The LORD’S Love for Israel
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, y
and out of Egypt I called my son. z
2 Israel called to the Egyptians a
even as Israel was leaving them.
They kept sacrificing to the Baals b
and burning offerings to idols. c
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, d
taking them by the hand, ,e
but they never knew that I healed them. f
4 I led them with human cords,
with ropes of love. g
To them I was like one
who eases the yoke from their jaws; h
I bent down to give them food. i
5 Israel will not return to the land of Egypt
and Assyria will be his king, j
because they refused to repent. k
6 A sword will whirl through his cities; l
it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates, ,m
because of their schemes. n
7 My people are bent on turning from me. o
Though they call to him on high,
he will not exalt them at all.
8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? p
How can I surrender you, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah? q
How can I treat you like Zeboiim? r
I have had a change of heart;
my compassion is stirred!
9 I will not vent the full fury of my anger; s
I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. t
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One among you; u
I will not come in rage.
10 They will follow the LORD; v
he will roar like a lion. w
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west. x
11 They will be roused like birds from Egypt
and like doves y from the land of Assyria. z
Then I will settle them in their homes. a
This is the LORD’S declaration.
12 Ephraim surrounds me with lies, b
the house of Israel, with deceit.
Judah still wanders with God
and is faithful to the holy ones.
11:1–4. God is pictured as a loving father, and Israel is likened to a stubborn son (11:1). At the time of the exodus from Egypt, Israel was a young nation that God loved; in fact, God called Israel his son (Ex 4:22). Although God expressed his love for the Israelites, they did not respond positively to God’s love but went away after the fertility god Baal and offered sacrifices on altars at Baal temples (11:2).
11:5–7. The nation’s lack of repentance or turning to God will lead to divine judgment. These ungrateful people who inherited the wonderful land of milk and honey will end up exiled in the foreign land of Assyria (not in the more familiar land of Egypt) because they have stubbornly refused to repent and come back to God (11:5). This will happen because Assyria will send their army and destroy the gates, walls, and cities of Israel (11:6).
11:8–9. Although God has determined to discipline these people he dearly loves, he laments the thought of actually having to do this. Just as a loving father has internal struggles with how or whether to severely punish his child, so God cries out in distress over his decision to destroy his people (11:8). God is not a cold and heartless Father; his heart goes out to his beloved children whom he has to punish. God’s “change of heart” does not indicate that God is indecisive or is second-guessing himself. Because of his deep love for Israel he is in emotional anguish; he asks himself if it is really possible for him to give up on his children. In the past he was willing to punish the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (Gn 19:1–38; Dt 29:23), but it is much more difficult to do something like this to his covenant people. God’s heart is overcome with compassion.
11:10–11. This message of hope ends with a promise of restoration after the time of discipline. God’s punishment was earlier compared to the attack of a lion (Hs 5:14), but in this passage of hope God describes himself as a lion that roars in order to call his people back to himself (11:10a). At that future time the Israelites will respond positively to God’s call and turn back to him.
A. Proof of deceitful ways (11:12–13:3). 11:12–12:2. In the final section of this long covenant lawsuit against Israel, the nation is accused of deceitfully lying about her love for God (11:12). The people claim to be committed to God, but in reality there is no truthfulness in these words. While God is faithful and holy, the people of Israel are deceptive and untruthful in their relationship to God. To illustrate this problem God gives a specific example: Israel’s deceptive behavior is like chasing the wind all day long (12:1a). This suggests that she is trying to achieve something that is impossible to grasp.