Hosea 13

Ephraim's initial prominence was lost through Baal worship and persistent idolatry, leading to God's severe judgment. Despite the LORD being their only Saviour who knew and provided for them, Israel forgot Him in their prosperity. Consequently, God declares He will become a fierce adversary, bringing desolation upon Samaria, though a future promise of redemption from death is also made.

Hosea 13 recounts Ephraim's rise and subsequent fall due to Baal worship, leading to their continued sin with molten images and calf adoration. For this rebellion, their existence is prophesied to be fleeting, like morning mist or driven chaff. The LORD reminds Israel that He alone is their God from Egypt and their only Saviour, having known and provided for them in the wilderness. However, their prosperity led to pride and forgetfulness of Him. Therefore, God declares He will become a fierce predator—a lion, leopard, and bereaved bear—to tear and devour them. Israel is told they have destroyed themselves, yet help remains in God, who was their true King, having given and taken away earthly kings in His wrath. While Ephraim's sin is bound up, and sorrows are likened to a travailing woman, a profound promise of redemption from the power of the grave and death is also declared. Nevertheless, immediate judgment includes an east wind drying up their resources and the desolation of Samaria, with its inhabitants facing violent destruction for their rebellion.

Chapter 13 of Hosea opens with a reflection on Ephraim's past prominence in Israel, which was tragically undermined by their offense in Baal worship, leading to their spiritual demise. The prophet condemns their escalating sin, specifically their creation of molten images and idols, even instructing others to kiss the calves, all products of human craftsmanship. As a consequence of this pervasive idolatry, their existence is likened to transient phenomena: the morning cloud, early dew, wind-driven chaff, and vanishing smoke, signifying their impending swift and complete disappearance. The LORD then reasserts His identity as Israel's God from the land of Egypt, emphasizing that He is their sole Saviour and that no other god exists. He recalls His intimate knowledge and provision for them in the wilderness during times of great drought. Yet, despite this divine care, their prosperity led to their hearts being exalted, causing them to forget their God. Therefore, the LORD declares a dramatic shift in His disposition, promising to become a terrifying adversary—a lion, a leopard, and a bear bereaved of her whelps—to observe, meet, rend, and devour them. He states that Israel has brought destruction upon itself, but paradoxically, help is found only in Him. God challenges their reliance on earthly kings and judges, reminding them that He gave kings in His anger and took them away in His wrath. The iniquity of Ephraim is described as bound up and hidden, implying a reckoning. Sorrows akin to a travailing woman are prophesied to come upon them, with Ephraim characterized as an unwise son for delaying his spiritual birth. Amidst these pronouncements of judgment, a powerful declaration of future redemption emerges: God promises to ransom them from the power of the grave and redeem them from death, proclaiming Himself the plagues of death and the destruction of the grave, with this promise being irreversible. Despite Ephraim's potential for fruitfulness, an east wind, identified as the wind of the LORD, will come from the wilderness, drying up their springs and fountains and spoiling their treasures. The chapter concludes with a stark prophecy of Samaria's utter desolation due to its rebellion against God, detailing the violent fate of its inhabitants, including falling by the sword, infants being dashed, and pregnant women ripped up.