They shall not return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
“I am God and not man ...”. We can rejoice in that one statement in this section. In these few verses we are giving a brief view of the glory of God. The book of Hosea is written to show that there are consequences when God’s people go away from Him to serve other gods and fill their own sensual desire. God is a jealous God and does not compete with the things of the world for our love. However, notice what this passage shows. God is angry at Israel for their turning their back on Him. His wrath is full. Yet, note the turmoil within God’s heart. He states:
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.”
Mankind, once angry at someone for something, often can’t turn it off. We tend to remain angry. Even though we are told not to let our anger linger, we are to resolve it quickly (Ephesians 4:26). God’s character is bring His children back and to remember His covenant to the house of Israel. God’s glory is that He can have wrath toward sin and still love His children. Note how Hosea ends this chapter:
They shall go after the LORD;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.
Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
God is faithful to the promises He has made. Although His wrath is real, God’s love sill holds His promises. What a great picture of the glory of God; of who He is and how He interacts with His children. He is not like man.
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