TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   4.   Hosea’s observation: God will repay Israel’s deceit (12:12-14)

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram,

and there he[*] earned a wife by tending sheep.

13 Then by a prophet

the LORD brought Jacob’s descendants[*] out of Egypt;

and by that prophet

they were protected.

14 But the people of Israel

have bitterly provoked the LORD,

so their Lord will now sentence them to death

in payment for their sins.

NOTES

12:13 [14] by a prophet. This is a reference to Moses, the prophet of the Exodus period (Deut 18:15-19).

they were protected. The NLT reflects some of the connotations in the verb shamar [TH8104, ZH9068] (guard). Hosea used the term here and in 12:12 (where it is translated “tending”) to form a continuity between the two.

12:14 [15] their Lord. The MT reads ’adonayw [TH136/2050.2, ZH151/2257] (his master). Yahweh reminded Israel that he is its real master, not Baal. Baal can also mean “master” (see commentary on 2:12-13).

sins. Lit., “blood guiltiness.” The northern kingdom was condemned previously for its bloody deeds (1:4; 4:2; 6:8). Hosea now warned his people that their many crimes would soon come back upon their heads.

COMMENTARY [Text]

Hosea grasped the deeper implication of the Lord’s closing words concerning Gilead and therefore returned to the case of Jacob. Jacob, the refugee in Aram, worked many long years for his wife, having been tricked by Laban into serving extra time to attain the woman he loved (Gen 29:14–30:43). Building on that experience, Hosea went on to discuss Jacob’s descendants. In later life, Jacob went to live in Egypt after Joseph rose to a high position in government (Gen 46:1-7). Those who descended from Jacob spent many years in Egypt. When a change of Pharaohs came, there was a change of attitude toward the Hebrews and they were forced into bondage. Theirs was a greater bondage than that which Jacob endured under Laban (Exod 1:8-14).

In the course of time, God raised up a prophet named Moses who led the people out of Egypt (Exod 12:1-36; Deut 26:5-8). Although God’s prophet cared for them in every way, the people soon showed disrespect for God and his leader and accordingly were forced to spend 40 years in the wilderness before entering Canaan (cf. Exod 32:1-10; Deut 1:26-36).

Hosea’s generation had proven to be no better. Although Hosea attempted to give counsel to these later descendants of Jacob, they disdained him—much as Jacob’s heirs did to Moses in the wilderness. Even worse, they turned their backs on him who had appointed Hosea—God himself—by choosing to follow Baal. Therefore, the time had come for Israel to pay for its long history of sinning.

While the certainty of death for sin faces everyone, a just but loving God has graciously provided for the forgiveness of sins and the potential for everlasting life (Acts 10:43; Rom 3:23; 6:23; Eph 2:4-9). He did this by sending the Prophet promised of old (Deut 18:15-19). Jesus acknowledged that he was a prophet when he said to his fellow citizens that “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family” (Matt 13:57; cf. Mark 6:4; John 4:44). Likewise, the people acknowledged his prophetic status (Luke 24:19; John 4:19), especially as he entered Jerusalem during what would prove to be the last week before his crucifixion (Matt 21:11).

The early church also proclaimed that Jesus was indeed the promised great Prophet (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37). As that Prophet, Jesus is the climax of the chain of prophets inaugurated by Moses. Even more so, Jesus is greater than Moses (Heb 3:1-6). For although Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, Jesus is the mediator of the prophesied new covenant (Jer 31:31-34; Matt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6; Heb 8–9), which grants to its adherents eternal life (John 3:36; 6:54).

Like the Old Testament prophets, Jesus delivered God’s message, but his was the culmination that their prophecies anticipated. The Old Testament prophets were often called to pronounce God’s judgment upon their fellow countrymen, yet they delivered messages of hope for the future. Their kingdom oracles spoke not only of universal judgment but gave a promise of ultimate blessing for a repentant and restored people of God. Jesus also proclaimed the certainty of the coming of the Kingdom of God (Matt 24–25). Although he affirmed that his Kingdom did not have its origin or derive its character from this world (John 18:36), he did acknowledge that it would assuredly come with cataclysmic force (Matt 24:27-31; Luke 21:10-28).

Believers have already become citizens of that Kingdom via the new birth (John 3:3-7; Col 1:12-14; 2 Pet 1:11) and enjoy the reality of the risen Christ enthroned in their hearts (John 14:23-24; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). Nevertheless, they look forward to that day when personally, physically, and visibly, Christ will return to earth (Matt 24:30; Acts 1:11; Rev 1:7; 22:7, 12, 20) and this world will become “the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). Knowing this truth, the believer can cry “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).