July 23, 2023
Hosea 11:1-11
“Crazy Love”
Service Overview: Those determined to reject God, should not expect him to bless them when they call out, but that is exactly what Israel tried to do. Yet, even though they had turned time and time again, God couldn’t help but love them and continue to pursue Israel as the covenant-keeping, loving god that he is.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Psalm 103:8 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- Because of Joseph, the people of Israel were kept alive during the severe famine and were able to multiply in the ensuing years. From this humble beginning, God formed a nation; Moses led that nation out of Egypt in great power and triumph (Ex. 12—15). (Warren Wiersbe, Be Amazed: Minor Prophets, 42)
- Israel was dragged off into exile by Assyria in 721 BC. The same thing happened to Judah 150 years later. She fell to the new regime of Babylon. It was only after years of exile that God’s people were repatriated. In 540 BC a new Babylonian emperor came to power. He had a different foreign policy and decided to send the refugees back to their homeland once again. (Kevin Logan, What is Love? Hosea, 96)
- The intense love of God for Israel dominates chapters 11—14. Israel’s apostasy seemed to require God’s complete rejection and national extermination. But God’s love had prevented such a tragedy from the beginning. The present crisis was no exception. (Billy K. Smith, Layman’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 13, 58)
- Matthew (2:15) uses 11:1 to describe the way that God acted in saving Jesus from the hand of Herod. Having escaped death he could in due time return from Egypt to fulfil his intended work. Hosea’s statement is not primarily a prophecy about Jesus, but an interpretation of a historical event. But the parallels with Jesus are very striking: God preserved Israel (Jacob and his household) from famine by giving them a place in Egypt. From there he brought them out to fulfil his purposes. (D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary, 777)
- God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3) is unconditional and will not change; therefore, the nation of Israel is preserved. But His covenant with Israel at Sinai had conditions attached, and if the people failed to meet those conditions, God was obligated to withdraw His blessings. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 1403)
- Egypt stands as a metonymy for reentry into bondage. Because of Ephraim’s disloyalty to the covenant, he will be returned to the slavery from which Yahweh had delivered him in the historic exodus. Wolff reasons that the “return to Egypt” means Ephraim appealed for help instead of trusting Yahweh. In either case, Assyria will be Ephraim’s king. And the cause of judgment is not just the sins of apostasy and rebellion, but the persistent refusal to repent. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Communicator’s Commentary: Hosea, 159)
What’s so amazing about the love of God as portrayed in Hosea 11?
- The paternal nature of it; affectionate in light of the past.
(vv. 1-4 | Psalm 80:8; 103:13; 106:7; Proverbs 3:11-12; Jeremiah 2; 1 John 3:1; 4:19)
How could “Ephraim” rebel against the one who taught him to walk, healed his hurts, and provided his needs? Emphatic language is used to stress the fact that God himself served Israel in the role of a father (vv. 3-4). (Billy K. Smith, Layman’s Bible Book Commentary, Vol. 13, 59)
This relationship is bigger than any we have ever met on earth. It is bigger than all of us. There are many pictures of human love. If your mind were an art gallery, it would soon be full. But it might just as well be empty. The whole collection could not illustrate God’s love. It is just too big. It is out of this world and the words of this world can only begin to hint at the real thing. (Kevin Logan, What is Love? Hosea, 90)
- The persistence of it; faithful despite the present.
(vv. 5-9 | Deut.y 7:9; Psalm 86:15; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4-5; Ephesians 2:4-5)
The glory of God’s grace is that He does not give up on us. (Ogilvie, Hosea, 162)
The human heart beats many million times, flutters, and then splutters out like a soggy, worn-out sponge. And human love sometimes gives up even sooner. But the love of God’s eternal heart is everlasting. (Logan, 94)
What motivated God to spare Israel from total destruction? Not only His deep compassion but also His faithfulness to His covenant. “For I am God, and not man” (Hos. 11:9). (Warren Wiersbe, Be Amazed: Minor Prophets, 44)
- The power of it; certain regarding the future.
(vv. 10-11 | Prov. 19:21; Is. 54:10; Jer. 29:11; 31:31; Rom. 8:18; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; Rev. 21:4)
The future is God’s norm for His present gift of grace. He sees what our future can be and sets us free of the past so we can grasp what He has prepared for us. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, 164)
Often in Scripture you will find a declaration of judgment immediately followed by a promise of hope, and that’s the case here. Hosea looks ahead to the end times when Israel will be gathered together from all the nations, brought to their own land, cleansed of their sins, and established in their kingdom. In the past, God roared like a lion when He judged the nation (5:14; 13:7), but in the future, His “roar” will call His people to come back to their land. (Wiersbe, Be Amazed, 44)
To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God. (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 36)
Conclusion… As imitators of God (Eph. 2:1), what challenges does Hosea 11 present to us?
A. The challenge to love truly.
(Prov. 12:22; Mat. 22:36-40; Luke 6:35; John 15:13; Romans 12:9; 1 John 3:18; 4:11; 4:20)
God does not deal with his creatures as they deserve, but gives them gifts and opportunities far beyond their merit. God forgives even a hard-hearted and incorrigible people and seeks new ways to break through their self-centeredness and lead them into a better way of life. (James M. Ward, Amos, Hosea, 92)
In Himself, God is love; through Him, love is manifested, and by Him, love is defined. (Burk Parsons, Love is in the Air, Tabletalk Magazine, May 2004, p. 6)
Christian love is never theoretical or abstract; it is always practical. (Alexander Strauch, Leading With Love, 111)
Love as distinct from “being in love” is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 99)
B. The challenge to love persistently.
(John 15:12; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 13:4-8; 16:14; Ephesians 4:2-3; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:16)
When love is felt, the message is heard. (Jim Vaus, Quoted by Curtis C. Thomas, Practical Wisdom for Pastors, 65)
The fundamental response to God’s radical love for us is for us to radically love Him. (Mark Dever, Discipling, 15)
C. The challenge to love purposefully.
(Prov. 4:25-27; Ecc. 12:13-14; Mark 12:29-31; John 14:21; 14:23; Rom. 8:28; Gal. 2:20)
Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained. (C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock, 49)
Divine discipline is God’s merciful expression of His love for children who deserve His wrath but will never receive it. (Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace, 194)
Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object. (Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith, 57)
Biblical love is not emotions or feelings, but attitudes and actions that seek the best interests of the other person, regardless of how we feel toward him. (Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness, 208)
Gospel Connection…
The good news of Jesus is that because of God’s love and our faith in Christ, we never get what we deserve.
(Matthew 26:28; John 3:16; 15:13; Romans 5:5; 5:8; 8:37-39; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 John 4:7)
So the Cross does not merely tell us that God forgives, it tells us that that is God’s way of making forgiveness possible. It is the way in which we understand how God forgives. I will go further: How can God forgive and still remain God? – That is the question. The Cross is the vindication of God. The Cross is the vindication of the character of God. The Cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else, it shows His righteousness, His justice, His holiness, and all the glory of His eternal attributes. They are all to be seen shining together there. If you do not see them all you have not seen the Cross. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Cross: The Vindication of God, 17)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Think of someone who is hard for you to love? What is it about them that makes it hard? How can reflecting on God’s love toward you offer perspective in how you can love them?
- In what ways can we love “truly”. How does (or should) truth inform how we love?
- What are some ways we can love with intention and purpose? How can love serve to lead people to the ultimate Lover?
- Who are Jesus’ followers called to love? How is this even possible?
Quotes to note…
The startling realization of what we do which causes loneliness in God’s heart prepares us to consider Hosea 11 with more than an aloof exposition. It is one of the most moving, tender chapters in the Bible. We are given an opportunity to feel the pulse beat of God’s yearning heart over His people. (Ogilvie, Hosea, 156)
Faith must be free in order to be genuine. Authentic belief requires authentic choice. Human dignity necessitates personal discovery – the opportunity to search for truth apart from threats, to settle on faith apart from force, and to come to conclusions apart from coercion. (David Platt, Counter Culture, 217)
If contemporary Christians ask themselves how much of their love reflects the love of God in its various dimensions, they should also ask themselves how much of their hatred reflects the hatred of God. Just as we can prostitute love, so we can prostitute hatred. (D.A. Carson, Love in the Hard Places, 182)
It was during the last, dark hours of the crucifixion that Jesus knew the ultimate pain of loneliness. When the full weight of the sin of the world, past, present, and future, was placed upon Him, He endured for us the just judgment of the wrath of God. Writhing in inexplicable pain, He became sin, though He knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21). For us Christ endured the ultimate loneliness of forsakenness. (Ogilvie, 168)
A correct understanding of God’s dealings in the past is the best way to be certain of success in the future. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 1403)
‘Mission impossible’ was stamped ‘mission successful’. In his love, Jesus had taken man’s place on execution hill. He had paid the penalty himself for man’s sins. And only he could have done it. Love and justice met perfectly and harmoniously in God’s son. (Kevin Logan, What is Love? Hosea, 92)
Hosea believed God’s love was stronger and more enduring than any human love, so that human love, even that of a parent for a child, could only point to the divine reality; it could not define its limits. (James M. Ward, Amos, Hosea, 92)
The end of this section is a promise of salvation which takes some previous metaphors and reverses their sense. The Lord will be like a lion, not to destroy (cf. 5:14) but to give a signal for his sons to come home from wherever they have been scattered. They have previously been described as a silly dove, fluttering to get help from Egypt or Assyria (7:11), and about to be snared in God’s net. Here they are fearful, but not silly, and fly eagerly back to the Lord and to their homes (10a, 11b). (D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary, 777)
Salvation in its full sense is from the guilt of sin in the past, the power of sin in the present, and the presence of sin in the future. (Scott Hafemann, This We Believe, 97)
When God prunes us, the result will be greater growth and sweeter fruit… Pruning usually takes place when God uses situations, people, and circumstances to help mature us in our Christian disposition, attitude, and temperament… The way we respond when we are pruned reveals our true level of spiritual maturity. (Bunny Wilson, Biblical Womanhood, 108)
