Out of Egypt I Called My Son (Matthew 2:13-15)
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms, but they never realized
that it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them. Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent? A sword will flash through their cities; it will destroy the bars of their gates and consume them in their own plans. My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.
God’s Love for Israel
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath. They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west.
They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD. Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.”
The amazing thing about God the Father, the King and Sovereign of the entire universe is that He continues to forgive us, even when we have made a complete mess of things. For generations, the Israelites have turned their back on the God who has delivered them out of slavery and has given them a land with all kinds of resources. “But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms, but they never realized that it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.” How frustrating! All these years, God has wanted to bless His people, but they have steadfastly ignored His laws, pursuing idols instead.
“My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.” God does not withdraw blessings from people; however, people choose to turn away from God. Once people choose to ignore God, they cannot suddenly turn around and call on Him as a last resort. God realizes that as soon as the crisis abates, His people will turn away again.
“How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel?… My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.” Even though the Israelites must go into exile, God refuses to destroy them completely. God’s compassion is stirred, compassion that surpasses anything we can possibly conceive.
“They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD. Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.” Even though many of the people of Judah have embraced idolatry, some faithful remain. Eventually, the Northern Kingdom is conquered by Assyria and go into exile. But when the Babylonians conquer Judah, eventually, King Cyrus calls for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, resulting in a return of many citizens of Judah to their land. And in modern times, Jews from all over the world have returned to Israel to rebuild the nation.
APPLICATION: Few heartbreaks are worse than having done your best to raise a child, only to have that child rebel, rejecting all of your teachings and pursuing foolish actions that can lead to disaster. Getting a call from the police in the middle of the night is every parent’s nightmare. Parents whose kids are addicted to drugs or alcohol can certainly identify with God in these passages. How do you draw the line between administering “tough love” and being too harsh or too lenient?
God’s cry here is the cry of every parent who has ever had problems with a child. “How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel?” At one point, one of our friends had to force her son to live in his car for three weeks in the middle of the winter cold before he stopped bringing drugs into the house. Our friend scarcely slept for those three weeks; however, her choice saved her son.
This passage from Hosea gives all of us hope. God is a God of compassion and forgiveness if we are truly repentant. 1 John 1:8-9 tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.” None of us is without sin. We all need forgiveness several times a day. God knows our hearts better than we know ourselves. If we will simply ask God to show us the things we need to confess, He will do so. Once we acknowledge our sins and confess them, God forgives us promptly and completely. And there’s even better news. If we ask God to help us change so that we will not repeat those sins, God will gladly help us, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. We can drop our load of sin on God, knowing that He will forgive and help transform us into His image. This is truly good news!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and to confess our sins. Thank You, that You are compassionate and willing to change us if we will only ask. Please change us into Your image. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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