Hosea 17 – Immanuel

The Word of God is from the Book of Hosea, chapter 11, verses 1 through 11.

 

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them. How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, flickering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord. Amen.

 

Remembering Israel’s Betrayal and the Lessons of the Three Cities

The prophet Hosea has continuously pointed out the spiritual state of Israel, and God has solemnly proclaimed the reality of their condition. As we confront these words, we are often filled with a sigh of despair, wondering if such an Israel can truly survive. In the text, three cities appear as symbolic representations of Israel’s miserable sinfulness: Gibeah, Bethel, and Gilgal.

 

First, Gibeah serves as a symbol of the horrific corruption of God’s people and their leaders, who should have been holy. It vividly demonstrates the deep roots of sin that lead to a total disregard for God’s Word. Bethel, which means "House of God," was originally a sanctuary for sacrifice, but it transformed into "Beth-aven," the house of vanity and idolatry. It became a site proving how far God’s people had strayed. Finally, Gilgal was a place of sacred memories where God had once walked with Israel. Now, however, it has degenerated into a scene of rebellion where the covenant is broken and God is rejected.

 

Through these locations, God laments that the history of sin that occurred in Gibeah is being repeated today without change. It is profoundly tragic to see Israel continuing to turn away and rebel. Through the Word, we confirm once again that the ultimate end for those who turn their backs on God and live according to their own desires is judgment.

 

The Call to Plow the Fallow Ground and the Reality of Human Nature

At the end of Hosea 10, God exhorts Israel to sow righteousness for themselves, to reap the fruit of unfailing love, and to break up their fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers His righteousness on them. This is a familiar passage to many. Those who have farmed understand that continuous cropping on the same land exhausts its nutrients and makes it vulnerable to pests. Therefore, a process of deep plowing or crop rotation is essential to refresh the soil.

 

God applies this agricultural principle to our hearts. He gives us the opportunity to overturn the hardened ground of stubbornness and pride and to make it new. It is a desperate call to seek God and return to Him now. However, the subsequent verses show a disastrous response from Israel. They planted wickedness, reaped evil, and ate the fruit of deception. Instead of plowing the fallow ground to seek God, they cultivated the land with evil to produce sin. Their obstinacy stemmed from relying on their own ways and the number of their warriors rather than listening to God’s Word. In short, they trusted in their own strength and means rather than in the power of God.

 

When we observe this aspect of Israel, it is easy to wonder why they were so foolish. Yet, the history of God's work they experienced was beyond imagination. They were the people who walked through the Red Sea as if on dry land and survived for forty years eating manna that fell from heaven every morning. Thus, we must not take their faith and life lightly. The reason Scripture records this history of desperate betrayal is not merely to expose the faults of one nation. Rather, it is to show all of us who humans fundamentally are and how susceptible our nature is to corruption.

 

Human Obstinacy Beyond Environmental Circumstances

From the time of Adam and Eve, humanity committed sin even in the perfect and sufficient Garden of Eden. This is the reality of our human condition. We often blame our failings on our environment, thinking that if we were born into a more affluent family, possessed a gentler personality, or had better parents, our lives would be different. We tell ourselves that if we had caught a better opportunity in business or met the right person, things would not be as they are. However, Scripture clearly testifies that even if humans are given every ideal environment they desire, they eventually leave God within that abundance. This is the true face of humanity—a reality that is painful to confront but impossible to deny.

 

Hosea 11:1, therefore, approaches us with even more remarkable grace. God recalls the event of the Exodus, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son." In the following words, the Lord speaks of how He taught Israel to walk. To those who were like infants capable only of crawling, He taught the first steps and held them in His warm embrace. Often, the Israelites perceived God only as a terrifying and fearful being, misunderstanding Him as one who always demands something and punishes when those demands are not met. But such misunderstanding arose from failing to fully realize the love they had received. When God encouraged their growth by teaching them to walk, they resisted His guidance, complaining that they would rather lie down or that crawling was more comfortable.

 

Misunderstanding the Cords of God’s Love

The latter part of the passage mentions that God "healed" them. To heal implies treatment and restoration. Yet, Scripture records that Israel did not realize He was the one healing them. Having served as slaves in Egypt for a long time, they were deeply steeped in a slave mentality. Consequently, the Egyptian way of life always seemed better to them. This pattern repeated even after they entered Canaan. They perceived Canaanite culture and civilization as superior to their own. Seeing that they themselves used bronze while the Canaanites had iron chariots, they were seized by doubt and fear, wondering if the gods of those people were stronger. Despite God giving them the land of Canaan as a promise, they could not fully enjoy that abundance and were busy fleeing in fear.

 

This is not just Israel's story. We can see this clearly even when looking back at the Book of Genesis. Although the promise given to Abraham was already inherited by his descendants, very few actually lived fully enjoying that promise. Most lived precarious lives, not knowing what to do, constantly lamenting why their lives were always in such a state. The fact that surprisingly few people properly enjoy the blessings God gives is highly significant. The text follows the same context. If God made them walk and taught them, they should have naturally moved forward with gratitude; instead, they sought to distance themselves from Him. They were annoyed and unwilling to learn, asking why He kept making them stand when crawling was fine. When He embraced them, instead of feeling love, they cried out that they were suffocating and asked to be let go.

 

When a parent or grandparent holds a beloved grandchild tightly, and the child struggles to break free, the elder feels a sense of disappointment. God must have felt the same. The Lord constantly bestowed love, but those receiving it regarded it as a nuisance rather than a gift. The text mentions "cords of human kindness, ties of love." God faithfully led them with these cords of love, but Israel rejected them. It was as if they were arguing that since He had set them free from Egypt, He should leave them to live as they pleased, rather than trying to bind them again with cords of love. Without knowing where true freedom lies, they stubbornly insisted on their own ways.

 

The Call to True Freedom Rather Than the Bondage of Sin

Israel fell into a deep misunderstanding that they had become slaves again, even while witnessing God’s detailed guidance. As soon as they escaped Egyptian bondage, they felt that God was now trying to use them as servants. They completely failed to realize that the rope God held was none other than a "cord of love." Instead, they were suspicious, thinking God must have some ulterior motive for leading them this far. We are no different. After being saved, we often worry about what God might want from us or what we must do for Him, feeling a sense of burden. Israel also trembled with anxiety that God might demand a heavy sacrifice. Although the text says God lifted the yoke from their necks, they were preoccupied with the worry that they might have to pay a price for that grace.

 

The logical flow of today’s passage is not a simple lament that they left despite His guidance. Rather, it is closer to a paradoxical indictment: the more good things He bestows, the further they distance themselves. If they had experienced the good things God provides, they should have naturally drawn closer to Him with gratitude; instead, they chose a different path, feeling that their desire to live as they pleased was being interfered with.

 

To drift away from God does not merely mean an emotional alienation or a cooling of the relationship. It means moving away from God’s righteousness and departing from holiness and true love. A life distanced from God's love does not remain as an empty space. As the distance from God's love grows, we inevitably become closely attached to sin. We become more deeply inclined toward our own desires and greed. Ultimately, the place where God’s love has departed becomes filled only with injustice, sin, and uncontrolled desire.

 

Compassion Bestowed Because He is God and Not Man

Hosea 11 consists of two layers. One layer, as we have seen, is the description of what we humans essentially are. The other layer is the solemn fact that, because we are such beings, we are ultimately destined for judgment and death. According to God’s law, the conclusion is clear. Satan would rejoice at this point and argue with God, saying, "Look at the behavior of those humans. Shouldn't You punish them according to the law?" Indeed, we often take for granted that punishment according to laws and principles is natural. However, the text brings a stunning reversal at this very point. Let us look at verse 9:

 

“I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.”

 

This verse presents us with several questions. First, logically, Israel is a target of judgment with no room for excuse. If we had to take responsibility for the sins we have committed, we would all be unable to avoid death under God's wrath. Yet, God declares that He will not manifest His fierce anger. The reason given is the fact that "I am God." When we hear this, we usually think that God is different from us. However, because God is perfectly righteous, this statement, which seems to overlook sin, might actually seem harder for a righteous God to make than for a human.

 

A deeper mystery lies in the following phrase: "the Holy One among you." The Lord refers to Himself as "the Holy One in your midst." Here, "you" refers to Israel, who is floundering in sin. If the Holy God enters a scene full of sin, by the laws of righteousness, every sinner there should be consumed. It is natural logic that when holiness and sin collide, an explosion occurs, and everyone dies. Yet, God says that precisely because He is the Holy One in our midst, He will not be angry. This is a holy paradox that is utterly incomprehensible to human common sense and logic.

 

Jesus Christ as the Manifestation of True Israel

This is the most critical point of the text. The question is why God, despite being a God of justice, passes over their sins. To understand this mystery, we must deeply discern the foreshadowing of the Messiah—the history of redemption—that flows through the history of the Old Testament. To fully realize this verse, we must go back to verse 1: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." This passage is closely linked to the account of Jesus' birth quoted in Matthew 2:15. When God called back the young Jesus, who had fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s threat, the Scripture testifies that this was to fulfill what was said: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

 

While the prophet Hosea is referring to the historical Exodus, these words are not limited to a recollection of the past. They were also a grand prophecy to be fulfilled centuries later. It was through the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth that these words were perfectly realized. This means that Jesus Christ became the True Israel. Every moment of the Lord's life on earth was not just about the event of atonement on the cross. It shows that the Lord stood in the very place where Israel had failed, finally and perfectly accomplishing the history of salvation that God had begun.

 

In the past, the people of Israel all failed in the wilderness. But now, Jesus came to this earth, was baptized, and went out into the wilderness. As the Apostle Paul testifies, baptism is spiritually aligned with the crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus. Like Israel, who crossed the Red Sea and entered the wilderness, Jesus also went into the wilderness after His baptism to be tempted. Jesus personally endured every hardship and temptation that Israel had faced, including the temptations of the devil and the threats of idolatry.

 

The Eternal Covenant Fulfilled Through the Cross

On what basis could God say, "How can I give you up?" A righteous God cannot simply overlook the sins of Israel just because they are pitiful. Yet, God declares, "How can I forget you or give you up? The one in your midst is the Holy One." Originally, a Holy God could not be with us sinners, but because the one who is with us—Immanuel, Jesus Christ—has come, this wonderful thing has become possible.

 

God did not leave Israel alone in the wilderness. Jesus Christ walked with them and personally became the manna and water of life. He also became the pillar of fire and cloud to protect and teach them. When God looked at Israel, He saw the True Israel, Jesus Christ, beside them, and thus He could say, "How could I forget you? My compassion is aroused within me."

 

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law and became the true representative of Israel. As the holy Son and the one who achieved perfect obedience, He dwells among us and among Israel even now. The Lord shed His blood on the cross, and Scripture testifies to this as the "blood of the covenant." The cross is the place where the covenant made long ago with Abraham was finally and completely fulfilled. Do you remember that during the Abrahamic covenant, only the smoking firepot representing God passed between the pieces of the animals? Abraham did not pass through. This was an expression of God's absolute will to keep the covenant alone, and at the same time, it foreshadowed the event of the cross where He would bleed and die like the divided meat.

 

God Seeking Us Within the Realities of Our Lives

Now, the reality of the Abrahamic covenant has been fully revealed before us. Christ offered Himself completely on the cross. By pouring out all His water and blood, He became the eternal covenant sacrifice for us. Thus, we have come to dwell within an unforgettable covenant, a faithful promise that He will hold onto us and complete us until the end. In that sense, Christmas is a day to proclaim to the whole world who God is. It is a day to clearly manifest how much the Lord loved us and how wondrous the grace He bestowed upon us truly is. We who gather here to worship today cannot take this amazing proclamation lightly. For that God, who said, "I am your God. I am not a man, so I will surely keep my covenant," personally became a man and came among us.

 

Today's text began with God’s painful lament: "You keep going further away from me. The more I teach you, the more you desert me." Yet, the Lord speaks words of promise again toward us who have wandered far away. "Even if you leave me far behind, I will surely find you and fulfill my covenant. Even if you reject me, I will eventually dwell among you." This is a powerful declaration of will that the Lord Himself will enter the very center of our lives, stained with sin and desire. Even if our lives are like hell or the depths of the grave, the Lord comes to that wretched place to rescue us and personally become our God.

 

Jesus Christ, who is God Himself, says to us today: "I am your God. I became a man for you and entered into your sin, despair, pain, weakness, and deep wounds. I came to this earth to dwell with you forever." The Holy God will descend into every place of our anger, pain, and wounded lives. And He will call out to us, "You are righteous; you are my precious people."

 

The Cry of God and Our Response

Therefore, the Lord speaks solemnly to us today: "Do not look at your failures, but look at Me, who triumphed for you. Do not look at your death, but look at Me, who rose for you. Do not be bound by your tears and sighs, looking only at them, but look at Me, who loved you and gave everything without hesitation. Look at Me, who am sighing beside you and holding onto you." No sigh or pain we encounter on this earth can ever capture us eternally. For the Lord Himself bore those sighs and wounds and our deep groans and died on the cross.

 

Scripture urges us to listen to the voice of God crying out toward us. According to the law of righteousness, He has no choice but to be angry and curse us, but look at the desperate agony of God as He seeks to forgive, love, and accept us instead. God now says to us, "I bless you; I love you and delight in you." This is God's holy cry toward us. The reason all of this became possible is not because we are righteous, but solely because of Jesus Christ. Yet, why do we still try to rely on ourselves rather than on Christ? Why are we holding onto our weak and wounded selves and refusing to let go? Why are you not fully grasping Jesus Christ, who took our wounds upon Himself and helps us?

 

I hope you hear this confession of God’s voice and His heart crying out to us—He who came to this earth for me and dwells with me even now: "My love for you burns within me like a fire." I hope that on this holy morning, you deeply engrave that great and amazing confession of love that burns away all our sins, mistakes, and even our painful failures. Listen to the Lord's voice. And confess like this: "Lord, raise me up and let me learn Your ways. I believe my life is not defined solely by this moment of suffering. Let me see the path of hope to walk with You, and let me realize that Your grace is a fire-like love far greater than my distress or weakness."

 

Let us pray.

Lord, because of the merit of Christ rather than my own, and solely through Jesus, we stand boldly before You. Because of that Jesus who is with us and dwells within us, we praise the Lord once again. We pray that You would add the power of life reviving in our hearts and allow us to fully restore the joy of salvation we had lost.

 

Lord, through the love of Jesus Christ, who personally visited the low places filled with countless sins, pains, wounds, misunderstandings, and despair, and who dwells among us even at this moment, let us love one another once again.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, our true hope, we pray. Amen.