Africa Study Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 65
HOSEA 11:5
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
and I myself stooped to feed him.
“But since my people refuse to return to
me,
they will return to Egypt
and will be forced to serve Assyria.
6 War will swirl through their cities;
their enemies will crash through their
gates.
They will destroy them,
trapping them in their own evil plans.
7 For my people are determined to desert
me.
They call me the Most High,
but they don’t truly honour me.
5
“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
and my compassion overflows.
9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
I will not completely destroy Israel,
for I am God and not a mere mortal.
I am the Holy One living among you,
and I will not come to destroy.
10 For some day the people will follow me.
I, the Lord, will roar like a lion.
And when I roar,
my people will return trembling from
the west.
11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from
Egypt.
Trembling like doves, they will return
from Assyria.
And I will bring them home again,”
says the Lord.
8
Charges against Israel and Judah
12*Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit,
but Judah still obeys God
and is faithful to the Holy One.*
12
1*The people of Israel* feed on the
wind;
they chase after the east wind all day
long.
64
11:6
Hos 13:16
11:7
Jer 8:5
11:8
Gen 14:8
Deut 29:23
Hos 6:4; 7:1
Matt 23:37
11:9
Deut 13:17
Isa 5:24; 12:6;
41:14
Jer 26:3
11:10
Isa 31:4; 66:2, 5
Hos 3:5; 6:1-3
Joel 3:16
Amos 1:2; 3:4
11:11
Isa 11:11; 60:8
Ezek 28:25-26
Hos 7:11
12:1
Gen 41:6
Jer 22:22
Ezek 17:10
12:2
Hos 4:1
Mic 6:2
African Touch Points
I Will Roar
Like a Lion
There are few animals that make people think of
Africa more than the lion. This majestic animal symbolizes royalty, strength, courage, and even beauty. It
is easy to see why the lion is often used in Scripture
as an image of God.
In Hosea, God describes himself as roaring like a
lion. In many parts of Africa this is a familiar sound.
The roar of a lion is loud enough to be heard more
than eight kilometres away. A lion's roar is so loud
that it can cause pain to the human ear. Among other
things, it serves to remind everyone who hears it that
the lion is in control of that area. The roar is unique,
recognizable to other lions, and makes it clear that
the surrounding area is his territory.
God was reminding his people through his prophet
Hosea that he is the all-powerful and sovereign God
and they belong to him. The only right response to
the sound of God’s roar is to recognize his voice and
come back to him (Hosea 11:10). God says that when
his people hear his roar and return to him, he will
bring them back home again (Hosea 11:11).
However, there is one lion discussed in God’s Word
from whom we must flee: Satan. He is described as
a prowling lion that is seeking who he can destroy
(1 Peter 5:8). While we need to heed this warning,
there is no need to fear that lion. Jesus Christ, the
“Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), will triumph over all
evil in victory. Unlike Satan, our God is the Holy One.
He is a roaring lion who lives among us. He has not
come to destroy us (Hosea 11:9) but to bring us back
to himself because we belong to him.
They pile up lies and violence;
they are making an alliance with
Assyria
while sending olive oil to buy support
from Egypt.
2
Now the Lord is bringing charges
against Judah.
He is about to punish Jacob* for all his
deceitful ways,
and pay him back for all he has done.
11:12a Verse 11:12 is numbered 12:1 in Hebrew text. 11:12b Or and Judah is unruly against God, the faithful Holy One. The meaning
of the Hebrew is uncertain. 12:1a Verses 12:1-14 are numbered 12:2-15 in Hebrew text. 12:1b Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the
northern kingdom of Israel; also in 12:8, 14. 12:2 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew word for “deceiver.”
P r o verbs & S t or i es
The Heavenly Father Loves to Forgive
Despite the numerous sins and repeated disobedience of his part of their person and to forgive the child. Sometimes this
people, God determined not to destroy them. With the Mossi forgiveness is only superficial, and the relationship remains
people of Burkina Faso, when a child has done something distant.
so bad that banishment from the family is being considered,
But God, our heavenly Father, is willing to grant us his full
the elders are called in to help with reconciliation. The elders forgiveness when we seek to be reconciled with him. No matter
often urge reluctant parents to forgive the child. They say, Nug how ugly our sin is, he is always willing to forgive us if we turn
ka krgd n lob t’a põogame ye, meaning, “You do not cut off your from our sins and ask forgiveness in the name of Christ, our
hand and throw it away because it is rotten.” This means they Mediator. His pardon is perfect. Nothing can separate us from
are asking the parents to consider the child as an integral him once he has granted his forgiveness.