Book of Hosea Chapter 11 Vs. 12

 The Lord's Love for Israel

Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints. Hos. 11:12

compasseth me about... Play the hypocrites with me still; yet give me good words, call themselves my people, and say I am their God and that they worship me and seek me; but they flatter me with their mouths, and lie unto me with their tongues (as Psalm 78:36). So, God upbraids them with this, their sin.

and the house... The same thing in a reiterated phrase, to affect and comprehend the more.

but Judah yet... The people of the two tribes, under the government of the house of David.

yet ruleth with God... That is, I will leave Judah to rule a little while after the destruction of Ephraim. The purpose of this was to give Judah more time to repent and learn the lessons which the destruction of apostate Ephraim could teach her. However, in the period that followed God had to warn Judah many times and plead with her not to follow the way of Ephraim who had been destroyed; and instead of improving, she became more and more corrupt until He had to destroy her also. This was 133 years after the destruction of Ephraim (2Ki. 17:1-41 with 24-25).

While idolaters are vassals and slaves to the devil and to their own superstitious fears, the true worshippers of God, like princes, rule with God. Or rather, keeping to the house of David, retained the government in Theopolitia a government set up of God: when Ephraim made kings and princes, but God did not know it, i.e. did not advise nor approve it.

and is faithful... Retains also purity, at least truth, of worship, and in the holy things of God keeping to his word, and comparatively is faithful: whereas Ephraim is hypocritical and false, Judah adheres to God’s holy prophets, priests, and other saints of God.

Even though God will restore them, He still speaks of their unfaithfulness to Him. They are full of lies and deceit. Judah is the tribe that the Lord Jesus comes from. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus rules with God the Father. He rules all the world from Jerusalem in the land of Judah.

The verses are a climax, and obviously to be succeeded by a pause. On the brink of his doom, will Israel turn to such a God, at such a call? The next verse, though dependent for its promise on this same exhaustless Love, is from an entirely different circumstance, and cannot have been put by Hosea here.

The Lord’s case against Israel concluded.

A hortatory and didactic tone characterizes the conclusion to Hosea’s prophecy. As in earlier sections Hosea moves from judgment (11:12-13:16) to salvation (Hos. 14:1-9).

A Concluding Indictment

Once more Israel’s guilt is established and her punishment predicted.

The nation’s unfaithfulness.

These verses introduce the final section with a formal accusation (11:12-12:2a) and an announcement of judgment (Hos. 12:2).

The entire nation Judah included had broken her covenant with the Lord. Lies and deceit refer to hypocrisy and unfaithfulness. The latter (mirmâh; cf. see Hos. 12:7) is especially appropriate in light of the following comparison with the patriarch Jacob (cf. Hos. 12:3-4, 12:12). The same term was used to describe Jacob’s deception in stealing Esau’s blessing (cf. Gen. 27:35).

Ironically the nation was unfaithful to the faithful Holy One, who had always demonstrated fidelity to His covenant promises (cf. Hos. 12:9; 13:4-6). Is unruly rûḏ means to stray or roam restlessly, an apt picture of Israel’s wandering off from God to Baal and to foreign nations for help. Holy One is plural here, emphasizing the magnitude of this divine characteristic. In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to His transcendence over fallible people (cf. Hos. 11:9).

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 4

 John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Mark 1:4 “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

John did baptize... A common Jewish name in New Testament times, it is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Johanan (2kgs. 25:23; 1Chr. 3:15; Jer. 40:8), meaning the Lord is gracious. John’s name was given by the angel Gabriel to his father Zacharias, during his time of priestly service in the temple (Luke 1:13).

John did baptize (ἐγένετο Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων)

Lit., John came to pass or arose who baptized. Rev., John came who baptized.

His mother, Elizabeth, also a descendant of Aaron (Luke 1:5), was a relative of Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36).

As the last Old Testament prophet and the divinely ordained forerunner of the Messiah, John was the culmination of Old Testament history and prophecy (Luke 16:16), as well as the beginning of the historical record of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, Jesus designated John as the greatest man who had lived until his time (Mat. 1:11).

John the Baptist, breaks a centuries-long prophetic silence in Israel. Other Jewish groups practiced ritual water cleansing, but John called all Israel to repentance (verse 5).

Baptism being the distinctive mark of John’s ministry, his baptism differed from the ritual Jewish washings in that it was a one-time act. The Jews performed a similar one-time washing of Gentile proselytes, symbolizing their embracing of the true faith.

That Jews would participate in such a rite was a startling admission that they, although members of God’s covenant people, needed to come to God through repentance and faith just like Gentiles.

In the wilderness... The desolate, arid region between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea (see Mat. 3:1).

baptism of repentance... A baptism resulting from true repentance. John’s ministry was to call Israel to repentance in preparation for the coming of Messiah. Baptism did not produce repentance, but was its result (Mat. 3:7-8). Far more than a mere change of mind or remorse, repentance involves a turning from sin to God (1Thes. 1:9), which results in righteous living.

Baptism of repentance (βάπτισμα μετανοίας)

A baptism the characteristic of which was repentance; which involved an obligation to repent. We should rather expect Mark to put this in the more dramatic form used by Matthew: Saying, Repent ye!

Genuine repentance is a work of God in the human heart (Acts 11:18). For a discussion of the nature of repentance, see (2Cor. 7:9-12).

for the remission... John’s rite of baptism did not produce forgiveness of sin (see Acts 2:38; 22:16); it was only the outward confession and illustration of the true repentance that results in forgiveness (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 2Cor. 7:10).

John’s baptism was not regarded as equal to baptism in the name of the Trinity as a testimony to one’s personal trust in Christ. (See Acts 19:1-5). For here means with a view to, that is, in order to attain remission of sins. The Greek word order shows that it is not baptism but repentance that secures remission of sins.

We have discussed in our lessons on Matthew, that it was the custom to baptize for the remission of sins long before Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. Even in the tabernacle in the wilderness, the washings were symbolic of baptism to wash away sins. This actually was different to the baptism we Christians do.

A Christian being baptized is actually performing Jesus’ burial and resurrection. We are baptized into a water grave, and we are following Jesus in His resurrection. We rise again to newness of life in Jesus.

He presently uses the word in a somewhat larger sense, telling how Jesus Himself, before the story of His life could possibly be unfolded, preached as the gospel of God that the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, and added (what St. Mark only has preserved for us), Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mar. 1:14-15). So too it is part of St. Paul’s gospel that God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:16). For this also is good news of God, the gospel of the kingdom. And like the gospel of Jesus Christ, it treats of His attitude toward us, more than ours toward Him, which latter is the result rather than the substance of it. That He rules, and not the devil; that we shall answer at last to Him and to none lower; that Satan lied when he claimed to possess all the kingdoms of the earth, and to dispose of them; that Christ has now received from far different hands all power on earth; this is a gospel which the world has not yet learned to welcome, nor the Church fully to proclaim.

John’s Activity As A Prophet

In fulfillment of the preceding prophecy, John came egeneto, appeared on the stage of history as the last Old Testament prophet (cf. Luke 7:24-28; 16:16), signaling a turning point in God’s dealings with mankind. John was baptizing in the desert region erēmō dry, uninhabited country and preaching a baptism of repentance. The word preaching (kēryssōn) could be rendered proclaiming as a herald, appropriate in light of the prediction in Mar. 1:2-3.

John’s baptism was no innovation since Jews required Gentiles wanting to be admitted into Judaism to be baptized by self-immersion. The startling new element was that John’s baptism was designed for God’s covenant people, the Jews, and it required their repentance in view of the coming Messiah (cf. Mat. 3:2).

This baptism is described as one relating to or expressive of repentance for (eis) the forgiveness of sins. The Greek preposition eis could be referential with reference to or purpose leading to but probably not cause on account of. Repentance metanoia occurs in Mark only here. It means a turnabout, a deliberate change of mind resulting in a change of direction in thought and behavior (cf. Mat. 3:8; 1Thes. 1:9).

Forgiveness aphesin means the removal or cancellation of an obligation or barrier of guilt. It refers to God’s gracious act whereby sins as a debt are canceled, based on Christ’s sacrificial death (cf. Mat. 26:28). Forgiveness was not conveyed by the outward rite of baptism, but baptism was a visible witness that one had repented and as a result had received God’s gracious forgiveness of sins (cf. Luke 3:3).

Book of Hosea Chapter 11 Vs. 11

 The Lord's Love for Israel

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD. Hos. 11:11

They shall tremble... The West denoted Europe; Egypt and Assyria stand, each for all the lands beyond them, and so for Africa and Asia; all together comprise the three quarters of the world, from where converts have chiefly come to Christ. These are likened to birds, chiefly for the swiftness with which they shall then haste to the call of God, who now turned away the more, the more they were called.

and as a... The dove, especially, was a bird of Palestine, proverbial for the swiftness of its flight. Easily frightened, and flying the more rapidly, the more it was frightened, and returning to its cot from any distance where it might be carried. From where Isaiah also says of the converts, Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? (Isa. 60:8).

and I will... It is not said in towns and cities, and fortified places, but in houses, signifying that they should dwell in their own land, in a civil sense, securely, and in their habitations. Under their vines and fig trees, being in no fear and danger of enemies, and live in the utmost safety, under the government and protection of the King Messiah.

This is speaking of a time, when they will be eager to return to their home, as a bird is eager to return to his nest. This speaks of a time when they will return home and receive their houses again.

Again, once more before the end let Israel hear God in the utterness of His Love!

The comparison to doves is significant in light of Hos. 7:11, where Israel’s naiveté in seeking foreign alliances is likened to that of a dove. Here the force of the simile is positive, the reference being to the swiftness with which the dove returns to its nest (cf. Psm. 55:6-8; Isa. 60:8). Again Egypt represents exile (see Hos. 8:13). Restoration from Assyria is also mentioned in Zec. 10:10-11.

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 3

John the Baptist Prepares the Way 

Mark 1:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

voice of one... The 2nd Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Mark (Mar.1:3; Isa. 40:3). Next, Mar. 4:12.

A voice (φωνὴ)

No article as A. V. and Rev., the voice. It has a sort of exclamatory force. Listening, the prophet exclaims, Lo! a voice.

Prepare ye the... John the Baptist was born and lived for one purpose, and that was to proclaim the coming of Christ. He had one message. It was Repent and be baptized for the Lord is coming. God, throughout the Bible, picked out a specific person and called them to do a specific job for Him. This was what God called John the Baptist to do. He was to use his voice to proclaim the coming of the Lord.

make his paths... We see many others in the Bible chosen by God for a specific job such as Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He called Noah to build an ark. You see, God chooses whomever He will. This wilderness was not just physical, but spiritual as well. Our cry, like John the Baptist’s cry, should be The Lord is coming.

In so deciding, he followed the example of the Apostolic teaching. The first vacant place among the Twelve was filled by an eyewitness, competent to tell what Jesus did from the baptism of John to the day when he was received up, the very space covered by this Gospel. That Gospel of peace, which Cornelius heard from St. Peter (and hearing, received the Holy Ghost) was the same story of Jesus after the baptism which John preached. And this is throughout the substance of the primitive teaching. The Apostles act as men who believe that everything necessary to salvation is implicit or explicit in the history of those few crowded years. Therefore this is the gospel.

Men there are who judge otherwise, and whose gospel is not the story of salvation wrought, but the plan of salvation applied, how the Atonement avails for us, how men are converted, and what privileges they then receive. But in truth men are not converted by preaching conversion, any more than citizens are made loyal by demanding loyalty. Show men their prince and convince them that he is gracious and truly royal, and they will die for him. Show them the Prince of Life, and He, being lifted up, will draw all men unto Him; and thus the truest gospel is that which declares Christ and Him crucified. As all science springs from the phenomena of the external world, so do theology and religion spring from the life of Him who was too adorable to be mortal, and too loving to be disobeyed.

Mark prefaced this composite quotation from three Old Testament books with the words: It is written in Isaiah the prophet. This illustrates a common practice by New Testament authors in quoting several passages with a unifying theme. The common theme here is the wilderness (desert) tradition in Israel’s history. Since Mark was introducing the ministry of John the Baptist in the desert, he cited Isaiah as the source because the Isaiah passage refers to a voice… calling in the desert.

Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance Mark gave those Old Testament texts a messianic interpretation by altering the way before Me (Mal. 3:1) to Your way, and the paths of our God (Isa. 40:3, lxx) to paths for Him. Thus, the speaker, I, was God who will send His messenger (John) ahead of You (Jesus) who will prepare Your (Jesus’) way. John was a voice urging the nation of Israel to prepare (pl. verb) the way for the Lord (Jesus) and to make straight paths for Him (Jesus). The meaning of these metaphors is given in John’s ministry (Mar. 1:4-5).

Book of Hosea Chapter 11 Vs. 10

 The Lord's Love for Israel

They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. Hos. 11:10

They shall walk... In the day of national restoration Israel will follow the Lord, who will lead the people back to their homes. His lion-like roar, often associated with judgment and destruction (cf. Hos. 5:14; 13:7; Amos 1:2; 3:8), will become a summons to return from exile.

he shall roar... Though the Lord would, as a lion, roar against Israel in judgment (Amos 1:2), He would also roar for the purpose of calling, protecting, and blessing (Joel 3:16).

from the west... Returnees from Assyrian and Babylonian captivities were from the east. This undoubtedly has reference to His return at the Second Advent to set up the millennial kingdom (Isa. 11:11-12), when He calls Israel from their worldwide dispersion and reverses the judgment (of 9:17).

then the children... The lion is a mighty powerful animal that sounds fearful when it roars. The fear of the LORD causes them to tremble. Ephraim will return to the LORD and walk in His ways. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

The people will again demonstrate a healthy respect for the Lord; they will come trembling (cf. Hos. 3:5 for a similar idea), as an earlier generation did when God appeared in theophanic might at Mount Sinai (cf. Exo. 19:16, where the same Heb. word is used).

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 2

 John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Mark 1:2 “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”

it is written... A phrase commonly used in the New Testament to introduce Old Testament quotes (7:6; 9:13; 14:21, 27; Matt. 2:5; 4:4, 6-7; Luke 2:23; 3:4; John 6:45; 12:14; Acts 1:20; 7:42; Romans 3:4; 8;36; 1 Cor. 1:31; 9:9; Gal. 3:10; 4:22; Heb. 10:7; 1 Peter 1:16).

in the prophet... In Isaiah, Mark’s quote is from two Old Testament passages (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1), which probably explains the reading the Prophets found in some manuscripts. The gospels all introduce John the Baptist’s ministry by quoting (Isa. 40:3; Mat. 3:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23)

Behold I send... The 1st Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Mark (Mar. 1:2; Mal. 3:1). Next, Mar. 1:3. John was the divinely promised messenger, set to prepare the way for the Messiah. In ancient times, a king’s envoys would travel ahead of him making sure the roads were safe and fit for him to travel on, as well as announcing his arrival.

Greek: angelos, messenger. Used of both men and angelic beings.

We could go through and list the prophecies in the Old Testament. The prophecies of Jesus Christ began in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 and went through most of the books in the Old Testament.

The greatest number were in the books of the prophets such as: (Isaiah 9:7; 7:14; Micah 5:12; Daniel 9:25; Jeremiah 31:15; Deuteronomy 18:15; Psalms 110:4; Zechariah 9:9 or Zechariah 11:12). There are many more, too numerous to mention. In fact, that is a study just in itself.

The specific prophet meant above however, was Malachi. The Scripture which confirms this is:

Mal. 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

In (Mat. 17:12”, we see that Jesus said that John the Baptist was the messenger spoken of. This messenger’s job was not to elevate himself, but to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way.

Introduction:

The Preparation for Jesus’ Public Ministry

Mark’s brief introduction presents three preparatory events that are necessary for a proper understanding of Jesus’ life-mission: the ministry of John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-8), Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:9-11), and Jesus’ temptation (Mark 1:12-13). Two recurring words bind this section together: the desert (erēmos Mark 1:3-4, 1:12-13) and the Spirit (Mark 1:8, 1:10, 1:12).

Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist

John’s Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy

Mark began by putting his account in its proper scriptural context. Aside from Old Testament quotations by Jesus this is the only place Mark referred to the Old Testament in his Gospel.

Mark 1:2 blends Exo. 23:20 (lxx) and Mal. 3:1 (Heb.), and Mark 1:3 is from Isa. 40:3 (lxx). Mark adopted a traditional understanding of these verses so he could use them without explanation. In addition, he emphasized the word way (hodos, lit., road, highway), an important theme in Mark’s explanation of discipleship (Mark 8:27; 9:33; 10:17, 10:32, 10:52; 12:14).

Book of Hosea Chapter 11 Vs. 9

 The Lord's Love for Israel

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city. Hos. 11:9

I will not... 15th prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 11:9-11, unfulfilled). Next, Hos. 12:2.

Eight Predictions—Unfulfilled:

1. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger (Hos. 11:9).

2. I will not return to destroy Ephraim.

3. I will not enter the city.

4. They will walk before the Lord (Hos. 11:10).

5. He will roar like a lion.

6. The children will tremble from the west when He shall roar.

7. They will tremble like a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of Assyria (Hos. 11:11).

8. I will place them in their houses.

These predictions are yet future, for God destroyed them soon after this. It is at the second coming of Christ when God will not execute His fierce anger anymore, when He will return but not to destroy Ephraim, and when He will be in the midst of Israel. At this time God will not enter the city to destroy it; instead He will spare it and place the people in their own houses (Hos. 11:10-11). Ultimately, it referred to the promise that after the long dispersion God would, in mercy, restore His people in the kingdom, never to be destroyed again.

God is not man, that He has to explain why He forgives someone. God never pours out His wrath upon His own. He loves them and will make a way out for them. He will not completely destroy Ephraim. He will leave a door open in this situation. They will have opportunity to accept Jesus as their Savior, when God pours out His mercy on mankind. God never stops loving, and that is why He sent His Son to save whosoever will.

John 3:16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Such a love has been the secret of Hosea’s persistence through so many years with so faithless a people, and now, when he has failed, it takes voice to itself and in its irresistible fullness makes this last appeal. Once more before the end let Israel hear God in the utterness of His Love!

Instead of carrying out His fierce (lit., burning) anger to the fullest, God’s compassion would be aroused (lit., grow warm; cf. kindled in KJV, NASB). The burning flame of God’s anger would be replaced, as it were, by the fire of His compassion. Ephraim would never again experience the judgment of God. This promise is reliable because it was made by the Holy One (cf. Hos. 11:12) Himself, who condescends to dwell with His people (among them) and yet continues to transcend all that is human and fallible (He is not man; cf. 1Sam. 15:29).