Hosea 12: Tiny Jesus?

​Ephraim feeds on the wind
    and pursues the east wind all day long;
they multiply falsehood and violence;
    they make a covenant with Assyria,
    and oil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah
2 The Lord has an indictment against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
    he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
    and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed;
    he wept and sought his favor.
He met God at Bethel,
    and there God spoke with us--
5 the Lord, the God of hosts,
    the Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return,
    hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God.”
7 A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
    he loves to oppress.
8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich;
    I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9 I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you dwell in tents,
    as in the days of the appointed feast.
10 I spoke to the prophets;
    it was I who multiplied visions,
    and through the prophets gave parables.
11 If there is iniquity in Gilead,
    they shall surely come to nothing:
in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
    their altars also are like stone heaps
    on the furrows of the field.
12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
    there Israel served for a wife,
    and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
    and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
    so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
    and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.
 
Meditation
In this interview discussing the beauty of justification, Dr. Guy Waters commented on the need for us to be honest with the depth of our sin problem. A tiny view of our sin problem leads us to believe we need only a tiny Jesus.
 
Hosea makes clear the depth of Israel’s sin problem, leaving the reader and the original audience longing for a great salvation. God’s indictment (2) is rooted in Israel’s history. (3-9) Israel had cheated and oppressed the poor (7) in pride and self-reliance (8), rejecting God’s prophets (10) to welcome false religions. (12) The more God pursued Israel with multiple visions and revelations, the more Israel rebelled by multiplying altars (10-13). The charges leave Israel in condemnation, left alone to provide the blood sacrifice required to remove guilt (14).
 
God’s story of redemptive revelation does not leave His people in a place of condemnation because God Himself provided the blood sacrifice needed to offer justification to all who believe- God is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26)
The same God who charged Israel with sin is the same God who was charged with the sin of His people before He died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). 
From faith in Christ and His work, believers receive God’s great salvation! In Christ, no one can bring a charge against us and nothing can separate us from our Heavenly Husband’s love. (Romans 8:31-39) Our unsolvable sin problem is made right by the massive love of God in Christ! 

Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the depth of Hosea’s diagnosis of Israel’s sin problem?
 
-It is finished. The penalty of sin is paid. The power of sin is lost. How can you live more freely from the finished work of Jesus? Be specific.
 
-God satisfies the charge He brings against humanity so believers can be justified and joyfully live for Him. How can you respond to God’s grace by living more faithfully for His glory?
 
Key Verse
2 The Lord has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds.