osea 13

We continue to see God’s wooing of His unfaithful wife, calling her to come back to Him in truth.  To come back in truth means she must come in repentance, recognizing the grievousness of her adultery; and it means she must come with singleness of heart, recognizing her one true Husband is the LORD.  Consider this as we think about today’s reading.

·        13:1-3: The LORD rightly describes the effect of Israel’s unfaithfulness.  At one time Ephraim was of significant standing among the tribes of Israel.  But when she chose to follow Baal, in the days of Ahab and Jezebel, she died.  And the LORD notes, that even though Baal worship was removed under Jehu, Ephraim now sins more and more through the worship of the calves.  Molded images are found everywhere, and people are called to worship with deep attachment to this idolatry, as is suggested by the reference to kissing the calves.  What is the effect of all this?  Four similes, the morning cloud, the early dew, the chaff blown from the threshing floor, and smoke from a chimney, all tell us that the once significant Ephraim is of no consequence.

·        13:4-6: The problem is that Israel had one God, the LORD, from her very beginning in Egypt.  He was their only Savior.  He had proven Himself in the wilderness, providing for them in the most barren situation.

·        13:7-8: That is why God has disciplined and will continue to punish Israel.  God uses powerful similes of Himself: He will be like a lion, a leopard lurking by the road, a bear deprived of her cubs and a ferocious wild beast that tears its prey to pieces.

·        13:9-11: Yes, Israel is nothing like she should and would have been; she is destroyed.  But all of this is the backdrop for God’s pleading with her to return to Him.  Your help is from Me; I will be your King.  God had given Israel a king in Jeroboam I, in the time of Solomon; but because of her unfaithfulness He had taken him away.  God is offering to be her true King.

·        13:12-16: The overall message here is that Ephraim will experience God’s judgment, a judgment that will be severe and that is deserved.  But look at the wonderful message in v14: God will resurrect Ephraim.  You may recognize these words from the resurrection passage in 1 Cor. 15:54.  God will redeem Israel from the death He brings upon her.  This brief passage is described more fully in the valley of dry bones passage in Ezek. 37:1-14.  It anticipates not only restoration to the land but more importantly, the blessing of the New Covenant when God’s Spirit will fill the people of Israel.

God is calling us to this same sincerity of worship.  No hypocrisy.  No double-mindedness.  As Paul told Timothy, we are called to love God from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5).