In Hosea 11, we were love-nudged about how our heavenly Father is gentle and patient, leading us with cords of kindness. What a gracious and generous Abba who is bursting with emotion for His children. A the same time, He is unwilling to let us continue in sin without chastening.
As Warren Wiersbe puts it:
"Chastening isn't a judge inflicting punishment on a criminal in order to uphold the law. Rather, chastening is a loving parent disciplining his or her child in order to perfect his character and build his endurance. Punishment has to do with law, which is important, but chastening has to do with love, which is also important."
1 Ephraim feeds on the wind;
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.
He makes a treaty with Assyria
and sends olive oil to Egypt.
Through the prophet Hosea, God continues to make observations about the rebellious hearts of the Israelites (Ephraim). The Jewish people were living for vanity ("the wind"). It's like Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV), "The words of the Preacher [Solomon], the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?"
We sang When I Survey the Wondrous Cross this Sunday at church, and I love the lyrics that read:
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the Death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his Blood.
We all have vain janglings (1 Timothy 1:6) that we allow to entice us in life. They are a charming seduction, and the only way to be rid of them is to sacrifice them to Jesus. Every. Single. Day.
2 The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother's heel;
as a man he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!
This section of Hosea is referencing the story of Jacob and Esau found in Genesis 25. Jacob struggled with Esau, even before birth:
"When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them."
The name Jacob means deceiver or trickster. Most of Jacob's life, he wrestled with himself, with others, and even with God (see Genesis 32 for Jacob’s encounter with God). Each of us can identify with Jacob. It's not until we surrender fully to Him that we can begin to walk by faith. However, God must chasten us to bring us to a place of surrender. Being corrected is often a bitter pill to swallow. When I am disciplined by a godly guardrail, I try to remember Psalm 141:5, which reads,
"Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers." May God's rebukes be seen as kindness and oil to your head. Do not refuse it!
6 But you must return to your God;
maintain love and justice,
and wait for your God always.
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales
and loves to defraud.
Read verse 6 again. Return to God (turn around!). Maintain love and justice (love is a choice—chose it). Wait for God always (don't get ahead of Him).
8 Ephraim boasts,
"I am very rich; I have become wealthy.
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin."
9 "I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;
I will make you live in tents again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables through them."
I've been studying the book of Luke with one of my girlfriends. Luke 12:16-21 has a similar passage about allowing wealth to breed complacency in our lives.
"And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
Beloved, be cautious what you say to your soul (your inmost being). Our hearts are deceitfully wicked according to Jeremiah 17:9, so if you build your life upon your feelings versus God's absolute Truth, you are gravely mistaken. God calls you a fool, actually (tough words to hear, but let’s remember Psalm 141:5!).
11 Is Gilead wicked?
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram;
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,
by a prophet he cared for him.
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed
and will repay him for his contempt.
The prophet has named several of the Israelites' sins in this book. In this particular chapter, Hosea speaks of dishonesty in business (12:7) and the prosperity which led to pride (12:8). Despite God's unconditional love, the people were choosing to disobey and not using God's abundant blessings for His glory.
Almighty God, I am counting my countless blessings at this moment. Things like ________________, which I often take for granted. Thank you. Give me a heart after Your own, and may what You give me bring glory to You and You alone. Amen.