God continues to threaten Israel and then
reminds them that he loves them
A SCEPTICAL BIBLE READING OF THE BOOK OF
HOSEA 11 to 14
Chapter 11.
God waxes nostalgically on happier moments
in his on off romance with Israel, and how he helped the city rise to glory on
a promise to Abraham. Now the lovers have betrayed him, and only Judah seems to
remain loyal to his wishes.
CHAPTER 12.
Just a few lines after closing Chapter 11
with assurances that he still finds favour with Judah, God turns angry with
Judah, (Verse 2) “The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah.” His
indecisive treachery makes it impossible to please this God.
God gives more and more people signs and
visions but no one seems to take a hint. God is like a parent angered that a
child has left home and now no longer phones, writes or visits. The difference
is that the concerned parent isn’t capable of destroying entire cities to put
his grievances across.
CHAPTER
13.
Ephram was once one of God’s favourite
peoples but they turned to Baal worship so God has cast them out. God reminds
them that they must worship only him, adding almost as a proviso that there is
only himself as a God, as if hiding evidence he let slip about other gods
possibly existing after all. “And thou shalt know no god but me: for there is
no saviour beside me.”
Why should God be jealous of other gods if
they are not there anyway? It’s like being accused of adultery with a
completely fictitious imaginary lover. Israel will suffer likewise.
Samaria gets the worst of it, with women threatened with death in childbirth,
and children “smashed to pieces.” (Verse 16). I wonder reading this how anyone
could, in the modern age love or respect any God who goes on like this with
threat after threat after threat. There is no love here. This God is just
downright nasty and deranged.
CHAPTER
14.
Israel and God will reconcile and overcome
their extreme differences once Israel realizes she has no option but to beg for
God’s mercy and support again. Ephram will rediscover God too.
God is now like an abusive husband
promising not to raise his fist to his wife in anger again. Somehow, you just
know he will, and you’d be right to be suspicious
With the kiss and make up conclusion,
thrown in almost as a postscript to reams of hate mail, Hosea’s grim prophesy
draws to an end.
The text of Hosea online - http://www..gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Hosea+1
Arthur Chappell
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