HOSEA 10:14

The Bible says in Hosea 10:14-15, “Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.[15] So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.” Hosea chapter 10 ends with these two verses, and they are a great warning to the Israelites, telling them how certainly and how suddenly their destruction would come upon them. God gives warnings because He wants to forgive and He wants to save. But human beings have been given a free will, and must take the warnings that God places in their conscience and turn to Jesus while there is time. “Shalman” was probably a shortened form of the name Shalmaneser, a king of Assyria, who conquered many cities in Israel. God allowed the partial conquest of Israel in order to give a warning to Judah. Whenever anything happens, good or bad, we should always ask the question, “What is God doing, and what does He want me to learn from these things that He is either causing or allowing for a reason?”

No wonder God gave Israel so many chances. How much He loved them. The Bible says in Hosea 11:1-4, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.[2] As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.[3] I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.[4] I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” We can compare what happened to the nation of Israel to what happens to the children in many families. When the children are young, the parents shower them with love. But as the children get older, sometimes something happens. Sometimes they turn away from what their parents taught them, and become much different than what they were as children. Sin will do that. That is exactly what God experiences as a parent whenever any of His children go down the wrong path in life in turning away from Jesus.

Notice what God said that He did for His children. God said in Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him.” Every child deserves to be loved, and every child is easy to love because they are so cute and innocent. Because God is love, He loves children more than anyone. It says in Matthew 19:13-15, “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.[14] But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.[15] And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.” We do not see Jesus striking little children. We see Him receiving and hugging them. What kind of parent are you?

In Hosea 11:1 God also said about Israel that He “called my son out of Egypt.” This symbolizes salvation. Egypt symbolizes the world: its structure, its pleasures, its entertainments, its religions, and its philosophies. How can anyone escape the world? We can escape the enslavement to the world and its ways when Jesus calls us, and He will call us. That is what is meant when it says about Jesus in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The Bible says in Matthew 4:8-9, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.[19] And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Bible says in First Samuel 3:4-10, “That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.[5] And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.[6] And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.[7] Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.[8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.[9] Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.[10] And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” The Lord called Samuel four times before Samuel finally responded and came to know the Lord. How many times has the Lord Jesus called you?

God spoke of calling his son “out of Egypt,” but God also said in Hosea 11:2, “As they called them, so they went from them.” Who called them? The world called them. Every person will be called from two different directions. We are called of God by God’s Spirit to come to Jesus. We need to be sensitive to the call and quick to follow it. One reason for that is because we will also be called to follow the way of the world which will take us away from God and away from fellowship with the Lord. Do you know the difference in the two callings? Do know to surrender to the one, and reject the other? That is why it says in First John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

What God was doing for the children of Israel before they turned away from Him, Jesus does for every believer. In Hosea 11:3-4 God mentions five things that He does for every believer. First God says, “I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms.” This speaks of the truth that God wants every Christian to grow and become able to stand on their own two feet, and to be a strong adult in the Christian faith. When we are first saved, we are like little babies, spiritually speaking. It takes growth and it takes time to go from a new-born Christian by faith in Christ to someone who is mature in faith and hope and love. One of the things that God is doing every day in the life of every believer is that He is trying to teach us to walk by faith. When we fall down, He picks us back up by forgiving us our sins. He knows we are weak and do not yet know how to walk as we should by faith in this life. Jesus treats us the way a loving father treats his toddler. The way that God helps His children is by teaching them. He said, “I taught Ephraim.” One of the primary things that God is doing in the life of each believer is that He is teaching us. We have a lot to learn, and that will be the case throughout our entire lives. This truth tells us the primary responsibility of a parent: to teach their children. If you want to be a good parent, look for teachable moments. A child left to itself will not learn what they need to know through osmosis. They need a teacher. That is the role of the parent. Paul said about one of Timothy’s strong points in Second Timothy 3:14-15, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;[15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” It is obvious where Timothy learned this knowledge because it says in Second Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

God said about the Israelites in Hosea 11:3, “they knew not that I healed them.” God healed them. This symbolizes spiritual healing. Jesus healed the sick to prove that He had power to forgive sins also. The Israelites were healed, but they were no longer conscious of the fact that God had healed them. They enjoyed their good state without giving thanks to God or what He had done for them. The way that this is represented in the age in which we live is that there are people who are saved, but they have drifted so far away from the Lord that they have forgotten that they are saved. This truth concerning some Christians is taught clearly in Second Peter 1:9, “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” The best explanation is the doctrine of eternal security. Once Jesus saves a person, that person is saved to the uttermost, even if that person forgets the Savior. God does not forget. Salvation is not based upon what a human being does or knows or remembers. Salvation is based entirely upon the work of Christ on the cross, and the work of Christ to save that individual. When a person is initially saved, God does it all. The Spirit of God convicts of sin and points to Jesus. Jesus reveals Himself to the person, and the person believes on Jesus and calls on the name of Jesus. Without the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus, there would be no salvation. Salvation takes place in the hearts of a person only and entirely because of what the Holy Spirit and Jesus do at the time of salvation. God worked this salvation for the children of Israel. That is why it says in Hosea 11:4, “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.”

Finally, two of the great benefits of salvation are given at the end of Hosea 11:4, “and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” To take off the yoke refers to lightening the burden. O how heavy the burden of sin and guilt can be. To have this burden lifted brings joy and happiness. Jesus knew about this burden and He came to remove it. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” People can be burdened by other things in addition to their guilt. They can be burdened by the stress to succeed or the stress to compete. Jesus can lighten every burden, even the burden of stress, if we learn to trust in Christ for such things. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Of course, when God said in Hosea 11:4, “I laid meat unto them,” He is talking about the fact that He supplied their material needs. The whole world worries about their material possessions, and they fight and oppose one another in order to get an advantage in this regard. As it says in First Timothy 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” What a benefit for Christians to be able to avoid the excesses of worry, and competition, and strong desire because of the Lord’s promises to take care of us. Yes. He wants us to do our best and work hard; but He wants us to remember hat the outcome is up to Him. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?[26] Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?[27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?[28] And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:[29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.[30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.[33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.[34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

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