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THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson20,Chapters11and12
Weendedourpreviouslessonwithverses3and4ofHoseachapter11.Inthis
mostpoeticchapterofHosea,wehaveGod,throughtheagencyofHisfaithful
ProphetHosea,expressingbothHispassionateloveforHisset-apartpeople
Israel,butalsoHisheart-breakingdecisiontohavetopunishIsraelfortheir
determinedidolatryandlackoffaith.IwanttorepeatsomethingIsaidtobegin
ourstudyofchapter11:wemustbemostcarefulinourassessmentofthese
wordsthatwenotascribetoYehovehGodofIsraelthetypicalspectrumof
humanemotion.OnlyhumanshavetheseparticularemotionsandGodisnota
human.However,therearebutlimitedwaysforabiblicalwritertodescribe
God’sattitudeandorientationtowardsIsraelandsotheregularuseofhuman
emotionvocabularyterms(likeangryorsad)areusedbecausethat’sallthatis
availabletous.Wecould,Isuppose,inventnewvocabularywordsthatare
meanttoexpresshowGoduniquelythinksaboutthings,buttheywouldhaveno
meaningtousifwecan’tidentifywiththem.Andthewayweidentifywiththose
wordscanonlybethroughpersonalexperience,somethingwecan’thavesince
we’renotGod.Bottomline:takethoseemotionsthatareascribedtoGodin
humantermswithagrainofsaltandnotpreciselyliterally.Infact,inverse9God
specificallyaddressesthisissuewhendespiteallthegoodandjustreasonsthat
HeoughttosimplydestroyIsrael,Hechoosesnotto.Hesaysthatthisisbecause
“…ForGodamI,andnotman…”
Sincethis11
th
chapterofHoseaisquiteshort,let’sre-readitalltobegintoday’s
study.
RE-READHOSEACHAPTER11all
Thefirst4verses,whichwecoveredlasttime,essentiallystitchtogether
Ephraim/Israel’spastsinsandYehoveh’sactsofredemptiontowardsthemto
moreorlesssavethemfromthemselves.Thisisthefoundationalunderstanding
thatallofusmusthaveaboutredemption.We,toooften,thinkofour
redemptionasanactofbeingsavedfromGod.Butinfact,wearebeingsaved
fromourselves;ourownsinfulnaturenecessarilyresultsinourown
self-destructivebehavior.Thisiswhyanewnatureismandatoryifwearetobe

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savedfromourselves.Weessentiallymustbecomeanewselfnotbyourownwill,
butbyGod’ssavingwill.Wearegiventheopportunity,byGod,tofirstrecognize
oursinandthensecondtoberescuedfromit.Howdowerecognizeoursin?By
knowingtheTorahandtheLawofMoses.Thisisthewrittendocumentthat
specificallydetailswhatsinis.Thenbybeingobedienttothetermsofthat
document(thatcovenant)wecanavoidsinandthedestructionitbrings.Evenso,
ashumancreatureswelivewiththeuncomfortablerealitythatwhen,through
Christ,wereceiveanewholynatureitdoesn’treplacetheoldone.Those2
naturesreside,side-by-side,withinuscreatingatensionbetweenthem.Paul
speaksofthisconundrumandoftheironythatheisatoncemostjoyfulforthis
newnaturebutalsoheismiserablebecauseofthenever-endingwarfare
betweenitandtheoldthatcontinuestoseektodominatehim.Onlythroughthe
poweroftheHolySpiritareweabletoresistthedestructivewaysofourold
natureandfollowournewone…althoughwewillstumbleattimesalongtheway.
BecauseIsraelhadforgottentheTorahandtheLawofMoses,theyturnedtothe
instinctsoftheirfallennatureandbegantoworshipthegodsoftheirneighbors.
Theytrulybelievedtheyweredoingagoodthing.Buttheybelievedwhatthey
weredoingwasgoodbecausetheydidn’tknowthetruth,andthisbecausethey
didn’tseekthetruth.Rathertheyreliedontheirkingsandtheirreligious
authoritiesthathadfashionedanewhybridizedreligion,combiningelementsof
theirtraditionalHebrewfaithalongwithBaalworship.GodsaysHehadsent
manyProphetstowarnthemofwhattheyweredoing,butthemoreHecalledto
Ephraimtoturnandrepent,themoretheywenttheotherdirection.NowHosea
isherenottobegIsraeltochange(ashadthepreviousProphets),butratherto
announcethatGod’spunishmentisuponthemandnoamountoftheir
repentance(atthispoint)woulddissuadetheLordfromthispathbecausethey
haddoneitfartoolong.Believerspayattention.ThisisaGodpatternthatwe
haveseensincetheGardenofEden,andwillcontinueuntilthereisanew
heavensandearth.Jesusdidnotchangethispattern.Ifwedon’tseekthetruth,
andifwedon’tobeyit,wecansincerelybelieve…butbelievewrongly.Thetruth
doesn’texistinmanmadedoctrinesorinourpersonalconvictions…whetherof
theChurchortheSynagogue…butratheraswefinditintheTorah,theLawof
Moses,andallofHolyScripture.

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Verse5contrastsIsrael’swonderfulbeginningswithit’sdangerousandtragic
currentsituation.IfindthatnearlyeveryEnglishBibletranslationmissesthe
markwiththisverse,anditisapparentsimplybecausethewayitismostoften
translatedisatoddswiththerestofthecontextprovidedwithintheBookof
Hosea.MostEnglishversionshaveitmuchastheCJBhasit:
CJB
Hosea11:5HewillnotreturntothelandofEgypt,butAshurwillbehisking,
becausetheyrefusedtorepent.
Thistranslationcannotbecorrectbecauseoneoftheunderlyingthemesof
HoseaisthatGodisreversingIsrael’sRedemptionHistoryandis,metaphorically
speaking,returningthemtocaptivityinEgypt.RathernearlyallChristianBible
editorshaveessentiallymovedtheHebrewwordfor“no”(whichislo)fromits
placeastheveryfirstwordofthisverse,towhereitinsteadmodifiestheword
“return”.Inotherwords,theword“no”ismeanttostandaloneinorderto
counterEphraim’sunwarrantedchargeagainstGodthatHeengagedin
smother-loveagainstHispeople…Heputanunbearableyokeupontheminthe
formoftheLawofMosesinordertocontrolthem.So,abetterrenderingisthat
foundintheNJPSversionoftheverse.NO!!TheyreturntoEgypt,andAssyriais
theirking,becausetheyrefusedtorepent.Thisreturnsproperalignmentofthe
meaningtotheoverallcontextofHosea,anditrestorestheoriginalHebrewword
order.God’sverdictagainstEphraimisthatHeisreturningthemtoEgypt(again,
thisisametaphorforcaptivityandoppression),andthisnewcaptivitywillbeat
thehandofthekingofAssyria.Whyisthishappening?Israelrefusedtorepent.
Whatwouldthatrepentancehaveconsistedof?ReturningtotheLawofMoses
andshunningallothermanmaderulesandreligions.Returningtoaslightly
better,slightlylesspagan,religionthatstillconsistedofmixingdoctrinesand
traditionswithScripturaltruthwasnotenough.Besides,thatoptionof
repentancewasathingofthepast.Thedoortotheirredemptionhadbeen
slammedshut…atleastforaverylongtime.God’soverridinglovehasitslimits
andattimesHemusttakesevereaction.
Verse6providesuswithyetanotherproblematicinterpretation.Aswehaveread
intheCJB,thisverseismoreusuallytranslatedasbeingaboutAssyria
descendingonIsraelwithswords(inotherwords,theirmilitaryattacking)andin
sodoingtheyattackIsrael’scities,teardownthegatesoftheirwalledcities,and

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overwhelmIsraelbecauseofIsrael’sfoolishpoliticalpoliciesofmakingalliances
withgentilenations.However,anequallygoodargumentcanbemadefor
translatingverse6thisway:
Aswordshalldescendupontheirskins,andconsumetheirlimbs,anddevour
theirbones.
TheideaisofasiegeuponIsrael’scitiesthatresultsinstarvationoftheircitizens,
whichresultsinthemeatingstripsoftheirownskin.Icouldmakeacasefor
eitherinterpretationsoI’mnotgoingtoaskyoutopreferoneovertheother.The
pointwecantakefromeitheroftheseinterpretationsisthatfarfromthe
alliancesofpeacethatIsraelismadlydashingabouthopingtoconstructtoavoid
beingconquered,whatisgoingtohappenisthattheyaregoingtobeinvadedby
Assyriaandsufferallthehorrificdeprivationsthatresultfromthesiegewarfare
thatwascommontothatera.
Verse7allowsmetodetourjustmomentarilytoinstructyouaboutsomething
thatisquiterelevanttoourunderstandingofthissectionofHosea.InHebrew
SynagogueTradition,theTorahisdividedinto50portions(calledParashot).
Theseportionsareread,inorder,atJewishSynagoguesduringanannual
50-weekcycle.EverySynagogueintheworldisreadingthesameportiononthe
sameweekandday.PartofeachParashaiswhatiscalledtheHaftarah.Itis
additionalscripturalreadingthatincludeswordsfromtheProphets.Whatmost
Jewsdon’tknowisthatwhileamongalltheJewishsectsthereisunanimous
agreementontheorderandweekoftheyearinwhicheachParashaisread,that
isn’tnecessarilysowiththeHaftarahreadingthatispartofit.IntheSephardic
tradition,Hosea11:7throughHosea12:12isreadontheTorahportioncalled
vayyese.IntheAshkenazictradition,itisreadaspartofthefollowingweek’s
Torahportion.ButthethingthatweneedtounderstandisthattheHebrewsof
yesteryearthatorderedtheportionsallrecognizedthatHosea11:7through
12:12formsacohesiveunitofthought.Thatis,itcanbesetapartasagroupof
versesandunderstoodasprojectingacommonunderlyingtheme.Therefore,it
meansthattoproperlyinterpreteachversewithinthatunittheneachmustbe
takenwithintheoverallcontextofthewhole.AndthewholeisHosea11:7
through12:12.Itiswiththatunderlyingunderstandingthatwewillstudythe

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nextseveralversesofHosea,whichcrossesoverintoeventhenextchapterof
Hosea…Hoseachapter12.
OfthemanydifficultversesinHoseachapter11,verse7mightbethemost
challenging.Infact,mostancientHebrewlanguagescholarsadmitthatthe
wordsusedaresoobscure,andprobablyaremeantmostlyasexpressionsof
thaterathemeaningofwhichwehavenogoodidea,thatwhatever
interpretationwedecideuponweneedtoholdverylightly.Rather,then,than
explainingthemanyliterarydifficultiesandtheconsequentpossibilities,Ithink
wecanboilitdownto2directionsthatthisversecantake.Thefirstdirectioncan
beparaphrasedinthisway:ThenMypeoplewilltireofturningawayfromMe;
andontheMostHightheywillcall;alltogethertheywillsurelyexaltHim.
Theseconddirectioncanbeparaphrasedthisway:ForMypeoplepersistsinits
defectionfromMe.Whenit(Israel)issummonedupwardit(Israel)doesnotrise
atall.
So,thefirstdirectionisthatthisverserepresentsatransitionofsortsfrom
Israel’sdeterminedapostacytoafuturetimewhen,afteralongperiodofexileas
punishment,GodwillrenewHiscovenantwiththemandtakethembackintoHis
fold.InthecontextofHosea,itmeansthatIsraelwillfinallytireoftryingtodo
thingstheirway,shuckofftheirhybridizedreligion,andreturntotheGodof
IsraelandthepurewaysoftheLawofMoses.
TheseconddirectionsimplyamplifiesthereasoningbehindGod’schoiceof
severechastisementforIsrael.Theywon’tstoptheirsinning,whichamountsto
theirdefectionfromtheirallegianceto(theircovenantwith)Yehoveh.God
summonsEphraim/Israelupward(towardsheaven,towardsrighteousness,
throughthemessageofHisProphets),butIsrael(asawhole)refusestoobeythe
summons.Thereisnothoughtincludedthatspeaksofafuturereconciliation.
Whichofthese2optionsiscorrectIcannotsaywithenoughassuranceto
recommendoneovertheother.
Verse8isatoncethemostpoeticintheentireBookofHosea,andalsoprobably
themostshocking.GodhasmadeknownIsrael’sguilt,whattheircrimesagainst
Himdeserve,andwhatHeintendstodotothem.Hereinverse8,however,isa

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suddenshifttohope,butonlyfollowingthefullmeasureofIsrael’spunishment.
Thefactthatthereisan“after”meansthatEphraim/Israelwillnotbearfulland
finaldestructionastheyoughtto,andashasbeenthreatened.Remembering
whatIsaidtobegintoday’sstudy…thatwemustnottakesomeofthesewords
ofhumanemotionandapplythemliterallytoGod…so,figuratelyspeaking,what
wearereadingisGodhavinganinnerstrugglewithinHimselfindetermining
whatIsrael’sbadbehaviormeansHeoughttodotothemversuswhatHislove
forIsraelpreventsHimfromdoing.
WhatwehavehereispreciselywhatwaspredictedandsetdownintheTorahin
theBookofDeuteronomyhundredsofyearsbeforeHosea’stime.
CJB
Deuteronomy4:25-31
25
"Whenyouhavehadchildrenandgrandchildren,
livedalongtimeintheland,becomecorruptandmadeacarvedimage,a
representationofsomething,andthusdonewhatisevilinthesightofADONAI
yourGodandprovokedhim;
26
Icallontheskyandtheearthtowitnessagainst
youtodaythatyouwillquicklydisappearfromthelandthatyouarecrossingthe
Yardentopossess.Youwillnotprolongyourdaystherebutwillbecompletely
destroyed.
27
ADONAIwillscatteryouamongthepeoples;andamongthe
nationstowhichADONAIwillleadyouaway,youwillbeleftfewinnumber.
28
Thereyouwillservegodswhicharetheproductofhumanhands,madeofwood
andstone,whichcan'tsee,hear,eatorsmell.
29
However,fromthereyouwill
seekADONAIyourGod;andyouwillfindhimifyousearchafterhimwithallyour
heartandbeing.
30
Inyourdistress,whenallthesethingshavecomeuponyou,
intheacharit-hayamim,youwillreturntoADONAIyourGodandlistentowhat
hesays;
31
forADONAIyourGodisamercifulGod.Hewillnotfailyou,destroy
you,orforgetthecovenantwithyourancestorswhichhesworetothem.
Whatwehavebeenseeingdemonstrated(bygoingbackandexaminingthe
Torah)isthatGodisnotimpulsive,frivolous,nordoesHemakeitupasHegoes.
OvertimeHelaysdownprinciples…neverrevokingany…andthenfollowsthose
principles,Himself,becausethoseprinciplesdefineHisverynature.Thus,when
wereadintheScripturesabouthowourfutureinthismodernworldisgoingto
playout,asweapproachandenterintotheEndTimes,wecanknowfromthe
perfectionofhowGodhaslaiddowntheseprinciplesandfollowedtheminthe
pastthatitwillhappenagainthesameway.Ifthereare2principlesthatwe

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simplymusttaketoheartthataregiventousintheBookofHoseatheyare:first,
repentnowbecauseatsomeunknownpointthatopportunitywillhave
permanentlypassed.Andsecond,prepare,prepare,prepare.Real,tangible,
practicalpreparedness.OverandoverGodpledwiththosewhoworshipHimto
prepareforwhatwasonthehorizonandwasheadedtowardsthematbreakneck
speed.Onlyapreciousfewpaidheed.Believers,againIcautionyou:prepare.
Yourfaithwillsaveyoureternalsoul,butthatalonewon’tshelteryoufrom
disasterinthislife.Prepareyourhearts,andprepareyourpantries.Preparefor
whenyouwillhavenoonetotrustforyourandyourfamily’ssafetyand
well-beingbutyourselves.Israeltookthecontinualchaostheyhaddescended
intoinstridebecausetheybecameusedtoitasitevolvedintothenewnormal.
TheygrewdeaftoGod’scallthroughHisProphetstorepentandpreparebecause
they’dgrownnumbtoit.Don’tputyourselforyourfamilyinthatsameposition.
And,men,thisresponsibilityfallsdirectlyuponyou…notonyourwives,andnot
onyourchildren,andcertainlynotonyourlocalgovernmentagenciesor
charities.Idon’tknowhowmuchtimeyouhave…weallhave;butthesupersonic
rateatwhichtheworldoperatestoday,andthedrasticchangesthathappenin
hours,oughttobeapparentifyou’vebeinglivingonthisplanetinrecenttimes.
Prayerisagoodplacestart;butitoughttobeashortone.Preparationisnot
rocketscience;expertsaren’trequired.Itisalsonottheexerciseofreligion.Itis
awareness,commonsenseanddiligence.Activelyandpurposelymakeaplan,
andstartcarryingitout…NOW!
YehovehdeterminedthatEphraim/Israelhadcometoitsendasanationthat
hadresidedforcenturiesinthePromisedLand.But,thatwasnottobetheend
ofGod’speople.AsIhaveestablishedinearlierlessons,accordingtotheTorah
afatherthathasbeentreatedinsuchawayasIsraelhastreatedtheirFather
(Yehoveh)isentitledtoexecutethatchild.ButthisHolyFatherhasdecided
insteadtoapplyamnestytoHisrebelliouschild.Thisisexpressedwithaseriesof
rhetoricalquestions,followedbyaconcreteanswer.How,GodasksHimself,is
HetogiveuponHisbelovedEphraim/Israel?HowcanHesurrenderIsraelto
destruction?HowcanHedotothemwhatHedidtoAdmahandZeboiim?
AdmahandZeboiimwereobliteratedbyGodalongwithSodomandGomorrah;
thatis,theysufferedtotalandfinaldestruction.Bottomline:Godjustcan’tbring
HimselftodotoEphraim/IsraelwhattheirbehaviorindicatesHeshould.Asis
statedtocloseoutthisverse,thereasonHeismakingthischoiceisthat1)He

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hadachangeofheartand2)insteadofwrathfulangerHehadafeelingof
empathytowardsIsrael.TheLordalwayswantstowinbackthoseofHiswho
havegoneastray,asmuchasitisuptoHim.Butintheend,itisthehumanwill
thatdecidesifthatispossible.
Verse9continuesthesamethemeasverse8.YehovehiswellwithinHisrights
toexterminateIsrael;infact,thisrightwascalledoutandpredictedintheTorah.
However,Hewon’tdothis.Hewon’tlayuponEphraim/Israelthefullweightof
Hiswraththatifdone,wouldannihilatethe10tribesoftheNorthernKingdom
andtheywouldneverexistinanyformagain.Rather,becauseofHisgrace,He
will(atsomefuturepoint)restoreIsrael.NotetothoseChristianswhothinkthat
gracewasaNewTestamentinnovation.GracehasalwaysbeenpartofGod’s
character.NothingcoulddescribegracebetterthantheLorddecidinginHis
mercynottogiveIsraelwhattheyrightlydeserved.Butevenmore,theywilldo
nothingtoearnthatmercy…otherwiseitwouldn’tbegrace.WhyisYehoveh
doingthis?Well,firstandforemost(saysverse9),Heisn’toneofthem.Heisnot
anIsraelite.Heisn’tahumanbeing.Ahumanbeingwould,inthesamesituation,
makeadifferentchoicebecauseouremotionsarearbitraryandwecanseek
revengeasaformofjustice.But,saysYehoveh,HeisGodandsoHeisableto
setasideHisangerinfavorofamnesty.
WhenwereadthatGodsaysHeistheHolyOneamongyou,thewordforholyis
kodesh.Itmeansset-apart;somethinguniqueanddifferentthanalltherest.
WhenwecallGodholy,wearesayingthatHeisoneofone;Heisn’toneofus.
Didn’tIsraelalreadyunderstandthat?No.Becauseinthepaganthinkingthey
hadadopted,intheBaalgodsystems,thegodsmostlywerehumansmuchlike
thepagansthatworshippedthem.Thegodsweremoreorlessoneofthepeople
theylordedover…justbetterandmorepowerful.So,Israelwasn’ttothinkof
Yehovehasoneofthem,onlybetter.Godwas(andis)awholeotherbeingand
soHeprocessesinformationandmakesHisdecisionsquitedifferentlythanthe
wayhumanbeingsdo.Infact,oneofthingsthattheBibleteachesus(Oldand
NewTestaments)isthatifwetrulywanttoemulateGodwemustcurbour
tendencytowardsanger.Thisbeginswiththedeterminationnottoabuseother
humanbeings.Rather,forthosewhowanttobemostGod-like,itisabounding
lovethatoughttobedemonstrated.DonottakethistovalidatetheChristian
mantrathatGodhasonlyoneattribute:love(whichiswrongoneverylevel).But,

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HemakesHisdecisionsbasedonloveandnotonanger(eventhoughHegets
angry).IfImay,I’dliketotakethisopportunitytoaddressanotherattributeof
GodthatbelongstoGodalone.In1Samuelwereadthis:
CJB
1Samuel15:28-29
28
Sh'mu'elsaidtohim,"ADONAIhastornthekingdom
ofIsra'elawayfromyoutodayandgivenittoafellowcountrymanofyourswho
isbetterthanyou.
29
Moreover,theEternalOneofIsra'elwillnotlieorchangehis
mind,becauseheisn'tamerehumanbeingsubjecttochanginghismind."
So,Goddidn’tchangeHismindbyfirstdecidingtodestroyIsraelandlater
decidingnotto.Ifanything,thisseriesofpassagesismeanttoshowjusthow
differentfromhumansGodis.ThegoodnewsforIsraelisthattheywillhavea
futuredespiteallthisabouttohappentothem.Whattheydon’tknow,ofcourse,
isthatitwillbemorethanahundredgenerationsbeforethisfuturerestoration
beginstotakeshape.
Verse10explainsatafarviewjusthowthisrestorationwilltakeplace.
Metaphoricallyspeaking,Yehovehwillroarlikealionandthe10tribesofthe
NorthwillrespondtoHiscall.WhenHecalls,the10tribeswillhurrytocome
homefromtheWest.ForIsraeltheWestistheMediterraneanSea(andbeyond).
GodHimselfwillbetheonethatannouncestheirreturn.Averysimilarthought
forthisreturnisspokenbytheProphetIsaiah.
CJB
Isaiah27:13Onthatdayagreatshofarwillsound.Thoselostinthelandof
Ashurwillcome,alsothosescatteredthroughthelandofEgypt;andtheywill
worshipADONAIontheholymountaininYerushalayim.
TheHoseaandIsaiahpassagesarespeakingofthesameevent,justusing
differentmetaphors;inHoseait’stheroarofalion,andinIsaiahthesoundofa
shofar.Thisisagoodreminderthatwemustn’ttakethesemetaphorsand
analogiesasliteral.Ipersonallydoubtwe’llheartheominousroarofalionorthe
shrillsoundofashofarcomingfromHeaven.Rather,whateverthatcalltoIsrael
tocomehomeislike,Ithinkitishappeningrightnowasevidencedbymanyfrom
the10LostTribeshavingreturnedtoIsraelandmoreontheirway.Isuspectit
ismoreastrongandirresistibleinnercallingtocomeandtobeanobedient

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servanttoYehovehthanitissomekindofexternalalarm…butIcan’tbecertain
ofthat.
Andverse11makesitclearthatthecalltocomehomewillindeedbehometo
thelandthatIsraelleft.FlyingawaylikeabirdfromEgyptandlikeadovefrom
Assyriaareonceagainmetaphors.Ofcourse,itisquitestrikingthatthenearly
exclusivemethodthatthe10LostTribesarereturninghome,today,isbyflying
onanairplane.AndwemustbeawarethattheflyinglikeabirdfromEgyptis
meantnotasalocation(Egypt)butratherasasymbolofreturningfromcaptivity.
But,“fromAssyria”ismeantasageographiclocation.Nowthatweknowthe
geographiclocationsofmostofthedescendantsofthe10tribes(atleastthose
whoretainedatribalidentity),thenwemustalsounderstandthatwhilethe
AssyrianEmpirenolongerexists,indeedthoseformernationsoftheEmpireare
fromwheremanyoftheexiledtribeshavebeenfoundandarereturninghome.
Ithinkimportantforourpurposestoday,isthatthisprophesiedreturnofthe
NorthernKingdomisfinallyunderway.Anditsignalsthatanentirenewchapter
ofworldhistory,andofRedemptionHistory,hasbegun.AccordingtotheBible,
whatcomesnextisrapidlyincreasingtribulationsandterrorsaroundtheglobe
(allofthematthehandsofevilmen),andanexponentialincreaseinwickedness
amongpagansandalsoincreasedapostacyamongGod’sworshippers.Decide
foryourselfifthatiswhatyouarewitnessinginthisthe21
st
century.
Let’smoveontoHoseachapter12.
READHOSEACHAPTER12all
PleasebeawarethatinsomeBibleswhatappearsasthefirstverseofchapter12
isplacedasthefinal(the12
th
verse)ofchapter11.Itdoesn’talteranything
aboutthemeaning.Allchaptermarkingsareinsertionsmadearound1000years
ago,areratherarbitrary,andwereneverintheoriginalbiblicaltexts.Aswith
chapter11,chapter12isfullofdifficultiesandchallengesandtheopeningverse
isnoexception.Let’srememberthattheTorahportionHaftarahusesHosea11:7
throughHosea12:12asacoherentliteraryunitthatembodiesacommon
context.So,aswemovefromchapter11to12,weneedtokeepthisclose
relationshipbetweentheendingofchapter11andmostofchapter12aswe
determinehowtoextractmeaning.

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Theopeningwordsareprettystraightforward.TheindictmentagainstIsraelis
describedastreacheryanddeceit.Whatgetsquiteinterestingisthesecondhalf
oftheverse.ThetraditionalwayofunderstandingthisamongChristian
academiaisaswereaditintheCJB.ItsaysthatJudahstillruleswithGodandis
faithfulwithholyones.Althoughexactlywhatthatmeansisnotparticularlyclear.
TheHebrewviewonthispassagehasbeenhistoricallyquitedifferent.Hereisthe
JewishPublicationSocietyinterpretationthatfairlywellreflectsthemoretypical
Hebrewtakeonthisverse.
JPS
Hosea11:12b…andJudahisyetwaywardtowardsGod,andtowardsthe
HolyOnewhoisfaithful.
Thisisarathersubstantial(ifnotopposite)understandingofJudah’scondition
fromtheChristianinterpretation.IntheChristianview,Judahisdepictedas
faithful,asaretheholyones(probablymeaningtherighteousamongthe
Judeans).IntheHebrewviewJudahisNOTfaithfulbuttheHolyOne(God)is.
However,evenbeforethatistheissueofwhetherthewordJudahbelongshere.
TheBookofHoseaisaboutEphraim/Israel(theNorthernKingdom),notabout
Judah(theSouthernKingdom).Althoughwe’vedealtwiththisbeforeI’llbriefly
addressitagain.Thereareacoupleofaspectstoconsider.There’saboutadozen
orsoinsertionsofthewordJudahintheBookofHosea,andmanyofthemodern
scholarswhostudyancientbiblicalHebrew(notthecurrentHebrewdialects),
insistthatthesementionsofJudahwereglossesaddedbylaterJewisheditors,
probablynotlongafterthe10TribeswereexiledbyAssyria,inordertowarn
Judeansthatiftheydon’tstraightenupandflyrightthissamescenariothat
happenedtotheirIsraelitebrotherscouldalsohappentothem.Butasecond
possibilityisalsoatleastaslikely;therewasamisunderstandingofan
abbreviationusedinthe8
th
centurythatledlaterHebrewBiblescholarstothink
itmeantJudah.
TheabbreviationI’mspeakingofconcernstheHebrewletteryod.Yod
(expressedasYintheEnglishalphabet)isthefirstletteroftheHebrewword
Y’sraelanditisalsothefirstletteroftheHebrewwordY’hudah.Itismoreand
moreagreedamongSemiticlanguagescholarsthatinthe8
th
centuryB.C.it
becamepracticeintheNorthofthePromisedLandtoabbreviatethewordY’srael

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byusingonlyayod.ThispracticewaslikelyNOTusedintheSouth.However,
sincetheyodisalsothefirstletterofthewordY’hudah,thenlaterafter
Ephraim/Israel’sexilesomeJewish(Judean)Biblescholarsmisunderstoodand
thoughtthattheyodwasanabbreviationNOTforIsraelbutratherforJudah.I’m
notsurewhichscenariobestaccountsfortheinsertionofthewordJudah,here,
buteitherwayitdoesn’tseemtobelong.I’llcuttothechaseratherthancontinue
withthetechnicallanguageaspects.I’mgoingtogiveyouatranslationofverse
1thatmayseemoddatfirst,butaswecontinuethroughmoreversesofHosea
chapter12itbeginstobecomemoreplausible.ThisisthewayMayerGruberhas
wordedit:
AndIsraelisdevotedwithrespecttoEl,andwithrespecttoangelsisloyal.
Forevensomeofyouadvancedstudentsthatarefollowingalong,thismayseem
strangeasitissoatoddswiththetraditionaltranslations.But,withsomefurther
explanationIthinkIcanbuildacaseforit.I’llpreviewitbysayingthis:whatI
thinkwehavehereisHoseareprimandingIsraelfortheirworshipofanangel
thatiscalledBethelandalsotheAngelofBethelandonetimeisevensimply
calledEl.ItisknowninJewishhistorythatangelworshipbecameanissuein
ancienttimesforIsrael,althoughinexactlywhatwaysislessclear.Whenwe
readintheOldTestamentofthefearsomeappearanceofsomeangelsandthe
thingstheycoulddo,itshouldn’tbeallthatmuchofareachforustounderstand
howsomeofprimitiveIsraelcouldhaveoverreactedandgivenadivinestatusto
angelssuchthattheyactuallywentsofarastoworshipthem.Listentothis
interestingexchangebetweenJacobandthisAngelofBethelaswefinditin
Genesis31.
CJB
Genesis31:10-13
10
Once,whentheanimalsweremating,Ihadadream:I
lookedupandthereinfrontofmethemalegoatswhichmatedwiththefemales
werestreaked,speckledandmottled.
11
Then,inthedream,theangelofGod
saidtome,'Ya'akov!'andIreplied,'HereIam.'
12
Hecontinued,'Raiseyoureyes
now,andlook:allthemalegoatsmatingwiththefemalesarestreaked,speckled
andmottled;forIhaveseeneverythingLavanhasbeendoingtoyou.
13
Iamthe
GodofBeit-El,whereyouanointedastanding-stonewithoil,whereyouvowed
yourvowtome.Nowgetup,getoutofthisland,andreturntothelandwhere
youwereborn.'"

Lesson20-HoseaChapters11&12
13/13
NoticehowJacobsaysthatinhisdreamanangelofGodspoketohim.Andthen
thisangelofGodsaystoJacob“IamtheGodofBethel”.Verystrange.So,isthis
anangel(aswethinkofanangel),oristhisGod?Nowlistentothisversefrom
theProphetJeremiah.
CJB
Jeremiah48:13
13
Mo'avwillbedisappointedbyK'moshthen,justasthe
houseofIsra'elwasdisappointedbyBeit-El,agodinwhomtheyhadputtheir
trust.
Justtobeclear:thisversesaysthatthenationofMoabwillbedisappointedby
theirworshipofChemosh(theirnationalgod,whichofcourseisnogodatall),
justasthehouseofIsraelwasdisappointedbyagodnamedBethelinwhomthey
hadputtheirtrust.To“puttheirtrust”meantthatIsraelshoweddevotioninthe
formofworshipofthisgodnamedBethel.IntheGenesis31passage,the
HebrewsaysthattheangelthatspoketoJacobsaidthathewastheElofBeit-El.
Thewordfoundinthissamepassageforangelismalach(thestandardHebrew
wordforangel,butthatliterallymeansmessenger).So,inthecaseofGenesis
31,thewordsmalachandElbecomevirtuallysynonymous.Elismosttypically
translatedinEnglishtoGod,andthatisn’tnecessarilywrongexceptthataswith
somanylanguages(Hebrewincluded),wordswithinalanguagecanassume
differentmeaningsoverlongpassagesoftime.Wordscanalsohavedouble
meaningsthatthecontexttheyarepresentedinhastoexplainitsuse.And
wordscanbeusedasexpressionsthatdon’tnecessarilymeanwhattheyliterally
sayword-for-word.
So,sinceBethelisaplacename,butitalsoisthenameofanangel,andthis
angelisalsocalledEl,itopensupallsortsoffascinatingquestionsandsincein
Hoseachapter12thereismuchreferencetothePatriarchJacobandhispersonal
history,itseemslogicalthatthisopeningverseofchapter12isprobablyalso
connectedwiththepersonofJacobandeventsthathappenedinhislife.
Oneotherconsiderationbeforewemoveontoverse2.Thisinteresting
connectionwithJacobandthestrangewordingofverse1hascausedsome
modernChristianscholarstowonderiftheeventsofJacob’slifeinGenesis
influencedtheBookofHosea,ordidtheBookofHoseainthischapter

Lesson20-HoseaChapters11&12
14/13
(concerningJacob)influencethewriterofGenesis?OnitsfaceIcannotaccept
thatthemuchlaterBookofHoseainfluencedthewriterofGenesis,butmany
modernChristianscholarshavetriedtoshowthatGenesiswaswrittenafterthe
BabylonianExileofthe6
th
centuryB.C.andsotheywouldpreferitifHosea
influencedGenesis.IwillsayunequivocallythattheconceptthattheTorahwas
writtenaftertheBabylonianExileisnonsenseofthehighestorder,soofcourse
mypositionisthatHoseawellknewtheBookofGenesisandtheancientstories
(ancienteventoHosea)aboutJacobandsomeofhisstrangeencounterswith
angels(suchastheonethathewrestledwithanddislocatedJacob’shiptoend
thefracas).Theinteractionofangelswithhumanswassignificantespeciallyin
earlierpartsoftheBibleera,andverylikelytheseearlyHebrewshadtoworkit
outforthemselvesastoexactlywhothesecreatureswereandwhattheir
relationshipwaswithGodandtheirplaceintheHeavenlyorder.
So,tosumitup,verse1maybespeakingaboutthevenerationthatthepeople
ofEphraim/IsraelhadforanangelthateitherappearedatBethelorwasnamed
Bethelorboththingsweretrue.Theyworshippedthisangelasthoughhewas
God,andthisgotthemintotroublewithYehoveh.
We’llopenupwithverse2nexttime.