God’s Love For Israel (Hos.11:1-11)

After a series of discipline messages (Hos.4-10), God reminds them of his love for them. V.1-4 tell of Israel’s past. God compares Himself to a father who has called and trained a son; but the son has turned out to be unresponsive and ungrateful. God also reminds them that they became His son by adoption and not by birth.

Similarly in Christ, we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters. Like the prodigal son we were saved by God’s grace and compassion. Without the mercy of God we would surely perish.

We see the full emotions of God as a father not willing to give up his child.

God is a God of justice but he also is a God of love. Sin must be punished, but God is filled with compassion. It is at the cross that the love of God and the justice of God can be satisfied.

Israel’s Sin (Hos.12:1-14)

This chapter starts off by God’s charge against Judah(v.2). Judah is not as far along the slippery path of decline as Israel. Nevertheless she is on that path. And if she doesn’t repent, her doom will be as certain as the doom of Israel.

So much for Judah, what about Israel (Ephraim)?. She is dishonest, rich and arrogantly confident that no one will ever be able to prove her guilty of any sin (v.7-8). She will be driven from God’s land.

• This happened in spite of God’s gracious dealings with His people. God had revealed Himself to them through prophets(v.10).
• He delivered them(v.9).
• And he cared for them (v.13) but they rebelled.