Hosea 13:5-9 - I am to them like a lion

13:5-8

God cared for them in the wilderness. It was a desolate place, but He provided food and water. But as soon as they were satisfied they forgot the Lord. This is a very human trait. Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go after various plagues, but as soon as the plague was lifted he changed his mind. People will turn to God when in trouble, but when the danger is past they quickly forget about the Lord. So sever judgement would fall upon Israel from the Lord, and there would be no messing about with this judgement.

13:9

“You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper”. The judgement upon Israel seems unremitting, but the next chapter will bring some relief! However, any attitude towards Israel that essentially thinks that because she is God’s nation she can do no wrong and everything is bound to go OK is deeply flawed, and even more deeply unbiblical. Israel will be saved, but only when she truly recognises her need, and the nature of that need, and that Christ is her only saviour, her only helper. We can all make similar mistakes on an individual level. Israel's’ need was real, her need today is real. There are many nations that are full of hatred towards her, and she is indeed God’s nation. But if she thinks “because others are treating me unjustly, and because God loves me He will save me”, then she is missing a vital ingredient. That ingredient is a recognition of her own sinfulness, and of God’s right to be totally against her. And this same reasoning applies to all of us as well.