Hosea 11 − Commentary
Israel Has Forgotten the Lord
I called my son out of Egypt.
the more they turned away from me.
My people gave
They burned
and offered this to
I took my people up in my arms!
It was I who healed her.
But she did not realize this.
I lifted the
I bent down to feed her.
So they must return to Egypt.
Assyria will rule over them.
Their plans will come to nothing.
But even if they call to God above,
he will not listen to them.
In chapter 11, God looks to the past in Israel's life. In verse 1, God remembers what has happened to Israel when she was a child. God spoke to Moses when he began his journey to Egypt. God said, 'Israel is my first son ... let my son go' (Exodus 4:22-23). It is when Israel became free. There are other places in the
But Israel did not want to listen to God's call (verse 2). She showed this by her
In verse 3, there is a beautiful picture of a father. Israel was like a small child whom God helped to walk. It was God who did this. Israel could not see that. When the people of Israel grew up, they did not want to live like true sons.
In verse 4, the picture changes a little. It is not clear what the verse means. Perhaps the verse means that God is like a farmer. He wants to be sure that his animals are well. He wants to be sure that they have enough food. This is the same way that God fed Israel in the desert (Exodus 16).
But in verse 5 the idea changes. Hosea tells Israel about
Assyria will win against Israel in a war (verse 6). The people of Israel will not be safe. The walls of their cities will come down. The sword of the enemy will become the sword of God. He uses the sword to keep his
The Lord Does not Want to Destroy Israel
I do not want to give you to someone else.
I do not want to make you like Admah.
I do not want to make you like Zeboiim.
My heart will not let me do it!
My love for you is too strong.
I will not destroy
because I am God and not a man.
I am the
I will not show my anger.
Then my children will come and follow me.
When I make a loud noise,
my children will come from the west.
They will come with fear.
They will be like birds from Assyria.
They will come with fear.
But I will bring them back to their homes again.
I, the
In verse 8 there is a change in ideas. Again, there is hope for Israel. In
There is not a man anywhere who is completely true (verse 9). But God is not like this. He will be true to the love that he has shown to Israel in the past. This is the only place in Hosea where we see the word '
In the future, Israel will return to God (verse 10). Then they will be able to return from
Israel will hurry home (verse 11). Birds can travel fast. Hosea uses the picture of a bird in a good way. (In 7:11 the
Israel and Judah are Both Guilty
Israel has told me false things.
And Judah has not obeyed God.
She has not been true to the