destroy Israel. Finally, God’s wrath is compared to a lion–mighty and fierce. Israel can do nothing to stop His wrath; in fact, they deserve it. Verse 4 states, “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.”

The first 14 verses of Hosea 5 paint a picture of the Israelites being guilty and how deserving they are of God’s punishment. But, if Hosea 5 ended there, we would have an incomplete view of the character of God. Verse 15 is the most important verse in understanding God’s wrath. His wrath comes with a purpose: to push the Israelites to earnestly seek him. God’s anger is not for the sake of destruction or His enjoyment; it is for the Israelites’ own good. The only way for them to truly seek God is in their distress, which illuminates Israel’s pride, showing their need for God.

We are just like Israel. Our deeds are similarly deserving of judgment. Our pride is at the center of our rebellion, and we too, have earned the full wrath of God poured out on us. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from it. But God, in his love, made a way for us to be restored even when our deeds do not permit us to return. Romans 5:9-10 says “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by from the wrath of God, for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Only through believing in Jesus can we be saved from God’s wrath. Only by understanding that we were enemies of God, but instead been saved by Jesus, can we fully grasp our need of our Savior. 

Many parents know that anxious feeling—“How is my kid going to act in public and how is it going to reflect on me?” Probably just as many of us have seen a kid throwing a tantrum in the grocery store and shaken our heads in judgment of the failed parenting on display. Sure, we think the kid should know better, but somehow, he has come to understand from his parents that acting out is acceptable.

In Hosea, we see a somewhat similar, albeit holy, perspective from God regarding the degradation of Israel. Yes, the people are faithless, loveless, adulterous, and murderous (v. 1-3), but God reiterates, “With you is my contention, O priest” (v. 4). He doubles down, saying, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, [but this is] because you have rejected knowledge” (v. 5). If the world is Godless, Hosea states that it flows specifically from the failure of its priests to seek the one true God, to submit in obedience to Him and to diligently and unwaveringly call others to do the same. In our clinical reading of this historical book, we can appreciate the failure of the Levites to guide the children of Israel towards God. But it is much harder to internalize the fact that in the New Testament church, we are the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) established by God as the catalyst for holiness in the world.

As we look at the world around us and bemoan the godlessness, the dissolution of truth and the humanistic elevation of self, God says that failure falls at our feet. For those of us who have sought to represent Christ to the culture and call all men to repentance, we feel affronted by this. But of course, we alone hold truth, so we alone are responsible to disperse it. This affront is less about guilt, however, and more about opening ourselves to conviction. Paul writes, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

The challenge before us is less about changing the world for righteousness and more about submitting ourselves in obedience to the holy convictions of the Spirit. The current state of our world is less an indictment on the godless and more an indictment on those who know God but fail to live from that truth.

This chapter of Hosea is short but packed with beautiful truth. Look beyond the words in these verses and see the greater story of God’s love for all of us. His character is powerfully on display here.

The chapter opens with a personal directive from God for Hosea to go and show his love for his wife again, even though she is caught in a life of adultery. While the case of adultery would permit Hosea to divorce his wife, God is asking for him to do something radically different. Illustrating the Lord’s love for Israel though they too have been an adulterous people. Hosea then goes, buys her back and brings her home to stay with him. He isn’t casting her aside amid her sin but paying a price to restore a relationship with her.

This act is a perfect depiction of God’s love for us. Romans 5:8 states that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He doesn’t ask us to come to Him clean and perfect. He rescues us in the midst of our mess. Not because we deserve it, but because that is how much He loves us! Christ was the payment for us, so we could have a relationship with God. It’s simple and yet radical. It’s incomprehensible yet true.

The chapter ends with a focus on the restoration of Israel. Their idolatry will result in a long period of separation both politically and spiritually. This ruin will cause them to return to the Lord. When we find ourselves in similar ruin or desperation, God welcomes us to return to Him. We are an adulterous people. Our lives when examined often display things that we have put before God. Career, family, comfort, fun, money, pleasure, and any number of our own selfish desires. God is calling us back to him. If we confess to Him, He will cleanse us (1 John 1:9). As with Israel, there may still be earthly consequences to face, but Christ is where we find life. John 1:4 says, “in Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

That is what radical love looks like. God sees us in our sin and makes a way for us to experience life! For those that believe, it should shake and transform us. May we go forth and display the same radical love and forgiveness.