LIKE JACOB RETURNED TO GOD

Passage: Hosea 11:12-12:14

Key verse: 12:6

NIV

Israel’s Sin

12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(A)
    Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
    even against the faithful(B) Holy One.[a](C)

12 [b]1 Ephraim(D) feeds on the wind;(E)
    he pursues the east wind all day
    and multiplies lies and violence.(F)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(G)
    and sends olive oil to Egypt.(H)
2 The Lord has a charge(I) to bring against Judah;(J)
    he will punish(K) Jacob[c] according to his ways
    and repay him according to his deeds.(L)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(M)
    as a man he struggled(N) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
    he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(O)
    and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
    the Lord is his name!(P)
6 But you must return(Q) to your God;
    maintain love and justice,(R)
    and wait for your God always.(S)

7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(T)
    and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(U)
    “I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(V)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
    any iniquity or sin.”

9 “I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt;(W)
I will make you live in tents(X) again,
    as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
    gave them many visions
    and told parables(Y) through them.”(Z)

11 Is Gilead wicked?(AA)
    Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(AB)
    Their altars will be like piles of stones
    on a plowed field.(AC)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[d];(AD)
    Israel served to get a wife,
    and to pay for her he tended sheep.(AE)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(AF)
    by a prophet he cared for him.(AG)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
    his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(AH)
    and will repay him for his contempt.(AI)

Footnotes
  1. Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
  2. Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
  3. Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
  4. Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

12 [a] Ephraim (A)has surrounded me with lies,
    and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
    and is faithful to the Holy One.
12 Ephraim feeds on the wind
    and pursues (B)the east wind all day long;
they multiply (C)falsehood and violence;
    (D)they make a covenant with Assyria,
    and (E)oil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

2 (F)The Lord has an indictment against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
    he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 (G)In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
    and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed;
    he wept and sought his favor.
(H)He met God[b] at Bethel,
    and there God spoke with us—
5 the Lord, the God of hosts,
    (I)the Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, (J)by the help of your God, return,
    (K)hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God.”

7 A merchant, in whose hands are (L)false balances,
    he loves (M)to oppress.
8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but (N)I am rich;
    I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors (O)they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9 (P)I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you (Q)dwell in tents,
    as in the days of the appointed feast.

10 (R)I spoke to the prophets;
    it was I who multiplied (S)visions,
    and through the prophets gave parables.
11 (T)If there is iniquity in Gilead,
    they shall surely come to nothing:
(U)in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
    (V)their altars also are like stone heaps
    (W)on the furrows of the field.
12 (X)Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
    there Israel (Y)served for a wife,
    and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13 By (Z)a prophet (AA)the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
    and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 (AB)Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
    so his Lord (AC)will leave his bloodguilt on him
    (AD)and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

Footnotes
  1. Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Hebrew
  2. Hosea 12:4 Hebrew him
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

As Hosea brings up Israel’s sin of deception, he tells the story of their father, Jacob. He was a heal grabber at birth and continued doing anything to gain what he wanted (2). The story of Jacob’s struggle with God in verse 3 points to when he returned to Bethel with his family (Gen 32).

Jacob had acquired wealth and prosperity. But he also made enemies for himself and could no longer stay in his uncle and wives’ hometown. As he was coming back to his homeland to face his brother Esau, who had previously vowed to kill him, he realized how helpless he was. Bethel was where he previously made a conditional vow to God to serve him if God gave him everything he wanted. As he returned to Bethel, he saw that God was faithful to him, but all the things he desired and received did not have the power to save him. He found God there and struggled with him all night, weeping and begging for his favor. He finally understood what it meant to call him the Lord and submit to him (6). The people of Israel might have enjoyed the prosperity they gained with their wicked deception (8). But like Jacob, they must also understand the meaninglessness of their gains and return to God.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your faithfulness and for giving me the strength to return to you. I desire to grow in your righteousness, following your way instead of following the deceptive ways of the world.

One Word: Return and find the Lord.