Book of Hosea Chapter 12 Vs. 14

 The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him. Hos. 12:14

Ephraim provoked him... The 18th prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 12:14, fulfilled). Next, Hos. 13:3. Ephraim will be punished according to what he has sown. Literally, with anger and disappointments, i. e. with most heinous sins, such as are most grievously displeasing to God, and were a most bitter requital of all His goodness. Wherefore shall he leave (or, cast) his blood (literally, bloods), upon him. The plural bloods expresses the manifoldness of the bloodshed. It is not used in Holy Scripture of mere guilt. Ephraim had shed blood profusely, so that it ran like water in the land (see Hosea 4:2; 5:2) we have studied.

leave his blood... Not take away the guilt and penalty of the innocent blood shed by Ephraim in general and to Molech in particular.

and his reproach... Ephraim's dishonor to God in worshipping idols, God will repay to him. That God is his Lord by right redemption and special revelation to Ephraim only aggravates his guilt, instead of giving him hope of escape. God does not give up His claim to them as His, however they set aside His dominion.

Instead of Ephraim being extremely grateful for what God had done for him, he rebelled against God over and over. God forgave him over and over and gave him another chance. Whatever happens to Ephraim, he has no one to blame but himself. His blood and punishment are brought on himself. His idolatry has gone too far. God has brought punishment.

One does not see the connection of these verses with the preceding. But now the discourse oscillates once more to the national father, and the parallel between his own and his people’s experience.

And Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he herded sheep. And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was shepherded. And Ephraim hath given bitter provocation; but his blood-guiltiness shall be upon him, and his Lord shall return it to him.

However, Israel had provoked the Lord to anger with her sin. Hosea probably was alluding here to idolatry because kā‛as, the verb rendered provoked to anger, is frequently used in reference to idols (cf., e.g., Deut. 4:25; 9:18; 31:29; 32:16, 32:21; Jdg. 2:12; 1Kgs. 14:9, 14:15). In response to this the Lord would not extend forgiveness He would leave upon the nation its guilt; cf. Hos. 10:2; 13:12, 13:16); He would repay her for her evil.

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 18

 Verses 18-20: Jesus’ call is not an enthusiastic shout of temporary appeal but a summons to all-encompassing, whole-life commitment. Jesus gains at least four dedicated adherents, who follow him to Capernaum.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Mark 1:18 “And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”

straightway they forsook... straightway Greek: eutheos, used 80 times; 40 times in Mark and 40 times by all other writers. Translated straightway, immediately, forthwith, as soon as, anon, by and by, and shortly. See note, Mark 3:6.

and followed him... I.e., became His permanent disciples (see note on verse 16).

This again, is a very short and precise statement about the call of Simon (Peter), and Andrew to go with Jesus and be His apostles. We find this statement almost exactly like this (in Mat. 4:18-22). The most vivid description of what happened however, is found in:

Luke 5:1-4 “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,” “And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing [their] nets.” “And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.” “Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a drought.”

Luke 5:5-11 “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.” And they beckoned unto [their] partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.” “When Simon Peter saw [it], he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” “For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the drought of the fishes which they had taken:” “And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” “And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.”

Not that we need any reason for them forsaking all, and following Jesus, but they had just seen an overwhelming miracle, plus they had just heard Jesus preach. There would be no way that they would not follow Him.

You see, the very best way to explain a Scripture is to find a more detailed Scripture on the very same incident and let it explain it for you. Notice, that the Sea of Galilee and Lake of Gennesaret are one and the same. Peter was called by Simon also, and in one place called by both names at once, Simon Peter.

There is no further explanation necessary why they left their nets and followed Jesus. It was just because He told them to. They believed nothing was impossible to Him after seeing this miracle.

Nor does He, even now, finally and entirely call them away from their occupation. Some time is still to elapse, and a sign, especially impressive to fishermen, the miraculous draught of fishes, is to burn into their minds a profound sense of their unworthiness, before the vocation now promised shall arrive. Then He will say, from henceforth ye shall catch men: now He says, I will prepare you for that future, I will make you to become fishers of men. So underground is the suspicion of any confusion between the scriptures of the three steps by which they rose to their Apostleship.

At once euthys; cf. Mark 1:10 Simon and Andrew left their nets their old calling and followed Him. In the Gospels the verb follow akoloutheō, when referring to individuals, expresses the call and response of discipleship. Later events cf. Mark 1:29-31 show that their response meant not a repudiation of their homes but rather giving Jesus their full allegiance cf. Mark 10:28; 1Cor. 7:17-24.

Book of Hosea Chapter 12 Vs.13

 The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. Hos. 12:13

And by a... By the same prophet Moses was Israel preserved at the Red sea, and in the wilderness; where they were kept as a flock of sheep from their powerful enemies and brought to the borders of Canaan's land.

by a prophet... The prophet that led them out of Egypt was Moses. Moses prayed, and God rained Manna from heaven for them to eat. God, through Moses, brought them 40 years through the wilderness with no lack in their life. God preserved them, to set them up as an example of His family to the whole world.

We reiterate, Later Jacob’s descendants served the Egyptians till God delivered them from Egypt (cf. Hos. 11:1; 12:9; 13:4) and protected them through His Prophet Moses.

And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was shepherded.

Later Jacob’s descendants served the Egyptians till God delivered them from Egypt (cf. Hos. 11:1; 12:9; 13:4) and protected them through His Prophet Moses.

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 17

 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Mark 1:17 “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

Come ye after... Used frequently in the gospels in reference to discipleship (2:18; 8:34; 10:21; Matt. 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Luke 9:23, 59, 61; 18:22; John 1:43; 10:27; 12:26).

you to become... To become (γενέσθαι)

An addition of Mark.

Fishers of men... Evangelism was the primary purpose for which Jesus called the apostles, and it remains the central mission for His people (Mat. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

With a command Jesus summons two to be disciples. Mark may preserve here Peter’s vivid memory of this brief and direct appeal. Seen against its Old Testament background, Jesus’ call is to the task of winning men in view of the impending judgment of God.

Our Lord now calls upon them to take a decided step. But here again we find traces of the same deliberate progression, the same absence of haste, as in His early preaching. He does not, as unthinking readers fancy, come upon two utter strangers, fascinate and arrest them in a moment, and sweep their lives into the vortex of His own. Andrew had already heard the Baptist proclaim the Lamb of God, had followed Jesus' home, and had introduced his brother, to whom Jesus then gave the new name Cephas. Their faith had since been confirmed by miracles. The demands of our Lord may be trying, but they are never unreasonable, and the faith He claims is not a blind credulity.

Shall we not follow His example? It is morally certain that Abraham never heard of salvation by faith, yet he was justified by faith when he believed in Him Who justifieth the ungodly. To preach Him, and His gospel, is the way to lead men to be saved by faith.

Few things are more instructive to consider than the slow, deliberate, yet firm steps by which Christ advanced to the revelation of God in flesh. Thirty years of silence, forty days of seclusion after heaven had proclaimed Him, leisurely intercourse with Andrew and John, Peter and Nathanael, and then a brief ministry in a subject nation, and chiefly in a despised province. It is not the action of a fanatic. It exactly fulfills His own description of the kingdom which He proclaimed, which was to exhibit first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. And it is a lesson to all time, that the boldest expectations possible to faith do not justify feverish haste and excited longings for immediate prominence or immediate success. The husbandman who has long patience with the seed is not therefore hopeless of the harvest.

The words Come, follow Me are literally, Come after Me, a technical expression that meant Go behind Me as a disciple. Unlike a Rabbi whose pupils sought him out, Jesus took the initiative and called His followers.

The call included Jesus’ promise: and I will make you to become genesthai fishers of men. He had caught them for His kingdom; now He would equip them to share His task, to become genesthai implies preparation fishers who catch men (generic for people; cf. Mark 8:27).

The fishing metaphor was probably suggested by the brothers’ occupation but also had an Old Testament background (cf. Jer. 16:16; Eze. 29:4-5; Hab. 1:14-17). Though the prophets used this figure to express divine judgment, Jesus used it positively as a means to avoid divine judgment. In view of the impending righteous rule of God (cf. Mark 1:15) Jesus summoned these men to the task of gathering people out of the sea Old Testament imagery for sin and death, e.g., Isa. 57:20-21).

Book of Hosea Chapter 12 Vs. 12

 The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. Hos. 12:12

And Jacob fled... Though ye pride yourselves on the great name of Israel, forget not that your progenitor was the same Jacob who was a fugitive, and who served for Rachel fourteen years. He forgot not ME who delivered him when fleeing from Esau, and when oppressed by Laban (Gen. 28:5; 29:20, 28; Deut. 26:5).

country of Syria...Or, field of Syria; the same with Padan-aram; for Padan, in the Arabic language, as Bochart has shown, signifies a field; and Aram is Syria, and is the word here used.

and Israel served... And so the last clause is supplied by the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi: this was after his flight into Syria, and before he fled from Laban, whom he served seven years for Rachel. And then he continued to serve Laban by keeping his sheep seven more years, as his agreement. Though it may be understood of his two wives, thus; he served seven years for a wife.

he kept sheep... For Rachel intentionally, but eventually it was for Leah; and then he kept sheep seven years more for his other wife Rachel. The history of this is (in Gen. 29:1).

Gen. 28:5 "And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.”

He had not taken a wife of the heathen women around him, as his brother Esau did, but went to his uncle's, and found a wife of the same faith. He worked as a shepherd.

And Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he herded sheep.

The Lord’s past goodness is again recalled. Going back to Jacob’s experience once more (cf. Hos. 12:3-4), Hosea reminded the people of their humble beginnings. Their famous ancestor was once a refugee who had to tend sheep in order to acquire a wife (cf. Deut. 26:5).

Gospel of Mark Chapter 1 Vs. 16

 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Mark 1:16 “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”

Now as he... First of Christ’s disciples (John 1:33-42). He returned to his fishing until his call with his brother Peter (Mat. 4:18; Mark 1:17). He became one of the 12 apostles (Mat. 10:2; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). Mentioned in Mark 1:29; 13:3; John 6:8; 12:22. Tradition says he was of the tribe of Reuben, that he evangelized Scythia becoming Russia’s patron saint, and that he was stoned and crucified in Greece or Scythia.

sea of Galilee... Also known as the Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11), the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1), and the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1). A large, freshwater lake about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide, and about 690 feet below sea level (making it the lowest body of fresh water on earth) The Sea of Galilee was home to a thriving fishing industry.

The sea (τήν θάλασσαν)

The small lake of Gennesaret, only thirteen miles long and six wide in its broadest part, is called the sea, by the same kind of popular usage by which Swiss and German lakes are called See; as the Königsee, the Trauensee. So, also, in Holland we have the Zuyder Zee. The Latin mare (the sea) likewise becomes meet in Holland, and is used of a lake, as Haarlemmer Meer; and in England, mere, as appears in Windermere, Grasmere, etc.

He saw Simon... The first of two sets of brothers Jesus called to follow Him. Like James and John, they were fishermen. Since Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist (John 1:40), it is possible that Peter had been as well.

They had evidently returned to their fishing business after John’s arrest (see verse 14). They had already met and spent time with Jesus (see Mat. 4:18), but were here called to follow Him permanently.

Casting a net... A rope forming a circle about 9 feet in diameter with a net attached It could be thrown by hand into the water, then hauled in by means of the length of weighted rope attached to it.

A net (ἀμφίβληστρον)

From ἀμφὶ, around, and Βάλλω, to throw. Hence the casting-net, which, being east over the shoulder, spreads into a circle (ἀμφὶ). The word is sometimes used by classical Greek writers to denote a garment which encompasses the wearer. In Mat. 4:20, the word net again occurs, but representing a different Greek word (δίκτυον) which is the general name for all kinds of nets, whether for taking fish or fowl. Still another word occurs at Mat. 13:47, σαγήνη, the draw-net.

And passing along by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishers.

Jesus’ call of four fishermen

Jesus’ call of four fishermen, to be His followers comes immediately after the summary of His message. So Mark made clear that to repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15) is to break with one’s old way of life and to follow Jesus, to make a personal commitment to Him in response to His call. With this call Jesus began His work in Galilee. This anticipated His appointing and sending out the Twelve (Mark 3:13-19; 6:7-13, 6:30).

The Sea (a Semitic label) of Galilee, a warm-water lake about 7 miles wide, 13 miles long, and 685 feet below sea level, was the scene of a thriving fishing industry. It was geographically central to Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

As He was walking along the shore, Jesus… saw Simon (surnamed Peter) and Andrew, his brother, each throwing out a circular casting net (10-15 feet diameter) into the lake. The significant thing about this, Mark explained (gar, for), is that they were fishermen by trade.

Book of Hosea Chapter 12 Vs. 11

 The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields. Hos. 12:11

Is there iniquity... Question 11. Next, Hos. 13:10.

they are vanity... Many times, idols are referred to as vanity. Their altars were so many as to be compared in number to furrows in a plowed field.

heaps in the... As gathered and piled stones would dot a farmer’s field, so Israel multiplied her stone altars across the land. Gilgal means a heap of stones, so this is a play on words.

surely, they are... Yes, there was iniquity in Gilead. Gilead was the mountain region east of Jordan. They have caused the anger of God to come against them, because they have sacrificed to idols in Gilead.

they sacrificed bullocks... To strange false gods. They have made altars as memorials to false gods. Heaps have to do with establishing covenant and heaping rocks up as a memorial.

If Gilead be for idolatry, then shall it become vanity. If in Gilgal-Stone-Circle they sacrifice bullocks, stone heaps shall their altars become among the furrows of the field.

The wickedness and hypocrisy manifested in Gilead (cf. Hos. 6:8) and Gilgal (cf. Hos. 4:15; 9:15) epitomized that of the nation. In the coming invasion the altars located there would be reduced to piles of stones (gallı̂m; cf. Hos. 10:8, the high places… will be destroyed). The use of this Hebrew word, which is a play on the name Gilgal facilitated by the repetition of the “g” and “l” sounds, is another example of Hosea’s poetic techniques. Gilgal would become gallı̂m.