Hosea 13 and 14
When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel, but he trespassed through Baal, and he died” (N. T.).
It is a short moral history of the foremost tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Scriptures do not tell of any great accomplishments by the tribe of Ephraim, but they had the firstborn’s place (Jeremiah 31:99They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. (Jeremiah 31:9); 1 Chronicles 5:11Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. (1 Chronicles 5:1); Genesis 48:13-2013And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. 14And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 19And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:13‑20)); the fact that Joshua was an Ephraimite (Numbers 13:99Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. (Numbers 13:9)), and that Shiloh, where the tabernacle and the ark of God were first placed (Joshua 18: 1; 1 Samuel 4:33And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. (1 Samuel 4:3)) was in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim, would naturally lead to pride among the people.
But the worship of Baal, god of the Canaanites, which had gone on during the time of the Judges, was given royal recognition when Ahab became king (1 Kings 10:31-33) with, his capital in Samaria. Of him it is written that he did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were bore him.
And new (verse 2) “they sin more and more”; the testimony of Hosea regarding the moral state of Israel is complete and unanswerable. Judgment was certain, and it would be overwhelming (verses 3, 7, 8, 13, 15, 10). Nevertheless God remembers mercy; He is Jehovah their God from the land of Egypt, where He redeemed them from the cruel slavery of the taskmasters. In verse 4 “thou hast known no God but Me” is more accurate translation.
Verse 10: The marginal note in most Bibles gives the correct reading: “Where is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities?” Verse 14 is an unconditional promise: “I will ransom them ... ..I will redeem them ... .” Death is the wages of sin, but the day approaches when “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” will have its full realization.
Chapter 14 is a lovely close for this remarkable book. “O Israel, return!” True repentance is foreseen in verses 2 and 3; what a change from the state which required their God to say “No more mercy”, and “not My people” (chapter 1)!
Verses 4-7 tell of the profound depth of God’s grace which will be seen in the restoration of Israel in the coming day. Then shall Ephraim say, “What have I to do any more with idols?” (Compare chapter 4:17).
This word of Ephraim’s, yet to be spoken, draws forth the comment of their God,— “I have heard him, and observed him.” Then we hear the Ephraim to be speaking again,— “I am like a green fir tree,”—symbol of the unfailing beauty of Israel in the Millennium; and God responds ‘From Me is thy fruit found’, for there will be fruit for God in that day in the ways of His earthly people.
The last verse is a comment on the whole of Hosea’s prophecy. They that are wise will understand, and the just shall walk in the ways of Jehovah, but the transgressors shall fall therein.
“Hosea” means “deliverance”, and his brief prophecy has exposed the wickedness of the human heart and revealed the astonishing depths of divine grace to meet man’s dire need. No other book of the Bible surpasses Hosea in passionate pleadings to lost, ruined man to give heed to God who must deal in judgment unless there be true repentance.
EXTRACT
Have you received Christ? Then you are entitled to all that is in Christ. His fullness is your fortune, and it pleases Him to see you make use of it, and try to live up to it.
ML 12/06/1936