12:2-5 Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, was the common ancestor of all 12 tribes of Israel (both northern and southern kingdoms). Like the nations that descended from him, Jacob practiced deceit. Unlike Israel and Judah, however, he constantly searched for God. Jacob wrestled with the angel in order to be blessed, but his descendants thought their blessings came from their own successes. Jacob purged his house of idols (Genesis 35:2), but his descendants could not quit their idol worship.
12:6 The two principles that Hosea called his nation to live by, mercy and judgment, are at the very foundation of God’s character. They are essential to his followers, but they are not easy to keep in balance. Some people are merciful (loving) to the point that they excuse wrongdoing. Others have judgment (are just) to the extent that they forget mercy. Mercy without justice leaves people in their sins because it is not aiming at a higher standard. Justice without mercy drives people away from God because it has no heart. To specialize in one at the expense of the other is to distort our witness. Today’s church, just like Hosea’s nation, must live by both principles.
12:7, 8 In Israel, dishonesty had become an accepted means of attaining wealth. Israelites who were financially successful could not imagine that God would consider them sinful. They thought that their wealth was a sign of God’s approval, and they didn’t bother to consider how they had gotten it. But God said that Israel’s riches would not make up for its sin. Remember that God’s measure of success is different from ours. He calls us to faithfulness, not to affluence. Character is more important to him than our purses.
12:8 Rich people and nations often claim that their material success is due to their own hard work, initiative, and intelligence. Because they have bought whatever they wanted, they don’t feel the need for God. They believe that their riches are their own and that they have the right to use them any way they please. If you find yourself feeling proud of your accomplishments, remember that all your opportunities, abilities, and resources come from God and that you hold them in sacred trust for him.
12:9 Once a year the Israelites spent a week living in tents during the Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorated God’s protection as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (see Deuteronomy 1:19–2:1). Here, because of their sin, God would cause them to live in tents again—this time not as part of a festival but in actual bondage.
12:12 Hosea was using this reference to Jacob to say, “Don’t forget your humble beginnings. What you have is not a result of your own efforts, but it is yours because God has been gracious to you.”
12:13 The prophet who brought Israel out of Egypt was Moses (Exodus 13:17-19).