The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 12: Return and Wait!

The Gospel of Hosea, Ch. 12: Return and Wait!

“And you, to your God you must return (‘shuv’)! With the help of your God, maintain mercy (‘hesed’) and stand guard (‘shamar’) over justice (‘mishpat’)! And keep putting your trust in Him as you wait (‘qavah’) patiently for your God.” (Hosea 12:6).

Hosea in a Nutshell. This prophetic word from Hosea is the central passage in this chapter, and is actually the central message in his whole book. Truth be told, one could claim that his passage is central to the entire message of Scripture. This isn’t the first time Hosea has referred to the importance of mercy and justice, since these two divine qualities sum up God’s character, if such a thing is even possible. So, a deep-dive into this inspired verse seems like the thing to do:

• “Shuv“= Return, turn back, go back to the starting point, come back to the original place, change direction.
• “Hesed” = A Hebrew word for mercy used a number of times in Hosea, and is often translated as lovingkindness, indicating an eternally steadfast love, covenant faithfulness, unfailing loyalty, love-in-action. Hesed has so many dimensions that it is much easier to describe than define. Hesed may be the most important word in the Hebrew Bible, because it is considered a summary word for all of God’s character traits, the driving force behind all He does. There is no one translation of hesed that is perfect or says it all. Hesed is a covenant word, a relationship word, and celebrates God’s commitment to remaining true to his merciful promises out of sheer love. “Hesed” is used over 120 times in the book of Psalms alone, and a grand total of 250 times in the Hebrew Bible.
• “Shamar” = Maintain, observe, stand guard over, keep watch over, commit to, highly regard, hold fast to.
• “Mishpat” (mish-pawt) = Hebrew word for “saving justice;” treating people equitably and fairly; giving others their human rights in freedom; advocating for what is properly due to others as fellow human beings made in the image of God; wisely defending others who are being treated unfairly, including the powerless, the vulnerable, and those who are unable to defend themselves; exercising the righteous judgments that reflect the character of God. “Dispense true justice, and practice kindness and compassi0n each to one another; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” (Zechariah 7:9-10).
• “Qavah” = A common Hebrew term in Scripture for “wait,” which has a literal meaning and a figurative meaning. We get a fuller understanding of “qavah” and what it means to “wait” in the biblical sense, when we combine the literal with the figurative: Literal Meaning of qavah: the process of weaving together separate strands into one; braiding together what is needed for wholeness; binding together by twisting and entwining tightly. Examples of this root word for wait would be braiding hair, twining rope, twisting strands together for a cord. To wait in this sense is not passive, but active; not a waste of time, but a useful time; not something to avoid at all costs but instead to redeem as fully as possible; not the time for seeking distractions from potential boredom, but a time to recognize it as an opportunity. Figurative Meaning of qavah: to actively hope with patience; to maintain a persistent faith; to peacefully trust in God; to be content in the midst of delay; to live in eager anticipation; to engage in the spiritual activity of listening for/to God; to alertly watch for God in the midst of uncertainty; to look for God’s guidance and presence; to have a faithful expectation of what has been promised by God; to prepare oneself for whatever comes next; to “collect oneself,” to actively “get it together.” The spiritual skill of waiting includes the process of weaving together threesomes like the following into our lives. When we are sitting in the waiting room, we will be fortified to wait biblically as the one strand of our life become increasingly entwined with these three strands:
  1. Blend together three aspects of prayer while waiting: Praise Almighty God; Intercede for others; Offer up personal requests;
  2. Bind together into our lives an intimate union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
  3. Braid together into our character the three Christian Graces: Faith, Hope and Love;
  4. Continue weaving into an integrated oneness Truth, Goodness and Beauty to gain the mind of Christ;
  5. Twist together tightly the three strands of Prophet, Priest, and King to become a “Little Christ.”
  6. Weave together the three aspects of a godly mind: the intellect, the conscience, and the imagination.

Be Like Your Father Jacob. “In the strength of Jacob’s manhood, he contended with God; he had power over the Angel of the Lord and prevailed. Jacob wept and sought Yahweh’s favor and blessing. Then he met the Lord in Bethel, and there God spoke with him and through him to us.” (Hosea 12:3-4). But Hosea pleads with the people to imitate the mature Jacob from whom you received your name, Israel, and don’t be like the young Jacob who was rightly named the heel-grabber, the deceiver, the con man. Be just like Jacob when he learned humility and the importance of depending on Yahweh after coming face-to-face with God at Peniel, not like Jacob when he was on the run from Esau and outfoxed by Laban. Perhaps a quick look at Hosea’s Jacob references would be a good idea:

• Bethel and the Ladder to Heaven. In Genesis 28 we find an exhausted Jacob on the run from his angry brother Esau who he had cheated. Jacob finally finds a place where he can lay his head and rest for a while. He finds a suitable stone that would serve as his pillow, and immediately falls asleep. And then something monumental happened.  “Then Jacob dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord Yahweh stood above it, and said, ‘I am Yahweh, God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants… Behold I am with  you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God, and this is the Gate of Heaven!’ (Genesis 28:12-17). So Jacob named that thin place Bethel, the House of God. Then he took the stone pillow and anointed it, thus establishing a memorial that enabled Bethel to remain an important religious site until well after Solomon. That particular place, though, was known quite well as holy ground long before Jacob. Abraham for example, “invoked the Name of the Lord” there twice, pitching his tent at that place and building an altar there in honor of God. (Genesis 12:8 and 13:2-4). God’s covenant with Jacob was established at Bethel (Genesis 28:15), and God even asked Jacob to live there for a time (Gen. 35:1), and changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Gen. 35:9-15). Since Bethel, earlier known as Luz, was one of the highest places in Israel, with an elevation of almost 3,000’, it was very busy in Hebrew history as a common worship site. Bethel is mentioned 60 times in the Hebrew Bible, with only Jerusalem mentioned more. During the time of the Judges, the Ark of the Covenant was housed there, which made it an important worship center for faithful Jews. Most biblical archeologists now believe that Bethel was about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, in the hill country of Samaria.
• Peniel and the Angel of Yahweh. Jacob reached the height of his chutzpah when he engaged in an all-night wrestling match with a mysterious stranger. This stranger, described simply as a “man” in Genesis 32, has been accepted as an Angel of Yahweh in rabbinic tradition. And the Angel of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible has been seen by Christian scholars as none other than the Christ of the Godhead. The pre-incarnate Jesus made appearances at momentous times throughout the Old Testament and in the lives of the three Patriarchs in the Hebrew Bible. Christ made personal, life-saving interventions with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their lives were changed forever.
• Jesus With Jacob. In Genesis 32, we find Isaac’s son Jacob fearful about his meeting up with his long-lost brother, Esau. It’s been 20 years since Jacob, the con man, cheated Esau out of both his birthright and his father’s blessing. Jacob by now was wealthy, had 11 sons, and was frantic with fear. Knowing Esau was coming to meet him with 400 soldiers, Jacob decided to send lavish gifts ahead of their meeting, hoping to soften Esau’s heart toward him. He would do whatever it took to save the life of his family, and of course save his own skin in the process. While waiting until morning to meet his fate with Esau, Jacob wrestled with the Angel all night. “In his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed.” (Hosea 12:3-4). Jacob was determined to receive a blessing from this man, this physical manifestation of God Himself. (Gen. 32:24-31). This wrestling Angel could be none other than Jesus, God in the form of man. This mysterious wrestling match demonstrated Jacob’s strength of will and determination. He would not be denied a blessing from heaven, from this Messenger of Yahweh. The Angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel after the match, “because you have fought with God and with men and have prevailed.” The name of Israel has been translated in many different ways by Hebrew scholars: Someone who has successfully struggled with God; One who is a prince with God; God contends and prevails; May God show His strength; He who wrestles with God.
• Forcing a Blessing. Jacob was tenacious in his wrestling match with this divine being. He stubbornly fought with the Lord all night without surrendering. Finally, when the Lord politely suggested they cease wrestling, Jacob refused. Jacob held on strongly to this mysterious Angel and wouldn’t let Him go. Jacob shamelessly told the Lord that Jacob was stuck to Him like glue until He blessed him. Talk about chutzpah! Jacob had the spiritual audacity, the gall, to force a blessing out of God! Jacob didn’t even give God a choice… Either bless me, or I never let you go, says Jacob. One could almost conclude that Jacob extorted a blessing out of the Almighty God! It takes a lot of nerve to be pushy with God, but sure enough Jacob got his blessing.
• Forever Limping. After receiving his hard-fought blessing from the Lord, Jacob named that place Peniel, which means “Face of God.” “For I have seen God face-to-face, yet my life has been spared.” (32:30). The next day, Jacob and Esau reconciled, and made peace with each other. And because the Angel threw Jacob’s hip out of joint, Jacob had to limp for the rest of his life. He had to lean on his staff and learn how to depend on God instead of his own wits. Jacob the Trickster became Israel, whose extended family founded the nation of God’s Chosen People. Jacob’s faith never wavered from that day onward. Because of his encounter with Christ, Jacob was a changed man, and he enjoyed a whole new and deeper relationship with God.

The LORD of Hosts. “… even the Lord God of Hosts, the memorial Name of Him who is Yahweh.” (Hosea 12:5). Isn’t it interesting that Hosea decided at this time in his prophecy to insert an expansion of the Name of the Lord that ties directly into Jacob’s experience… “Yahweh-sabaoth,” LORD of Hosts; LORD of the Angel Armies; Commander of Heaven’s Armies; Leader of Angelic Warriors; a host of angelic forces massing together for battle at the command of the LORD. This biblical name of God is the most frequently used compound name for God in the Hebrew Bible. It is used over 280 times, in the Torah, the historical books, the Psalms, and in all the major and minor Prophets. Hosea went out of his way in this passage to make sure we remembered the Lord’s chief memorial Name, making sure we have in our long-term memory God’s fuller Name from Israel’s history. If we wanted to offer up a prayer of praise for this aspect of God’s identity, and why wouldn’t we, it could look like this: We honor and salute you, Yahweh-sabaoth, LORD of Hosts. For you go forth like a great warrior, and your voice rings out at the head of your troops. Your angels of protection encamp around those who fear you, Lord, and as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so you surround your people both now and forever. You are at our side like a mighty hero, and our opponents will stumble and be vanquished. For our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. No weapon forged against you will succeed, for you do not give victory by means of sword and spear, O LORD of the Angel Armies. You are the righteous King leading your heavenly warriors, O God of renown, and your deliverance will be forever, your salvation to all generations. We kneel before you, Yahweh-sabaoth, and gather together around your holy Name. Amen. 

A Reversal of the Exodus. “I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt, and will yet make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed Feast of Tabernacles.” (Hosea 12:9). In this chapter, Yahweh outlined a catalogue of the ways Israel has offended Him, including making empty and worthless alliances with pagan neighbors, increasing in deception and violence, delighting in oppressing and defrauding the people, an arrogant sense of self-sufficiency, a blindness to their own sinfulness, insulting God through their blatant idolatry, and a complete lack of dependence upon the Lord who has sustained them for so long. Yahweh has always had a sharp sense of irony, so He is telling Israel here that He will now put into play a complete reversal of their exodus story, everything happening in a way they would least suspect. They will be driven into slavery instead of away from it. They will be evicted from their comfortable homes to live in flimsy sukkahs, temporary tents, rather than move from wilderness tents into comfortable homes. They will be expelled from the Promised Land instead of welcomed into it. Instead of celebrating God’s protection and sustenance during the Feast of Tabernacles, they will experience God’s withdrawal of protection as they are exiled into enemy territory. Sukkah is the Hebrew word for tabernacle, temporary dwelling, booth, makeshift hut; pronounced sookuh. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth  (pronounced  sookoth, plural of sukkah) was the most joyous Old Testament feast of the year; a seven-day celebration in the Temple and in the homes of Jewish believers; also called Feast of Ingathering, because it is the greatest harvest feast of the year. Refer to Deuteronomy 16:13-15. This feast is mentioned more than any other in Scripture, so is the most prominent feast in the Bible. God told His people to build sukkah’s during this Feast in order to remember not only their liberation from Egypt, but also His care and protection of them during their long wilderness journey. (Leviticus 23:33-43). For a rabbinic look at the sukkah, consider the words of Rabbi Jonathon Sacks: “When we sit in the sukkah, we recall Jewish history – not just the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, but also the entire experience of exile. The sukka is the most powerful symbol of Jewish history. No other nation could see its home not as a castle, a fortress, or a triumphal arch, but as a fragile tabernacle. No other nation was born, not in its land, but in the desert. Sukkot is a festival of a people like no other, whose only protection was its faith in the sheltering wings of the Divine Presence. The sukka itself, the tabernacle, represents the singular character of Jewish history with its repeated experiences of exile and homecoming and its long journey across the wilderness of time. As Jews, we are heirs to a history unlike that of any other people: small, vulnerable, suffering exile after exile, yet surviving. Hence the sukkah.” (Jonathon Sacks, Covenant and Conversation: Leviticus).