Today's Scripture Meaning
Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Hosea
Date Penned: BC 715 (Covering Events BC 753-715)
Overview: God's Wayward People (c 4-14)
Theme: God's Love for Israel (c 11-14)
Message: God Invites his people to return to him (v 1-14)
Hosea: Chapter 12 Commentary
(12:1-5) 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) but his descendants could not seem to banish idol worship from their midst.
(12:6) The 2 principles Hosea called his nation to live by, mercy and judgement, 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 to the extent that they forget mercy. Mercy without justice, because it is not aiming at a higher standard, leaves people in their sins. Justice without mercy , because it has no heart, drives people away from God . 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) In Israel, dishonesty has become an accepted means of attaining wealth. Israelites who were financially successful could not imagine that God would consider them sindul. They thought their wealth was a sign of his approval., and they didn't bother to consider how they had gotten it, But God said 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. Our character is more important to him than our wallet.
(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 every possession they want, they don't feel the need for God. They believe that their riches are their own and they feel 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 the Lord, 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 Festival of Tabernacles, which commemorated God's protection as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (Deuteronomy 1) Now, because of their sin, God would cause them to live in tents again, this time not as part, this time not as part of 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 is yours because God has been gracious to you"
(12:13) The prophet who led Israel out of Egypt was Moses (Exodus 13)
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