The Book of Hosea
The Book of Hosea
By Richard St.James
Bible 1611.Com / Old Paths Baptist Mission © 2023
Hosea, chapter eleven:
Verse one:
“When Israel was a child,
then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”
Called my son out of
Egypt:
We have here, in verse
one, one of the many prophecies in the Old
Testament which in the New Testament [Matthew
2:15] was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, and
proving to Israel that HE is the SON of GOD,
their Messiah.
“And was there until
the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out
of Egypt have I called my son.”
[Matthew 2:15]
When Israel was a
child, then I loved him.
The beginning of
love with your beloved is a fresh, and
powerful thing, and is full of expression.
The Song of Solomon [which portrays the bride as
a type of body of Christ, the church] paints
this beautiful picture:
“My beloved spake, and
said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and
come away.” [Song of Solomon 2:10]
Israel was the apple
of his eye! [See Zechariah 2:8]
Verse two:
“As they called them, so they
went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and
burned incense to graven images.”
The LORD sent his
prophets to them. The prophets
called them, but the people rejected the
prophets. This is seen in the Second book
of the Chronicles, chapter twenty-four, verse
nineteen:
“Yet he sent prophets
to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they
testified against them: but they would not give
ear.” [2 Chronicles 24:19]
They turned from
God, and thus, they defiled themselves.
So, it is with us [the
Christians] today. We quench the Spirit of
God within us, even though we are commanded
not to quench him:
“Quench not the
Spirit.” [1 Thessalonians 5:19]
We do this to our own
hazard. We will end up defiled
suffering the loss of our testimony.
Rather let it be as it
says in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter
eight, in verse four:
“That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Verse three:
“I taught Ephraim also to go, taking
them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed
them.”
Israel in its youth
was graciously coddled by the LORD God
as a father succor his child. But the
child grew up and was not thankful. Oh yes,
this is so painfully true.
But they rebelled
against me. Look at what the prophet said in
the book of Isaiah:
“Hear, O heavens, and
give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against me.” [Isaiah 1:2]
Verse four:
“I drew them with cords of a man,
with bands of love: and I was to them as they that
take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat
unto them.”
The LORD says I
restrained them for their good.
I set them free.
Here following is
revealed my goodness toward them: The LORD
nurtured them. The LORD protected
them. What is more, HE favored them
over all the other nations. HE further,
comforted them. HE fed them. HE
loved them. Now we can see a glimpse
of this beautiful relationship in the Song of
Solomon, chapter two, verse four:
O for such love as
this.
“He brought me to the
banqueting house, and his banner over me was
love.” [Song of Solomon 2:4]
Verse five:
“He shall not return into the land
of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king,
because they refused to return.”
Over the centuries,
Israel has had a strange desire to return to
Egypt. Turn to the
fourth book of Moses called Numbers, chapter
eleven, verse five:
“We remember the fish,
which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and
the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the
garlick:” [Numbers 11:5]
Egypt: A type of the
world.
Although, admittedly,
part of this desire was for the leeks and onions,
[the things for the belly], but what they really
wanted was to go back to their former ways [the
old life] when they were under bondage to the god
of this world. [2 Corinthians 4:4]
This idea of returning
to Egypt is seen earlier in this commentary [in
Hosea, chapter seven, sixteen, chapter eight, verse
thirteen, and again in chapter nine, verse three].
Returning to Egypt was
deep imbedded in their hearts.
“And they said one to
another, Let us make a captain, and let us return
into Egypt.” [Numbers 14:4]
Now, the LORD God had
straightly warned them [the leaders of the
people] to not ever return to Egypt [in
Deuteronomy chapter seventeen, verse sixteen]:
“But he shall not
multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to
return into Egypt, to the end that he should
multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said
unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that
way.” [Deuteronomy 17:16]
And if they returned,
it would be for their destruction as seen in
the book of Jeremiah, chapter forty-four, verse
fourteen:
“So that none of the
remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of
Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that
they should return into the land of Judah, to the
which they have a desire to return to dwell there:
for none shall return but such as shall escape.”
[Jeremiah 44:14]
But what of us that are
in Jesus Christ? What is our Egypt?
It is the world.
Love not the world.
“Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him.” [1 John 2:15]
Do not desire
Egypt!!!
Lesson: If one needs
help in the time of need, then run to the LORD.
Go ahead! Run to the LORD! Do not
turn to the world for help. For vain is the
world’s help.
“Woe to them that go
down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and
trust in chariots, because they are many; and
in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they
look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek
the LORD!” [Isaiah 31:1]
Verse six:
“And the sword shall abide on his
cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour
them, because of their own counsels.”
One
that seeks for counsel that matches his own
preconceived agenda is headed for his own
destruction. He will fall.
Remember for this, Rehoboam, the son of
Solomon, in the First book of Kings, chapter twelve,
eight:
“But he forsook the
counsel of the old men, which they had given him,
and consulted with the young men that were grown up
with him, and which stood before him:” [1
Kings 12:8]
Rehoboam reaped
disaster. He lost the northern ten
tribes of Israel because of his own
counsel.
The sword did come to
Israel. Read your Bible.
Verse seven:
“And my people are bent to
backsliding from me: though they called them to the
most High, none at all would exalt him.”
Notice that word bent.
It means it is in our nature as sinners as
the sons of Adam to quit on God.
Israel had a bent to
backsliding.
Prone to leave the God
that loved them!
Notice: They did not
heed the prophets.
Though they
called them to the most High.
Read Jeremiah, chapter
twenty-nine, verse nineteen:
“Because they have not
hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent
unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up
early and sending them; but ye would not
hear, saith the LORD.” [Jeremiah
29:19]
Christians today have the
same problem. Look around you,
my friend. Now, look inside of yourself.
Is your bent to
glorify Jesus Christ no matter what?
We need to harken to this
command in the book of Romans, chapter fifteen,
verse six:
“That ye may with one
mind and one mouth glorify God, even the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
[Romans 15:6]
Verse eight:
“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?
how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I
make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as
Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my
repentings are kindled together.”
The LORD is
contemplating the horror of His coming
judgment upon the nation of Israel for all their
harlotry. It grieves Him
to no end, because of all the love he has for them.
The thought of raining fire and brimstone upon His
people [as was done to Admah and Zeboim]
caused His heart to be tortured within Him.
These same agonizing thoughts of the LORD are
also seen later in the Gospel according to Luke,
chapter thirteen, verse thirty-four:
“O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest
them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have
gathered thy children together, as a hen doth
gather her brood under her wings, and ye
would not!” [Luke 13:34]
This here now marks
the turning point. See with me something
so beautiful. It is this: The LORD is so
gracious.
Here it is in Psalm
one-hundred and three, verses eight through
fourteen:
“The LORD is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous
in mercy.
He will not always
chide: neither will he keep his anger for
ever.
He hath not dealt with
us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is his mercy
toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is
from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us.
Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the LORD
pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our
frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
[Psalm 103:8-14]
Now, we move to verse
nine in our text.
Verse nine:
“I will not execute the fierceness
of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim:
for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in
the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the
city.”
God pulled His punches
on the people of Israel. God’s intention was
not for their total and complete destruction.
The LORD God always has
in mind a timely restoration of His people
[Israel]. For their harlotry,
judgment must come. After the judgment,
then there is restoration. This
restoration rekindles fellowship.
The sequence
involves steps. Here are the steps:
1.
The people sin against
God.
2.
God judges their sin.
3.
God heals them.
4.
God restores them.
5.
The people experience
peace with God.
6.
The people experience
the peace of God.
This very sequence
is shown in the book of Isaiah, in chapter
fifty-seven, verses seventeen through nineteen:
“For the iniquity of
his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid
me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the
way of his heart.
I have seen his ways,
and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore
comforts unto him and to his mourners.
I create the fruit of
the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far
off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD;
and I will heal him.” [Isaiah
57:17-19]
Our God is a gracious
God. Isaiah, chapter thirty, verse eighteen
shows us this:
“And therefore will
the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and
therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy
upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment:
blessed are all they that wait for him.”
[Isaiah 30:18]
Verse ten:
“They shall walk after the LORD: he
shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the
children shall tremble from the west.”
Walking after the
LORD:
The Old Testament saint
is one that walks after the LORD [keeping his
commandments].
Now, walking after the
LORD is stated as a command for
the whole Hebrew nation to keep in the Fifth
book of Moses called Deuteronomy, in chapter
thirteen, verse four:
“Ye shall walk after
the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his
commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve
him, and cleave unto him.” [Deuteronomy 13:4]
The children shall
tremble from the west:
One day, and is soon
coming, the Lion of Juda [Revelation 5:5] will
appear, and reign from Jerusalem, and all the
nations of the earth will tremble. This
prophecy is here in this BOOK [in the book of
Jeremiah, chapter thirty-three, verses seven through
verse nine]:
For Israel, after
their judgment, is their restoration:
“And I will cause the
captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to
return, and will build them, as at the first.
And I will cleanse
them from all their iniquity, whereby they have
sinned against me; and I will pardon all their
iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby
they have transgressed against me.
And it shall be to me
a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the
nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good
that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble
for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that
I procure unto it.” [Jeremiah
33:7-9]
Once again, the
sequence involves these following steps:
·
The people sin against
God.
·
God judges them for their
sin.
·
God heals them of their
sin, which then, restores the people so that they
may once again have peace with God, and as a result,
experience the peace of God.
Verse eleven:
“They shall tremble as a bird out of
Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and
I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.”
They will be brought back
to the LAND, and placed into their houses.
This is simple. This is fact. It is all
coming true. Amen! It is happening
right before our eyes!
Verse twelve:
“Ephraim compasseth me about with
lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah
yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the
saints.”
Judah yet ruleth with
God.
Ephraim, or Israel,
[which was comprised of the northern ten tribes] was
much further down the road in apostasy than
Judah was. As long as there were still kings
reigning over the people [like Hezekiah and Josiah]
in the southern kingdom of Judah, there was still
hope to be had in the land. Notice for
this what the word of God has recorded
concerning King Josiah in the Second book of Kings,
chapter twenty-three, verse twenty-five:
“And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.” [2 Kings 23:25]
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