Chapter Introduction
Hosea again brings the main accusations and then word pictures of the judgment of God to bring about Israel’s ruin. There will always be a remnant and a day when Israel will be saved and experience the ultimate blessing in the kingdom age.
Hosea 13:1-3
Ephraim had an unhealthy desire to be predominant among the tribes. They wanted to be the center of religion and government. The implication is that this brought them to Baal worship, which subsequently brought spiritual death. Then, it's as if they started down that slippery slope, which just worsened. They took the work of the craftsman’s hands and gave it divine status. They called their molded images and silver and gold idols gods and worshiped them. A man made a golden calf, they called it god and kissed it, revering it as if it were human or alive in some way.
The “therefore” of verse 3 indicated God had made His case, and He would render punishment. Ephraim had chosen death over life. God would allow them to pass away. There seemed to be three main steps of the dying process:
- They forget God. They didn’t realize it at first. It was slow and subtle. They were still religious. They began to worship what is not God and slowly moved toward a deliberate removal of God. When apostasy came through idolatry, adultery was close behind. It was immorality accompanied by an unhealthy pursuit of money and material wealth.
- The soul of a nation died. This nation was established by the hand of God. Death came from turning away from the source of life. It was a parting from the person, principles, and ideals of the One who brought them into being. Without spiritual or moral principles, corruption accelerated, crime increased, and morality decreased. The government failed the people, and everyone began to do as they saw fit.
- The body of the nation dies. When the soul was dead, the body wasn’t far behind. As detailed in verse 3, the body disappeared like dew or the chaff in the wind. Like the smoke from the chimney, it was blown away and forgotten. God’s judgment never comes without warning. He is long-suffering, but when the judgment started, it came swiftly. Punishment for their sin brought them to an end.
See Psalm 2.
Hosea 13:4-8
God remained unchanging throughout the years. We don’t have to wonder if He changed the rules, if His mood changes, or if He is affected by our unfaithfulness. No, He is still God, and they wouldn’t find another. They could build idols forever and kiss calves till their lips fell off and not find salvation. Yahweh was and is the only God they would ever know, no matter how far and wide they might look. There is no other, He alone is the savior.
Mankind has a serious character flaw. In the wilderness, in drought, in pain and suffering, we know God. We speak to Him and seek His will and ways. We beg Him and plead the promises He made. Then, when we are blessed and experience prosperity, we forget Him and forget what He has done. This is a picture of God bringing His flock to a fine pasture (a 23rd Psalm pasture); in this fine pasture, they forget their shepherd.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). The wrath of God is likened to a vicious and wild animal that’s coming for you.
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds” (Romans 2:4-6)
God’s always offered a way to Him, but men chose enmity with God. From this choice, they would know the fierceness of His wrath. They would know His power and authority. They would know His justice. Every knee will bow and acknowledge God – even the unbeliever will bow and agree with God in the end. They will know His righteousness and holiness and agree with the punishment they will receive.
Do we acknowledge God for all we have and all that is? Do we also quickly forget once our needs are met or the pain is minimized?
Hosea 13:9-14
Even in their punishment and destruction, God stands as their help. The nation would perish, but the people can seek God. He longs to be their King. There are no other choices, despite what it may look like. All other apparent choices are deceptions to draw men away from the Living God.
The people put their faith in other gods and things that couldn’t save them from the wrath of the true God of the universe. God gave them a king in anger, in his wrath He’ll took him away – a seeming reference to Saul, an example of allowing them to live in God’s less-than-perfect will. When the kingdom split, God chose Jereboam to sit on the throne of the northern kingdom and made great promises to him if he would walk in the ways of the Lord. Almost immediately, Jereboam set up calf worship in Dan and Bethel. It is noted that every northern king led Israel to sin like Jeroboam did. There was not one good king in the north of the kingdom.
In verse 12, their sins are recorded to be paid in full later. See also 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 20:11-15. As individuals who are in Christ, our sins are forgiven forever. The people's sins become the nation's and are being stored up for judgment.
Judgment would come, like the pangs of labor, suddenly appearing and growing in intensity and frequency. This is the picture of the coming judgment. The unwise son didn’t heed the warning. He went on in his sin. The mother who could not bring forth the child would in time die. The nation that did not repent and turn from its sin would likewise succumb to the judgment.
The wise son would have understood judgment was coming and done all to avoid it. The last part of verse 13 is a picture of this unwise child that remained in the birth canal, refusing birth and choosing death.
We humans are so impressed with power. As I write this, the Olympics are going on. We celebrate the speed, endurance, and strength of the athletes. In science, we are impressed with the ideas and inventions of man, displaying the power of our minds. We see the launching of rocket ships, the detonation of nuclear bombs, and it goes on and on.
Yet, none of these things compares to the power of God. It is a power to create with a word. He calls that into being which was not. He sets the galaxies into place and names the stars. They’re His stars, planets, and comets, all set in place for us to discover. One of God's most incredible displays of power and authority is authority over life and death. He grants the breath of life. He is sovereign over death.
This nation that was judged and determined to die was still given hope. That hope was found in God alone. We know this as the opportunity to be “born again.” For us to be born again, we must have died to self. New life can only come from death. It is God who ransoms from the grave. He alone redeems from death. God is the plague and destruction of death and the grave. God, in His sovereign power, mocks the authority and power of the grave and death.
Paul quotes the Septuagint translation of verse fourteen in 1 Corinthians 15:55. The verse presents rhetorical questions:
- Will I ransom them from the power of the grave?
- Will I redeem them from death?
- Will I be your plague, O death?
- Will I be destruction, O grave?
The answer is ‘no’ as revealed by the last line of verse 14; at least not for the nation. God would not relent from the judgment on Israel, but he offers hope to the people. We know the answer becomes ‘Yes’ when we are in Christ. Christ became this display of power over the grave and death. All the hope offered to these people on that day was a hope looking forward to Christ (though they didn’t know how, or His name). Our hope is looking back at the resurrection as the display of this power. Jesus is the firstfruits, who promises a greater harvest to come. Those in Christ are the future harvest and will follow Christ in resurrection.
Hosea 13:15-16
The name Ephraim means double fruitful. Hosea presented a play on words here. Though Ephraim is known as fruitful among his brothers, this desolation will come. Hosea 12:1 said they pursued the east wind as an example of their worthless pursuits. The coming of the east wind is giving them their desires. It’s God allowing the fruit of their unrighteous pursuits. The living water of the spring and fountain – their source of life – would be dried up. Their wealth will be carried away.
Samaria was guilty. It was about to become desolate, and the transition to this would be gruesome. These folks probably couldn’t imagine such a thing. They probably heard Hosea's words and thought this couldn’t happen. The government wouldn’t let this happen. The king would do something.
The Big Idea
Israel’s prosperity and selfish pride had blinded them to the judgment that was right before them. It was like a dark cloud on the horizon while the prophets of men and false gods said, “All is well!” The birth pangs were upon them, and they ignored them.
©2006 DOUG FORD; FURTHER STUDY AND REVISION 2016, 2025
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