13:1Israel, represented here by the northern tribe of Ephraim, had been great, but by Hosea’s time the people had rebelled against God and had lost their authority among the nations. Greatness in the past is no guarantee of greatness in the future. It is good to remember what God has done for you and through you, but it is equally important to keep your relationship with him vital and up to date. Commit yourself to God moment by moment.
Life Application Study BibleHoseaChapter 13
Hosea 13
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1422, 1423, 1424
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13Hosea 13
1But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal and thus sealed their destruction. 2Now they continue to sin by making silver idols, images shaped skillfully with human hands. “Sacrifice to these,” they cry, “and kiss the calf idols!”
3Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist,like dew in the morning sun,like chaff blown by the wind,like smoke from a chimney.
4“T have been the LORD your Godever since I brought you out of Egypt.You must acknowledge no God but me,for there is no other savior.
5I took care of you in the wilderness,in that dry and thirsty land.
6But when you had eaten and were satisfied,you became proud and forgot me.
7So now I will attack you like a lion,like a leopard that lurks along the road.
8Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,I will tear out your heart.Iwill devour you like a hungry lionessand mangle you like a wild animal.
9"You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—yes, by me, your only helper.
10Now where is* your king?Let him save you!Where are all the leaders of the land,the king and the officials you demanded of me?
11In my anger I gave you kings,and in my fury I took them away.
12“Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,and his sin has been stored up for punishment.
13Pain has come to the peoplelike the pain of childbirth,but they are like a childwho resists being born.The moment of birth has arrived,but they stay in the womb!
14“Should I ransom them from the grave*? Should I redeem them from death? 13:10 As in Greek and Syriac versions and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads / will be. CYCLES OF Judgment..........--05 1:2-9: 2:2-13; 4:1-5:14; 6:4-11:7; 11:42-13:16 JUDGMENT/ f. 645 9-44-95: 646-63 44-811: 1401+ SALVATION Salvation............-.5. 4:10-2:1; 2:14-3:5; 5:15-6:3; 11:8-11; 14:1-9 IN HOSEA God promises to judge, but he also promises mercy. Here you can see the cycles of judgment and salvation in Hosea. Prophecies of judgment are consistently followed by prophecies of forgiveness.
O death, bring on your terrors!O grave, bring on your plagues!*For I will not take pity on them.
15Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers,but the east wind—a blast from the LORD—will arise in the desert.All their flowing springs will run dry,and all their wells will disappear.Every precious thing they ownwill be plundered and carried away.
16The people of Samariamust bear the consequences of their guiltbecause they rebelled against their God.They will be killed by an invading army,their little ones dashed to death against the ground,their pregnant women ripped open by swords.”Healing for the Repentant1 4 1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
Life Application Notes 5 notes
13:4-6When abundant possessions made Israel feel self-sufficient, it turned its back on God and forgot him. Self-sufficiency is as destructive today as it was in Hosea’s time. Do you see your constant need of God's presence and help? Learn to rely on God, both in good times and bad. If you are traveting along a smooth and easy path right now, beware of forgetting who gave you your good fortune. Don't depend on your gifts; depend on the Giver. See Deuteronomy 6:10-12 and 8:7-20 for God’s warning.
13:11God had warned the people of Israe/ that kings would cause more problems than they would solve, and he reluctantly gave them Saul as their first king (1 Samuel 8:4-22). The second king, David, was a good king, and Solomon, David's son, had his strengths. But after the nation divided in two, the northern kingdom never had another good ruler. Evil kings led the nations deeper into idolatry and unwise political alliances. Eventually the evil kings destroyed the nation; with Hoshea, the northern kingdom’s kings were cut off (2 Kings 17:1-6).
13:12Ephraim’s (Israel's) sins were recorded for later punishment. All our sins are known and will be revealed at the day of judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15). How will you live differently today knowing that everything you do will be revealed at the day of judgment?
13:14The apostle Paul used this passage to teach the resurrection of our bodies from death (1 Corinthians 15:55). For those who have trusted in Christ for deliverance from sin, death holds no threat of annihilation. love and mercy, not for his justice. Although we cannot demand forgiveness, we can be confident that we have received it because God is gracious and loving and wants to restore us to himself, just as he wanted to restore Israel.
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14:11f Verses 1-3 are Hosea’s call to repent. Verses 4-8 are God's promise of restoration. God had to punish Israel for its gross and repeated violations of his law, but he would do so with a heavy heart. What God reaily wanted to do was restore the nation and make it prosper. 44:1, 2. The people could return to God by asking him to forgive their sins. The same is true for us: We can pray Hosea’s prayer and know our sins are forgiven because Christ died for them on the cross (John 3:16). Forgiveness begins when we see the destructiveness of sin and the futility of life without God. Then we must admit we cannot save ourselves; our only hope is in God’s mercy. When we seek forgiveness, we must recognize that we do not deserve it and therefore cannot demand it. Our appeal must be for God’s