John Mark Hicks

Psalm 22 is the lament and confession of a righteous sufferer in the expectation of God’s righteous deliverance. The Psalmist identifies with the story of Israel, and Jesus himself appropriates this Psalm for his own lament and confession in the hope of his own vindication.

This is not a Psalm about divine wrath or punishment for sin. Rather, it is the world all believers enter when we face suffering and death. We lament (“Why?”), we confess (“my God”), and we praise because we know God’s righteousness and kingdom will prevail.

This is the climax of Hosea’s series of oracles identifying the reason for Israel’s exile before offering hope in the next chapter. Again and again Hosea attempts to shock, persuade, and confront Israel with its unfaithfulness in hopes of their repentance and renewal. But Israel’s leaders—whether prophets, priests, or kings—were not listening.

They are living on past glory, but they don’t realize their glory was their shame. Sometimes what a nation glorifies is actually their shame. They became prosperous, but they turned their wealth toward idolatrous rituals, political power, military strength, and oppressive practices. Israel, the northern kingdom, is headed into exile because they did not use their prosperity to serve God but served themselves and credited other gods. They trusted in their military power and alliances rather than seeking the Lord.

Yahweh set them in the land to farrow it, plant, and reap. They had a choice to sow righteousness, reap steadfast love, and enjoy communion with God. But Israel chose to sow wickedness, reap injustice, and eat lies. Consequently, they suffered the consequences of their own choices, and their king was cut off and their calf lost its glory as it was carried to Assyria.

Prosperous but Idolatrous Israel (10:1-4)

Hosea remembers when Israel was a flourishing nation, which is particularly true under the reign of Jeroboam II. Together Israel and Judah reached the dimensions and prosperity of the reign of Solomon. It was the economic golden age for Israel during its independence from Judah.

While some translations use the present tense in Hosea 10:1 (NRSV), it is better to see this as past (NIV). There is no verb; its meaning and tense are supplied. “Israel was a spreading vine” identifies Israel’s growth period when Israel bore “fruit,” but it was a fruit “for” Israel. It was about them, their self-centeredness.

They used their prosperity to build more altars and pillars (or sacred stones). In other words, their cultic worship ritual was expanded, and we may presume that this was idolatrous in character (though the use of such shrines and pillars are known in the faithful history of Israel; cf. Exodus 20:24-26; Exodus 24:4; 1 Kings 6:20, 22). In fact, Deuteronomy 16:22 forbids the use of these tools in the service of foreign gods.

At the core is Israel’s heart. Hosea declares their heart “false” or “deceitful;” the Hebrew word literally means slippery or smooth. Their worship, even if offered to Yahweh, was not from a faithful heart. Consequently, Israel will suffer the consequences in the wake of their guilt, and God will destroy their shrines.

Instead of prosperity, Israel “now” lives with the unsettled political situation prior to the final fall of Samaria to Assyria. The political chaos of the successive assassinations of four kings renders Israel without a king—and ultimately there is no king in Israel when Assyria takes control.

Israel locates the reason for their situation—they did not fear the Lord. Consequently, their worship and civil practices (words and oaths) are meaningless. Injustice abounds and the political institutions have failed. The economic situation of the land is also chaotic through injustice, and what is growing in the land is poisonous. The fields are barren. Israel has no recourse. It will suffer its fate.

Samaria’s Idolatry (10:5-8)

Beth-Aven (10:5; cf. 4:15; 5:8) means the “House of Iniquity” or “House of Idolatry” which is a sarcastic assessment of Israel’s “house of God.” Samaria—representing Israel—had a calf (or calves in Dan and Bethel) that represented its unfaithfulness. Yet the people loved their calves and will mourn for their loss—a loss of glory, but not the glory of Yahweh; it is the glory of the false god represented by the calf. The calf (and its glory) will be carried to Assyria (Hosea 10:6) to honor the Assyrian Emperor, and by this Ephraim will be shamed by the loss of this idol. This glory contrasts with the glory of the Lord that one finds in the temple in Jerusalem. Not only has Israel lost the glory of its own idol, but more importantly it has not access to the glory of the Lord that led them out of Egypt so many years ago.

Along with the calf, Israel’s king will disappear as well. The high place where the calf sat at “Aven” will be destroy. Hosea calls it the “sin of Israel.”  This also evokes the image of the calf at Mount Sinai (as in Hosea 8:6).

The contrast between the prosperity in Hosea 10:1 and the economic disaster in Hosea 10:8 is important to note. Once a flourishing vine, now the land is a place of “thorns and thistles.” The altar that was once loved is now mourned. What was once was a thing of beauty is now covered with weeds. It no longer functions. Its meaning is totally lost.

The result is that the people will say to creation itself—release us from our misery and eliminate us. They will invite the mountains to crash on top of them as in an earthquake. They will seek escape in the face of the onslaught of the Assyrian empire’s ruthless warriors.

Samaria’s Unfaithful Monarchy and Fruitless Land (10:9-15)

The reference to Gibeah in Benjamin, which was king Saul’s hometown (1 Samuel 10:26; 15:34), alludes to a time of general corruption. The “days of Gibeah” remind us of the time of the Judges when sexual violence is committed against women in Judges 19-20, and then summarized as the time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25). Given the stories of Gibeah at the origins of Israel’s presence in the land, Israel has a track record of corruption, violence, and iniquity. This is their undoing, and God punishes them for the continuation of the evil of Gibeah in their own day.

Once Israel was a trained heifer but now their land is fruitless. Once Israel flourished, God loved Israel and cared for her as one would care for a heifer. Her neck was beautiful and appreciated; God delighted in her. Yahweh wanted Israel and Judah to plow good ground and reap righteousness and hesed (steadfast love). There was always opportunity for Israel to seek the Lord and reap God’s blessings. Judah is also included in this prospect. Hosea brings the full horizon of God’s intent to guide Jacob (all 12 tribes) into righteousness as they dwelt in the land God gave them.

But the situation has changed. Israel sowed evil and reaped injustice rather than righteousness. Consequently, “the tumult of war” came to the people of Israel. Their leaders failed them. This is happening “because” Israel trusted in their “power,” particularly the size of their military.

We don’t know the historical context of the reference to Shalman (perhaps a shortened form of the Emperor Shalmaneser V or III, or a Moabite king named Salamanu but it is uncertain) destroying Beth-Arbel, which was probably located in east side of the Jordan or may have been near the lake of Galilee. Whatever it was, its horror was astonishing since it involved the death of mothers and their children. The incident evokes terror in the memory of Israel. This is probably a literal reference unlike what we saw earlier in Hosea. Their deaths are the evidence of war’s insanity and a prospect for the future. What was experienced at Beth-Arbel is coming to Israel by the hand of Assyria. What happened at Beth-Arbel will happen to Bethel, where one of the calves was located.

Therefore, there will be no more king in Israel. The land will be lost, and the people will be exiled. The nation will no longer exist.

But does this mean God is finished with Israel forever? Has God forgotten them? Hosea 11 answers that question.

Psalm 21 is a royal Psalm that locates the king’s strength in Yahweh’s steadfast love. Yahweh saves and blesses the king of Israel because the king trusts in the steadfast love of the Lord. Yahweh delivers the king from the enemies of Yahweh and gives him the glory of the Lord’s presence.

The Psalm idealizes the king, hopes the king will trust in the Lord, and trusts in God’s deliverance. Israel praises and worships Yahweh toward this end. Unfortunately, the kings of Israel did not live out this pattern of submission, trust, and deliverance. Ultimately, Israel was exiled.

However, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, did. He submitted to the Father, trusted the Father, and the Father delivered him. He exalted him to the right hand, and the Messiah will reign until all enemies are put under his feet.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the Psalm.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths)—in Hebrew, Sukkoth—was one of great and festive celebrations of God’s grace. Israel lived in tents (booths) for seven days to reenact and remember God’s grace in the wilderness for forty years. They also celebrated the ingathering of grapes and olives as they planted grain in anticipation of the Spring harvest (Pentecost).

As Israel gathered to celebrate this festival, the prophet counsels them, “Do not rejoice!” Israel’s sacrifices will not be accepted because of their adulteries, their idolatries. Rather than festive celebration, it will be a time of mourning. Rather than deliverance, the prophet predicts destruction and exile.

No Joy at Your Feasts (Hosea 9:1-9)

Israel expects to celebrate an “appointed festival,” a “day of the festival of the Lord” (Hosea 9:5). This is probably the Feast of Tabernacles because of the allusions to Israel’s wilderness experience in Hosea 9.

The festival included feasting. It was celebrated with wine, grain, and animal sacrifices. But Israel had dedicated their threshing floor (for grain), their wine vats (for wine production) to idolatrous practices, and celebrated meals in honor of other gods. Israel has committed adultery; she is an unfaithful covenant partner.

Consequently, they will not remain in the land God gave them, but they will “return to Egypt” and “eat unclean food” in Assyria. The return to Egypt is probably symbolic, though some refugees fled to Egypt in the aftermath the fall of both Israel and Judah. It is symbolic of their origins: enslavement in Egypt. They will become landless once again and enslaved by another power. Assyria, however, is the primary topic. Many Israelites will be relocated to Assyria where they will eat unclean food, that is, Israel will not be able to practice Torah there.

In Assyria, Israel will not be able to come to the “house of the Lord.”  Yet Israel will seek Yahweh. They will pour out their drink offerings to the Lord and offer their sacrifices. But God will not accept them; they are like “mourners’ bread” which indicates there is no joy in this festival. It is filled with grief rather than joy. Such sacrifices defile rather than liberate.

So, what will Israel do “on the day of the festival of the Lord”? It is canceled. It is not possible because destruction is coming. Assyria will overwhelm Israel, and some will escape, possibly, to Egypt and Memphis (often regarded as a burial region). Death awaits them even in Egypt.

The “days of punishment” and “recompense” has come, but Israel’s regards Hosea as a fool for predicting Israel’s end. [It is possible that Hosea is describing a false prophet in Hosea 9:7, but himself in Hosea 9:8.] They are hostile to God’s sentinel or watchman; people who look for impeding danger. They won’t listen but have already set themselves against God’s intent for Israel through their adulteries.

Israel is deeply corrupted as in the days of Gibeah. This refers to the events narrated in Judges 19-21. The horrendous sexual abuse and murder of a concubine led the narrator to comment: “such a thing has not occurred or been seen since the day that Israel came up from Egypt” (Judges 19:30). In other words, the state of Israel under their kings was equivalent to the corruption of Israel under the last judges when there was no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25).

Therefore, God will remember Israel’s sins and judge her accordingly.

Consequences of Israel’s False Worship (Hosea 9:10-17)

Yahweh also remembers the beginnings of Israel. Her story could have ended other than it has. Yahweh remembers the grace of Israel’s beginnings even as God remembers their sins.

At one point God found grapes in the wilderness and figs on a tree in its first season—both totally unexpected; indeed, practically impossible. God’s grace created grapes and figs in a wilderness where they do not grow; God created Israel out of grace rather than merit.

But in the wilderness, though showered with God’s grace, “they came to Baal-peor” and consecrated to evil through their idolatry. The name refers to the story narrated in Numbers 25:1-11 (alluded to in Deuteronomy 4:3-4). Israelite men “played the harlot” with Moabite women (same word as in Hosea 4:13; 5:3; 9:1). God responded to Israel’s sin then, and Yahweh does so in the time of Hosea.

“Ephraim’s glory” will fly away. The glory of Ephraim is the presence of Yahweh among them. When Yahweh leaves, Ephraim is endangered and open to conquest by Assyria.

In effect, this reverses Israel’s fertility. There is no future for Israel—there are no children in their future.  This is not so much about actual births or specific children but a metaphor for the extinction of the nation as a political entity. In other words, the point is not infanticide but the loss of national identity with no hope of recovery as a nation on their own strength. They cannot populate the nation.

It is best to hear Hosea’s language in the context of political realities rather than the massacre of children. This is a common Ancient Near Eastern’s trope of destruction and loss, including the political extinction of a nation. God has rejected the nation, and therefore they have no future. The loss of children symbolizes that bleak future.

Israel’s future is not extinction as a people—they will wander among the nations. Consequently, this is not describing literal extinction and childlessness. Rather, it describes the loss of national or political status. The people are scattered among the nations but not extinguished.

Nevertheless, the loss of national identity is the consequence of Israel’s sin. Their behavior images Gibeah and Baal-peor rather than imaging Yahweh who graced them with existence. In the very wilderness where God found grapes and figs, Israel committed adultery with other gods. Therefore, for their adulteries, Israel’s feasts are not accepted and their future is bleak.

Hosea is redundant as he returns to the themes of idolatry and political alliances. This is more than literary style; it speaks to the stopped ears of his audience, their stubbornness, and the need to hear again—as a kind of last measure appeal—the deep corruption in their society. Apparently, the message is not penetrating their hearts, and the outcome will be disastrous. Hosea repeats himself, though with different metaphors and language, to press his point: Israel is in danger. They must repent, or they will suffer the consequences of their choices. They must recognize their corruption before reconciliation is possible. In this section, Hosea highlights the idolatrous calves of the northern kingdom and their political alliance with Assyria. Neither the calves nor Assyria will save them; only Yahweh can do that.

The Destruction of the Israel’s Idol—the Calf (Hosea 8:1-6)

Blow the sophar (“trumpet”)! Typically made of a ram’s horn, it was used in both rituals and military action, and also to announce the coming of the day of the Lord, the day of judgment where God appears to confront the people. Here it is probably a combination of impending military action which itself is the day of the Lord for Israel.

The sophar announces judgment because a predator is “over the house of the Lord.” While vulture is a possible translation, it seems more appropriate that a predatory eagle is in mind because it will devour Israel. The eagle was a symbol of Assyrian kings and their god Asshur. In fact, such an eagle is part of the curse in Deuteronomy 28:49-51, which refers to a nation that will consume the people’s wealth and devastate their resources.  The sophar announces the aggression of the Assyrian empire.

The reason is explicit: Israel is a covenant breaker, an adulterer. They have transgressed the Torah. They presume to know God. They cry out to God, even “my God” for deliverance. One might think of this as similar to Israel’s cry to God in Egypt (same verb in Exodus 2:23 and Hosea 8:2). But their cry is not from the heart (according to Hosea 7:14) and based on a false claim—they don’t know God. Israel has rejected the good God has offered (as in Numbers 10:29). Consequently, “the enemy” (Assyria) will overtake them and pursue them like a predatory eagle.

Instead of receiving God’s good gifts, they sought to generate their own and create their own world without Yahweh.

• They set up kings and rulers (princes) without God’s direction.
• They made idols with their precious metals.

Israel’s political system failed them. In the last years of the northern kingdom, four of the five kings were assassinated. But the primary topic in Hoses 8:4-6 is the “calf of Samaria.”

When the northern kingdom was established, Jeroboam I set up cultic sites in Bethel (in the south) and Dan (in the north), each with their own idolatrous calf. This is the same word used to describe the golden calf at Sinai in Exodus 32:4. The calves in Samaria (Ephraim, the nation of Israel) were echoes of the rebellion of Israel at Mt. Sinai—the original sin of Israel, one might say.

Yahweh rejects Samaria’s calf, just as God rejected the nation’s calf at Sinai. This does not necessarily mean there was a calf in the city of Samaria. Rather, Samaria refers to the nation because it is its capital city, where the king is enthroned. The calves are at Dan and Bethel, though it is possible there were multiple calves.

God’s anger burns against the idols. It is the work of human hands—Israelite artisans made it. The idol is not Yahweh; it is not Elohim. Rather than the work of God or representing Yahweh, the calves are headed to destruction, just as Israel itself is because of its idolatry.

The Futility of Egypt and Assyria (Hosea 8:7-14)

Hosea introduces a new metaphor—agriculture. Israel has sown what they did not want to reap. They thought they would sow prosperity but what they got was devastation. What they sow will not produce edible grain—there will be nothing to eat. Rather, it will reap the presence of foreigners (strangers) will devour the resources of the nation. Israel will be swallowed up, scattered among the nations, and will become a useless vessel. Literally, the Hebrew reads, “a vessel no one desires.”

Then Hosea switches metaphors to make his point. Ephraim has bargained for lovers, but what she became was a “wild ass wandering alone” when she appealed to Assyria into stave off her destruction. She tried to make a deal, but her attempts were laughable. Israel was out of her element, like a” wild ass wandering alone.” She has no recourse or resources.  Israel’s attempts at diplomacy will fail miserably. Instead of independence, they will live under the oppressive rule of Assyrian kings and princes.

Hosea continues his sarcasm by returning to the calves—the altars where Israel sought to expiate their sin. But those altars where themselves sinful. No expiation was possible there even if they offer their sacrifices to Yahweh and eat them before the Lord. Yahweh does not accept them. They do not follow the Torah, and therefore they are not accepted. Their sacrifices are “strange” things just as the strangers who devour their nation (same Hebrew root for “strange” and “stranger”).

In contrast to the promise of Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the revelation of Yahweh in Exodus 34:6-7, Yahweh will remember their iniquity rather than forgiving it. God will punish their sins and return them to Egypt.

The return to Egypt is not a prophecy for exile in Egypt instead of Assyria. Rather, it plays on the calf-motif where at Mt. Sinai they created an idol and dreamed of a return to Egypt. The return to Egypt is a metaphor for a return to enslavement or exile. Israel is right back where they started, and their idolatrous calves are part of the reason. Hosea 8:14 brings Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) into view. Both are guilty, and both will suffer the consequences.

Israel will suffer because she has “forgotten” her creator and built palaces. This hints at the economic injustice of the northern kingdom (see Amos, for example). Instead of caring for the people of Yahweh, rulers built palaces for their own glory.

Judah will suffer because she “multiplied fortified cities.” This military buildup reflected a lack of faith in Yahweh’s protection. They increased fortifications just as Ephraim increased altars (Hosea 8:11—same Hebrew word).

The consequence is that neither these buildings (like palaces) nor these cities (fortified) will survive. They are symbols of covenant-breaking and rebellion against God, and therefore they will be destroyed.

Israel is consumed by her own devices. They has made her bed, and now she must iie in it.  Yahweh will remember her sins.

Yahweh yearns to restore the fortunes of Israel, but Israel would not. Their evil, corruption, pride, rebellion, and political alliances hardened their hearts so that they did not seek God’s face. None called on Yahweh. Consequently, their self-destructive cycle, stoked like a hot oven by their greed and pride, played itself out on the world stage. Their internal political chaos destroyed them from within. Ultimately, their political intrigues trapped them like a bird and left them homeless. God would have healed them, but they would not. Rather than they living peacefully in the Eden God gave them in covenant with Yahweh, they returned—metaphorically—to Egypt.

I Would Restore Them But They Would Not (6:13-7:10)

The opening lines of this section are ominous.

• When I would have restored the fortunes of my people. . .
• When I would have healed Israel . . .

Instead, the corruption of Ephraim and the wicked deeds of Samaria are uncovered and made public. [Samaria is the capital of the northern kingdom.] It is also the word for exile, that is, to be removed. God wants to restore, but the evil is too great. The more specific reason is: (1) they do not act with integrity (they lie, שָׁ֑קֶר); (2) they are thieves (stealing from others out of greed), and (3) they raid the people like a group/army of bandits (raiding parties, probably filled with violence; a marauding band as in Hosea 6:9). It is for this reason (“for” or “because” in Hosea 7:1) that restoration and healing is not available for Israel, though God desires it.

This somber judgment does not affect Israel’s thinking. It does not occur to them to say (“consider” in NRSV), “Yahweh remembers our wickedness.”  This memory is not simply an accounting of past facts or deeds, but it is remembering in the sense of holding accountable. Rather than forgetting or overlooking their evil, their deeds are “before the face” of Yahweh. Israel has not “taken to heart” (לִלְבָבָ֔ם) Yahweh’s memory. Consequently, their deeds overcome (“surround”) them, and they are brought before Yahweh for discipline and judgment.

In Hosea 7:3-7 the prophet names some of the consequences of Israel’s sin. A major part of this is the nation’s internal political chaos. “All their kings have fallen,” Hosea says. This probably refers to the assassination of four of Israel’s last five kings (namely, Zechariah [748 BCE], Shallum [748 BCE], Pekahiah [735 BCE], and Pekah [733 BCE]). It was a time of intense instability and political chaos. And this chaos involved not only the internal intrigues but also international alliances (which is named in the following section).

The participants in this chaos are called “adulterers,” which refers to their covenant disloyalty to Yahweh and probably some form of idolatry as well as moral vicissitudes. Primarily, however, the effect or consequence is political chaos and national instability at the very time the nation is threatened by empires to the north and south, Assyria and Egypt. Perhaps “adulterers” refers to the plotters themselves who seek to use their political assets for their own gain.

The primary metaphor comes from making bread, which is a daily occurrence in ancient Israel. Women would spend much of their morning—two to three hours or more—making bread for their daily meals, often in community with other women (much like a sewing group). This is a metaphor everyone would understand in Israel, though it may be lost somewhat on modern people who do not typically make their own bread (at least in the West).

The process of kneading dough, leavening it, and baking it is a metaphor for the process of political destabilization. Bakers don’t want the oven too hot, but they needed it heated sufficiently. They must keep the fire going. Perhaps the political instigators are like bakers who are preparing the dough and keeping things hot until the moment to bake and complete the task. Plots take time, but they depend on heat.

The picture offered in Hosea 7:5 is uncertain. We don’t know enough about the context or the metaphors to have much certainty here. It does seem, however, that there is a potential feasting of bread and wine on the part of kings and officials (princes), and perhaps even they sought accommodations with others. (“stretched out his hand”). The mockers are probably other officials—people who might have a say in their plots and intrigues out of the nation’s political or ruling class.

But the heat of the oven, which represents the anger present in the nation, bursts into flame and devours the rulers (literally, judges). Hence, “all their kings have fallen.” The oven symbolizes the caldron where anger and greed boil over, and this ends in a coup and the death of the king.

“None of them calls upon me,” Yahweh says.  Yahweh would restore them, but no one asks, no one seeks God’s face.

Israel Relies on the Nations (7:8-16)

Ephraim is a “half-baked cake.” Its problem was not only its own internal squabbles but also its mixing with the nations (“peoples”). The cake is not edible because of its own chaos and because of its international relations. Hosea, more than likely, primarily has in mind Assyria and Egypt, though it could include alliances with Aram (Syria) and perhaps even Judah (though “foreigners” would not apply to Judah in Hosea 7:9).

Israel did not realize the implications of its international politics. The foreigners (literally, strangers) ate their strength. Perhaps they ate Israel’s grain, but it seems more likely that this came in the form of tribute to Assyria or Egypt. Their international alliances drained their economy and weakened Israel. It made them weak, old, and near death (“gray hair”). But Israel did not realize what they were doing to themselves. It was a form of self-destruction, and they did not recognize it until it was too late.

As Hosea stated earlier (Hosea 5:5), pride is a key failing of Israel’s leadership. It is a word that describes glory and majesty—in a negative sense, pride. Israel thought it could handle its future through alliances when they should have turned to Yahweh as their God who could protect the nation and give them life. They neither returned to God nor sought him. Now, as a result, their gray hairs testify to their coming death.

While baking in a hot oven was the metaphor for internal political intrigue, the metaphor for international alliances is a caged or captured bird. Israel is like a dove—a naïve animal, easily trapped, and Israel is like birds (perhaps a reference to doves again) caught in a net. The point is sobering. When Israel seeks political alliances by calling on Egypt and Assyria, they are naively setting themselves up for a trap, and when that trap springs, destruction awaits them. And this is the Lord’s discipline or chastisement, or instruction. [This is made public in an assembly—perhaps a ratification or covenantal ceremony; or perhaps the audience to which Hosea preaches?]

Yahweh reiterates the desire to redeem Israel, but their lies and rebellion make it impossible in the moment. So, Hosea 7:13 is a judgment oracle: “Woe to them!” Israel has lost its way and like sheep have strayed from their shepherd. They have wandered away to Egypt and Assyria rather than trusting in Yahweh.

Their history with Yahweh should have instructed them. It was Yahweh who brought them up out of Egypt, gave them the land, and formed a nation—Yahweh “trained and strengthened their arms.” But instead, they seek grain and wine from other resources (whether idolatry as Hosea 2:5, 8 or international favor). This is a heart problem—instead of crying out to God from their hearts (literally, in their hearts, בְּלִבָּ֔ם), they grieve and moan on their beds. Instead of acting on their faith in Yahweh, they seek comfort in their beds where they wail and moan. They live in despair rather than turning to Yahweh.

Israel made the wrong choice. They sought profit where there was none. They are a broken people without power, like a defective bow. They are at the mercy of their enemies. So, their princes or leaders fall by the sword. Their rage and insolence brought them destruction rather than restoration. Their wailing ends up a “babbling” or mocking, a derision.

The location of this “babbling” is “in the land of Egypt.”  This is rather curious because Israel ends up in Assyrian exile, not Egyptian. Most likely, this is a biting allusion to Israel’s first captivity—their bondage in Egypt. Instead of being liberated from their enslavement as happened in Egypt, they will be enslaved again—though this time in Assyria. It is a metaphor for Israel’s reversal of fortune. Once they were liberated from Egypt, now they will be enslaved again. God would restore their fortune—liberate them from Egypt once again, but Israel would not—and so they, metaphorically, return to Egypt once again.

Israel lost their opportunity because of their pride, rebellion, and greed. God would have but they would not.

Hosea, the prophet who functions as a prosecutor, announced God’s judicial verdict in the previous chapter. Yet Hosea still holds out hope if Israel will seek God’s face (Hosea 5:15). Will Ephraim repent? Will they return to the Lord? Will they seek God’s path rather than their own? Hosea 6 opens the door, but Israel’s previous path has hardened their hearts and dimmed their hope. At bottom, they are people more interested in their rituals rather than seeking God; more interested in sacrifices and burnt offerings than mercy and intimacy with God; more interested in the form than the meaning. As Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means,” quoting Hosea 6:6.

The People Speak: An Invitation (Hosea 6:1-3)

There is hope! There is an invitation! This is true despite the verdict rendered in Hosea 5.

“Come, let us return to the Lord” is the invitation. Just as Yahweh returned to the divine abode in Hosea 2:15, Israel is invited to return to God.

Such a return involves “knowing” God. Again, this knowledge is not primarily cognitive, though it does not exclude that. Rather, it is about intimacy with God along the analogy of a marriage or betrothal as earlier in Hosea 1-3. To return to God is to know God, that is, to renew covenant and relationship with God.

Healing, binding up wounds, and revival is the hope. Though Israel was suffered judgment—they have been torn, struck down, and killed—there is hope for healing and revival. These wounds were named along with an incipient hope in Hosea 2:13-15. The response is that healing is available if the people return to the Lord. Indeed, Israel is assured of this healing just like they anticipate the dawn or spring rains that enable agriculture in Israel.

This revival is pictured as a renewal of health or life itself. Hosea 6:2 has been read by early Christians as a picture of the resurrection of the Messiah. Some early Jewish Targums connected with an eschatological resurrection.

The revival is parallel with the “healing” and “binding up” in Hosea 6:1. It may refer to a recovery from an illness (like Hezekiah going up on the third day to the temple upon his healing in 2 Kings 20). At the same time, it may refer to the death (metaphorically) of Israel and the hope of the resurrection of the nation. The early creed that Paul recites in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 may have Hosea 6:2 in mind as it identifies the “third day” according to the Scriptures.

It seems to me that Hosea has the resurrection of Israel in mind, much like Ezekiel 37 (can these dry bones live?). Hosea 2 has promised a renewal for Israel, a remarriage. This is pictured as a resurrection, a coming back to life. This, then, also serves the theological trajectory of the resurrection of the Messiah who is the redeemer of Israel. While Hosea does not have the Messiah in mind, the theological meaning of the text includes the future resurrection of the Messiah who represents Israel and gives life to Israel.

Yahweh Explains: The Primary Problem (Hosea 6:4-6)

God’s response seems rather harsh, even heartless. Will God receive this repentance and fulfill the hopeful expectations of Israel?

But it is not heartless because one hears to deep yearning for Israel and the lament for their status in the opening words. “What shall I do with you?”  The tone is important. Is it angry, or is disheartening, disappointing.  I think the latter.  God would love to embrace Israel and wants to do so, but Israel’s heart is not in it. They may approach God in the forms (sacrifices) but they do not approach God with God’s own heart beating in their chest.

Yahweh’s disappointment is the temporary nature of Israel’s seeking. Their steadfast love (hesed) is like a morning midst. It is there for a time but disappears. They do not live life with hesed.

The prophets have “killed” them with God’s words (thus resurrection in 6:2)—they have prosecuted and convicted Israel time and time again. God’s judgment is righteous and just—it is like light in the darkness.

What is Israel’s fundamental problem? Hosea 6:6—one of the most important texts in Hosea—provides the answer. They approach God with sacrifices and burnt offerings, but their lives do not exhibit hesed (mercy, steadfast love), and they do not know God (no intimacy with God). If they knew God, they would act like God.

If they were in authentic relationship with God, they would reflect God’s values—God’s hesed—in their own lives. Instead, as we will see later in Hosea, they live lives of greed, theft, and violence. Hosea’s point, then, is that God continues to reject Israel because they don’t love mercy; they don’t have the heart of God.  They have their forms and public shows, but they do not know what it means to live life with God.

The importance of Hosea 6:6 is illustrated by Jesus himself. According to Matthew, Jesus quotes this text twice in Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7.  In both instances Jesus is confronting Pharisees for their lack of mercy or steadfast love. In the first case it is there inhospitable dealings with “sinners.” In the second case it is their exaltation of the technicalities of the law over mercy.

Both times Jesus tells them this is about what God “means” in Hosea 6:6. If they had understood its meaning, they would not have questioned Jesus’s practices nor condemned those who participated. “Go and learn what this means” (Matthew 9:13), and “If you had known what this means” (Matthew 12:7).

How we read the Bible matters greatly. Do we read it through a lens of mercy or hesed, or do we read it through a lens of legal technicalities? Jesus said, “if you had known what this means. . .” How do we read? (Luke 10:26).

To love mercy (Micah 6:8; hesed) goes to the heart of the law—and, more fundamentally, the heart of God.

Yahweh Describes: Israel’s Sins (Hosea 6:7-11a)

The description of Israel in these verses is horrific; God has seen a “horrible thing” in Israel. They . . .

• transgress the covenant
• deal treacherously with Yahweh
• filled with evildoers
• tracking blood throughout the land
• thieves wait to pounce
• murderers, even priests, abound
• adulterous life (idolatry)

Consequently, “Israel is defiled.” There may be a specific religio-political reality to these verses. Perhaps it refers to the time of political intrigue since Israel had a series of assassinations in its closing history. It may reflect the chaos of those last decades of the nation. We don’t know the details, but we know the effect—horrible and defiling behavior on the part of the Israel.

There is a translation question regarding the word Adam (Hebrew: keadam, כְּאָדָ֖ם). Should it be translated “at Adam” (a geographical location named in Joshua 3:16) or “like Adam” (the Adam in the Garden of Eden). Some favor the former because place names abound in this section. It is in parallel with something that happened in Gilead as well as on the road to Shechem. This is also supported by the use of “there” as a geographical locater.  Also, Adam is located on the east bank of the Jordan where Gilead is also located. That association seems to confirm the parallelism. However, some think this refers to Adam in the Genesis story. That is possible, but it seems more likely that this is geography rather than an allusion to Genesis.

Whatever may be the case with the use of the word “Adam,” the point is fairly straightforward. Israel has demonstrated its lack of hesed by the way it has lived as covenant-breakers. The heart of Israel is filled with greed and violence rather than the hesed of God.

At the end of this message, Hosea surprisingly addresses Judah. It seems this is a warning to Judah. They will experience a similar harvest if they do not keep hesed at the heart of their relationship with God and others.  

“Some nations boast of their chariots and horses but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7. Israel prays for their king but trusts Yahweh to provide rather than military might. Israel does not boast about its military, but boasts about their covenant God who saves the Messiah, and through the Messiah saves the people.

Hosea, as Yahweh’s prophet, takes on the role of a prosecutor. He serves the indictment against Israel in Hosea 4:1. There is no faithfulness, love, or intimacy with God in the land. The next message from Hosea (5:1-15) renders a verdict.

Verdict Announced

Hosea delivers the verdict to the leaders of Israel and reminds them of their ancient roots with God (Hosea 5:1-2). He identifies the leadership and names relevant geography—all of which are in Israel or on the border of the northern kingdom with Judah/Benjamin.

The “house of Israel,” given its position between priests and king, probably refers to some kind of leadership in the community, perhaps political counselors or wealthy influencers. The point is, like in chapter 4, Hosea announces the verdict to the leadership of the northern kingdom.

In fact, the verdict is given with lines that follow each of the three identifications. After the leadership, Hosea says they should listen because “the judgment pertains to you.” After the geographic identifications, Hosea says that “I (speaking for Yahweh) will punish all of them.” The first refers primarily to the leadership, but the second pronouncement covers the whole northern land. Justice (מִּשְׁפָּ֑ט) and discipline (מוּסָ֥ר) are what the nation will receive from God. This is the verdict. This justice is portrayed with the imagery of a hunting party (snares, nets, and pits). Israel will be hunted and trapped, which is ultimately how the Assyrian Empire treats the nation.

The geographical references are not necessarily correlate with priests, house of Israel, and king, but they are reminders of Israel’s story with Yahweh. It is an ancient story; the Yahweh-Israel relationship has roots. It is uncertain why this specific geography is named. Mizpah, located near the border with Israel in the territory of Benjamin, was a regular place for legal, prophetic, and political events (Judges 20:1, 3; 1 Samuel 7:6, 16; 10:17). Tabor was the site of a battle during the time of Deborah and Barak, and it is where Israel assembled (Judges 4:6). Shittim (though the Hebrew is uncertain) probably refers to the settlement of Israel in the Transjordan region (Numbers 25:1), and it is remembered by Micah as key moment in the story of Israel’s liberation (Micah 6:5). God led Israel from Shittim to Gilgal across the Jordan into the land of promise.

These place names may be references to political and/or religious events/shrines in the recent history of the northern kingdom. In other words, the hearers know something we don’t because we are distant from the events themselves. Or, perhaps the names have a covenantal function—they remind Israel of their history with Yahweh: judges at Mizpah, victory at Tabor, and entrance into the land from Shittim. Whatever may be the case, the land is highlighted, as it was in Hosea 4:1-3.

The Verdict Explained (Hosea 5:3-7)

The reasons for the verdict are described in poetic language, but the reasons are explicit. Yahweh declares, “I know Ephraim” but “they do not know” me (Hosea 5:3-4). Their lack of intimacy with Yahweh has led to their spiritual adultery, presumably their idolatries. They have “played the whore” and “their deeds” prevent intimacy with God. They are obstacles to their return. This is not, however, a matter of a few errors or mistakes. Rather, “the spirit of whoredom” is in them, and consequently they don’t know Yahweh.

The root problem for Israel is their “pride.” The word has the sense of majesty or exaltation, which translates into an arrogant self-image or insolence. They are blind to their situation—their lack of intimacy with Yahweh. They seek Yahweh with their sacrifices and rituals, but they do not find their God because Yahweh has withdrawn from them. Yahweh cannot stomach their pride, deeds, and idolatry (spiritual adultery).

The metaphor of adultery or harlotry underlines Israel’s unfaithfulness. They bore “illegitimate (literally, “strange”) children.” Again, this is a metaphor for the results of their idolatry. It is not a statement about literal, physical offspring. Their practices shaped the nation in such a way that it bastardized the nation itself. The people (“children”) followed their leaders into idolatry and gave birth to a people who did not know Yahweh. 

Their unfaithfulness means the “new moon” will consume them and “their fields.” The “new moon” festival was previously named in Hosea 2:11 (cf. Amos 8:5; Isaiah 1:13-14). Hosea’s language suggests a reversal. Whereas the new moon festival was a monthly celebration of sacrificial meals and cultic seeking of God, now the festival Israel practiced will consume them along with their fields. Perhaps it is a judgment that foresees a time when the fields will not yield crops to serve at the festival; there will be no festivals because there will be their fields are devastated. Instead of festive eating, there will be hunger.

Curiously, Judah appears as part of this judgment against Israel.  The northern kingdom is the primary addressee of the oracle, but Judah is mentioned four times: Hosea 5:5, 10, 12, and 14. Some have suggested that the oracle remembers or is commenting on the Syro-Ephraimite war between Israel (along with Syria or Aram) with Judah at the time of King Ahaz of Judah (2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16:5; Isaish 7) in 735 BCE.  They both fall under judgment for their lack of trust in Yahweh as they lean on political alliances.

That may be the case, and it is a popular hypothesis. At the same time, it is unnecessary as we might hear the oracle as a recognition that Judah has been influenced by Israel or even joined Israel in its idolatry or unfaithfulness to one extent or another.  In other words, there were times when Israel and Judah were enmeshed in their political and religious practices. Whatever may be the case, Hosea names Judah as a co-conspirator in the indictment while focusing on Israel as the primary offender.

The Verdict Implemented (Hosea 5:8-15)

While some see the activities in Hosea 5:8—blow the horn and the trumpet, sound the alarm—as military images that warn Israel about coming military incursions (perhaps even from Judah), I think it is probably more general. It sounds the alarm of a coming judgment, perhaps even the ultimate defeat and exile by the Assyrian Emperor.

Israel will be devastated, and God will pour out judgment on both Ephraim and Judah. In particular, the princes of Judah are named because they move the boundary markers of the land (cf. Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17). In other words, they steal land, which is the heart of a family’s economic survival. It is their inheritance; it is their generational wealth. Land is how a family survives. The leaders of Judah are judged along with Ephraim (“day of punishment” or “day of rebuke”) for this sin.

Yahweh’s rejection of the pride, deeds, and harlotry of Ephraim is emphatic. It is expressed in emotive language that conjures up a hideous image. “Therefore, I am like maggots to Ephraim,” Yahweh says. Consequently, Israel as well as Judah were made vassals of the Assyrian king. They sought respite from the Assyrian Emperor, but it is a futile adventure. Ultimately, Assyria will offer no assistance but rather devour Israel and cage up Judah. The reason for this futility is that Yahweh has abandoned Israel, and like a lion hunts its prey and carries it off to devour, so Yahweh has consumed Israel.

Yet, though Yahweh removes the divine presence from Israel, the God of Israel awaits their return when they seek Yahweh’s face once again. Yahweh wants them to seek relationship and renew covenant, but they must acknowledge their guilt.

To seek the face of God is to renew that relationship. This seeking, however, must conform to the faithfulness, steadfast love, and intimacy that God seeks from the people because this is who God is.

“If you test me, you will find no wickedness in me.” (Psalm 17:3) That is a rather disturbing statement for many. Can I pray that prayer? That is the invitation of Psalm 17. It calls us into a way of integrity and faithfulness as we seek refuge in the Lord, and we seek the Lord because Yahweh is the God of the Exodus.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks walk through Psalm 17, seeking its meaning and significance–not only for Israel but for us.