How does Hosea 11:7 reveal Israel's persistent rebellion against God? The Text of Hosea 11:7 “So My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.” Key Terms Revealing Rebellion • “Bent on turning” – an ingrained, habitual drift; not a lapse, but a settled direction away from God • “From Me” – the rebellion is relational; Israel is abandoning the very One who rescued and loved her (Hosea 11:1–4) • “Though they call” – religious language remains, but the heart is elsewhere (Isaiah 29:13) • “He will by no means exalt” – God withholds public favor or deliverance because the relationship is ruptured (Deuteronomy 28:15) A Pattern Repeated in Israel’s History • Exodus generation: rescued yet “quickly turned aside” to the golden calf (Exodus 32:8) • Judges era: “whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt” (Judges 2:19) • Monarchy: northern kingdom “followed worthless idols and became worthless” (2 Kings 17:15) • Prophetic testimony: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me…the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 2:13) Consequences of Persistent Rebellion • Loss of God’s lifting hand—no exaltation, no national stability (Hosea 8:7) • Spiritual blindness—unable to recognize discipline as God’s call to return (Hosea 7:10) • External threat—Assyria poised to conquer (Hosea 11:5–6) • Inner emptiness—idolatry cannot satisfy (Psalm 106:36) God’s Patient Response • He exposes the sin: “bent on turning” clarifies the real issue (Hosea 6:4–6) • He restrains judgment to woo them: “How can I give you up, Ephraim?” (Hosea 11:8–9) • He promises future restoration through the Lion’s roar that gathers His children (Hosea 11:10–11) • He fulfills mercy ultimately in Christ, who bears the rebellion and opens the way back (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24) Personal Takeaways for Today • Religious words cannot mask a heart bent away from the Lord (Matthew 15:8) • Persistent sin dulls spiritual hearing; repent while the call of grace still sounds (Hebrews 3:15) • God’s discipline aims to restore, not destroy; His love is fierce and unrelenting (Revelation 3:19) • The only cure for a wayward heart is wholehearted return—“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8) |
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