NOTES for Hos 9:1-17

The prophetic speech continues; the terrible words predicting for people the harshest consequences of what they have done do not fall silent. And among the many warnings, the prophecy of Ephraim's return to Egypt sounds striking and even strange at first. The One who brought His people out of Egypt warns that after many centuries the unfaithful people can return to the starting point. To imagine this is like supposing that whole centuries could be erased and everything that had taken place between the Lord and His people could vanish without a trace. And what remains now? To begin everything again, or not even to begin? But then what will remain for those who have turned away from their only Hope, except meaningless wanderings among more fortunate nations?

No, the Lord remains faithful to His children even when they are unfaithful to Him. But sometimes, when we very much want to get along without Him, He as it were (a fashionable filler phrase, "as it were," but it fits here) withdraws and gives us the chance to see what it is like to live without Him. Or, as in this case, through His prophet He draws the consequences of such attempts. And now we are free to act as we wish, but we lose one thing - the ability to claim that "we did not want this." We were warned!