One habit I’ve had to repent of over the years is what my cousin would call “show talking,” which is the tendency to provide a running commentary as others watch a show or movie, particularly at the most suspenseful moments. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to see how frustrating this habit can be to others. In the middle of a story, the suspense comes from the fact that no one really knows how the story will end. An ill-timed comment interrupts everyone’s train of thought,
The Old Testament prophets can sometimes be difficult to understand. Many of us don’t have a background in reading, memorizing, or reciting poetry, but most of the prophets wrote in poetry. We often just want bare information, but they provide images, symbols, metaphors, and aphorisms that aim to make us feel a certain way or to take on a different perspective. That’s one reason a column such as this can only aid readers of Hosea and never replace reading the text (if possible, aloud). When we take note of the images of Hosea 9–11 (or to be more accurate, Hosea 9:1–11:11), a story emerges.
First, the beginning of the story is how the Lord extended grace to Israel, His people. They were “the first fruit on the fig tree” (9:10, ESV), His fruitful vine (10:1), and even His Son (11:1). These images point to the way that He had redeemed them from Egypt, taken care of them in the desert, and brought them to the land He had promised them. The second act of the story is when they turned away from Him, beginning at Gibeah (9:9, perhaps a reference to the sordid actions of characters in Judges 19–21). Like an adulteress, they had abandoned their covenant with the Lord (9:1), embraced idolatrous worship (10:5–6), and become morally corrupt (10:12–15). Their hearts were false (10:2).
At this point, the story moves to the future tense. Because of their sin, God will punish them at any moment (9:7, 10:9–10). He will take their king away (10:3–4, 7–8) and send them to Assyria (9:1–3, 15; 11:5–7). The final part of the story, however, doesn’t end with punishment. God would one day be compassionate to the repentant (11:8–10).
These chapters spur us to be grateful and to be sober. Like Israel, we were in exile because of our sin. We live outside of Eden far from God’s presence, but God grants compassion to those who, like the remnant in Israel, repent at His call. How can God forgive sinners and still be holy? He called His greater Son out of Egypt (Matt. 2:15) to save us. Those who take these words seriously will live in thankfulness for what the Redeemer has done.
Hosea’s words were originally to those who professed to be God’s people as they worshiped idols. Like them, our actions reveal whether or not we believe. They would soon harvest the fruit of their actions, and the Apostle Paul was echoing Hosea’s words when he wrote, “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7, Hosea 10:12–15). The question for us is, are we like Hosea’s hearers, who ignored the word of the Lord and then suffered? Or, are we like those He prophesied would receive the Lord’s forgiveness after punishment?