Hosea 12:1-14

     Hosea opens with a continued charge against Israel in the north, in which they multiply “lies and violence” (Hos. 12:1a), and pursue diplomatic alliances with Assyria and trade with Egypt (Hos. 12:1b). Such actions are born out of human viewpoint that exclude God. Hosea then declares, “The LORD also has a dispute[1] with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds” (Hos. 12:2). Whereas God had previously brought legal charges against the ten northern tribes of Israel (Hos. 4:1), here He addresses the two southern tribes of Judah. The threat of punishment directed at Judah is in keeping with the terms of blessing and cursing as stated in the Mosaic Covenant (Deut. 28:1-68). The Lord spoke to Judah, comparing their present attitudes and circumstances with their progenitor, Jacob, who, from infancy to adulthood fought with others and God (Hos. 12:3-5). God instructs Judah, “Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually” (Hos. 12:6). The word wait translates the Hebrew verb קָוָה qavah which means to wait for, or eagerly look. The form of the verb is intensive (Piel imperative) which communicates the idea of concentrated expectant waiting. The idea is that Judah should seek God, pursue kindness and justice, and wait for the Lord to fulfill His promises to them. God then addresses Israel (the ten northern tribes) and compares their behavior to Jacob, who, like his uncle Laban, practiced deceit for personal gain (Hos. 12:7). Hosea challenged the nation of Israel with a false perception that prosperity was a sign of God’s approval. They’d been telling themselves, “Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (Hos. 12:8). Yet they were guilty of idolatry and atrocious sins that warranted God’s judgment. Though they’d been unfaithful to God, He’d remained faithful to them, since the days of their exodus from Egypt (Hos. 12:9a). And God promised to humble them, saying, “I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of the appointed festival” (Hos. 12:9b). God has spoken to Israel repeatedly through His prophets (Hos. 12:10), yet they rejected His messages, declaring, “Surely they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, yes, their altars are like the stone heaps beside the furrows of the field” (Hos. 12:11). Hosea draws a parallel between Israel’s progenitor, Jacob, who fled to Aram and “kept” sheep to acquire Rachel, the woman he loved (Hos. 12:12). Likewise, God loved Israel and rescued her from Egyptian captivity, and “kept” her by means of a prophet (Hos. 12:13). However, though God loved Israel, He could not abandon His righteousness, or the promises He’d made through His covenant. Therefore, He told them, “Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and bring back his reproach to him” (Hos. 12:14). Though God had repeatedly called His people back to a life of righteousness, they’d continually chosen to rebel against Him, and so would reap the consequences of their actions.

 

[1] The word dispute translates the Hebrew verb רִיב rib which is used some places in Scripture in a non-legal sense of people who fight with each other (Gen. 13:7; Ex. 17:7; Jer. 15:10), as well as a legal sense in which one person takes up a lawsuit or legal case against another (Deut. 17:8; 19:17; 21:5). In Hosea, the term is used of a legal charge that God is bringing against His people who are in violation of the Mosaic Covenant.