How does Hosea 11:5 connect with the theme of exile in Deuteronomy 28? Setting the Stage • Deuteronomy 28 lays out the covenant blessings for obedience (vv.1-14) and the covenant curses for disobedience (vv.15-68). • Hosea ministers about seven centuries later, confronting the northern kingdom’s persistent rebellion. • Hosea 11:5 links what Israel is experiencing in his day to the very curses Moses warned about. Deuteronomy 28: The Covenant’s Warning of Exile • Foreign domination: “The LORD will drive you and the king you appoint to a nation unknown to you or your fathers” (v.36). • National scattering: “Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other” (v.64). • A return to Egypt-like bondage: “The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships, by a route that I said you would never see again” (v.68). • Driving cause: “Because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God” (v.62). Hosea 11:5: Prophetic Echo of Deuteronomy’s Curse “Will they not return to Egypt, and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?”. • Hosea repeats the Deuteronomy language of “return to Egypt,” evoking the imagery of slavery and loss of covenant freedom. • He specifies Assyria as the instrument of that bondage—the actual superpower poised to carry Israel away. • The identical rationale appears: “because they refuse to repent,” matching Deuteronomy’s “because you would not obey.” Shared Vocabulary and Imagery • Return to Egypt (Deuteronomy 28:68 • Hosea 11:5) – signals reversal of the Exodus redemption. • Foreign king/nation (Deuteronomy 28:36 • Hosea 11:5) – political subjugation replaces God’s kingship. • Scattering/Exile (Deuteronomy 28:64 • Hosea 8:8-9; 9:17) – covenant people dispersed among the nations. • Refusal to hear/repent (Deuteronomy 28:15 • Hosea 4:1; 11:5) – moral cause of the judgment. Historical Fulfillment • 2 Kings 17:6 records the 722 BC fall of Samaria: “So the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria.” • Hosea’s prophecy, grounded in Deuteronomy 28, came to pass literally. Assyria ruled over Israel exactly as foretold. Theological Thread: Rebellion Leads to Foreign Rule • Deuteronomy 28 establishes the covenant principle: rebellion → exile. • Hosea 11:5 applies that principle to his generation: refusal to repent → Assyrian domination. • The harmony of these texts underscores Scripture’s unified, literal presentation of covenant cause and effect. Hope Beyond Exile • Hosea 11:8-11 promises God will ultimately “settle them in their homes” (v.11). • Deuteronomy 30:1-6 had already held out the same hope of restoration after exile. • The link between the two books shows that even while judgment is certain, the covenant God still plans redemption for a repentant people. |
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