Hosea 5:13-15 - Until they acknowledge their guilt

5:13

Ephraim and Judah both recognised that they had a need. The context here is the military threat from Assyria, an all conquering nation of the time. They saw that they were not equipped to deal with the threatt, but they responded in the wrong way. Instead of turning to the Lord they turned to the king of Assyria, they sought to appease the king of Assyria. God tells them very clearly that this will not help them one bit. We need to take warning from this. God is in the business of leading His people against enemies that they cannot defeat in their own strength (Deut 9:1). This is because God’s plan and purpose for His people, both as individuals and as a group, is that we live in fellowship with Him, so His plans are based not on our strength alone, but on our strength combined with His strength. So when we are overwhelmed it is vital that we turn to the Lord.

5:14,15

If they had turned to the Lord, then He would have been the Lion of Judah, instead He would be a lion against Israel and Judah. They would lose the war and be carried off into exile, but not because Assyria (and later, Babylon in Judah’s case) was stronger than them, but because the Lord was against them. But even this would not be the end. The Lord would be far off, but only until they eventually turned to seek Him. This will not be glorious, for they will seek Him in their misery. This is both frightening and full of hope. We see the awful consequences of sin, and people enduring the consequences of sin, but in this suffering there is still hope. If and when they turn to the Lord they will find Him. This applies to the nation of Israel, which is still in many ways in exile, and to individuals. We may see individuals suffering the consequences of sin and be full of horror, but it may be that God is using this to cause them to truly seek Him. Now, of course, Israel has a homeland, but in the first century, although Israel had returned for a long time from Babylonian captivity. They knew that something wasn’t right, that they were in a sense still in exile. So it is today with Israel. She has a homeland, but lives under constant threat. She will not find true peace until she finds Christ.