Hosea 11

Hosea 11:1

VII. IN WRATH, GOD REMEMBERS MERCY (Chaps. 1113)It is helpful to distinguish the speakers in the next four chapterswhether it is the Lord or Hosea.

The Lord:11:112:1Hosea:12:2-6The Lord: 12:7-11Hosea:12:1213:1The Lord: 13:2-14Hosea:13:1514:3The Lord: 14:4-811:1-4 In love, God called . . . Israel . . . out of Egypt (Ex. 12). (This is also applied to the Lord Jesus in Mat_2:15.) The more He called, the more they went after idols. He dealt tenderly and lovingly with Ephraim, but the latter did not know that the Lord had healed him. 11:5-8 Because of their turning from God, His people would not be sent to Egypt but would be exiled to Assyria. God’s heart churned to think of making Israel as desolate as the cities of the plain, Admah and Zeboiim. 11:9-12 These verses are future. God has planned restoration and blessing for His people, and He will no more destroy Ephraim. In the Hebrew Bible, verse 12 is the first verse of chapter 12. It may mean, as in the KJV and NKJV, that while Israel was full of lies and deceit, Judah was still trusting in the Lord in Hosea’s time. Or it may mean, as in the NASB, that Judah resembled Israel in its unruliness.