Hosea 11:1-12 – The Lord’s Repentance

Hosea 11 begins a new emphasis: God’s love for Israel and His plan to restore them.

Though He must judge them according to the covenant, He will, by grace, bring them back to the land.

Chapters 11–14 look forward to Israel’s future salvation and the New Covenant, where God Himself repairs what their sin has ruined.

Hosea 11:1 says,

WHEN Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Matthew 2:15 quotes this when describing Jesus’ flight to and His return from Egypt: “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

In the Old Testament, Israel as a nation was brought out of Egypt under Moses. In Matthew, the same language is applied to Jesus, who as a child is taken to Egypt and later brought back. Both Israel and Christ are called “my son” and both are brought out of Egypt, showing a pattern: God’s chosen one is delivered from bondage to serve Him.

Matthew’s wording is not an exact quotation of Hosea’s Hebrew text, and that’s not a problem. Matthew’s not trying to reproduce Hosea word‑for‑word; he’s showing that the event in Jesus’ life fits the prophetic pattern revealed in Hosea.

God inspired both Hosea and Matthew; Matthew had the Scriptures , he had the book of Hosea, and he freely referenced Hosea’s meaning. We often do the same when we summarise a verse’s teaching without quoting it exactly. The point is that God’s Son—Israel in type, Christ in fullness—is loved, called out of Egypt, and central to God’s plan to judge, then restore, His people.

Hosea reminds Israel that their story began with God’s love. “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” This refers first to the nation. God brought them out of Egypt, called them His firstborn son in Exodus 4:22, and gave them His law: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.”

The commandments were given to Israel because God had redeemed them.

Israel was often refreed to by God as one man—Jacob, the nation—God’s son, God’s servant.

Israel is God’s son by covenant; Jesus is God’s Son by nature, the only begotten as John 3:16 descibes. Both are chosen, both are anointed, both descend from Abraham, and both will return in glory.

The prophets often link Israel and its Messiah. Isaiah 49 calls the Servant “Israel,” yet clearly speaks of Christ. Jesus is the true Israel in the sense that He embodies what Israel was meant to be.

Hosea 11 begins the section where God reveals His heart toward His people. After chapters of accusation and judgment, God speaks as a grieving Father. Israel has departed from Him, but He remembers the early days—the wilderness, the deliverance, the love He showed them. Hosea is often called the book of the Lord’s passion because here God expresses sorrow over His lost son.

Hosea 11:2 shows the problem:

As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.

God called Israel out of Egypt not only physically but spiritually—to leave idolatry and serve Him alone. Yet from the beginning they turned away. While Moses was on the mountain, they made a golden calf. Now, in Hosea’s day, they repeat the same sins.

The prophets call them back, but Israel moves farther away. They sacrifice to Baalim and burn incense to graven images, breaking the first two commandments: no other gods, no carved images.

God’s love is unreturned. He calls; they flee. He delivers; they worship idols. He sends prophets; they reject them.

Hosea shows God as a Father watching His son walk away, not merely leaving the house but abandoning His ways, His truth, and His covenant.

Israel’s departure is not ignorance—it is rebellion.

They’ve forgotten the God who loved them as a child and brought them out of bondage.

Hosea 11 marks the turning point: judgment is deserved, but God’s love remains. He’ll discipline them; He has to, yet He’ll also restore them. The chapter opens with the memory of Egypt to show that the same God who once redeemed Israel will redeem them again. The Father who called His son out of Egypt will call him home once more.

God pictures Himself as a Father who loved Israel from the beginning.

Hosea 11:3 says, God speaking,

I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.

God’s describing Israel as a small child learning to walk. He held them up, steadied them, protected them, and healed them. Yet the child never understood who was helping him.

This is Israel in the wilderness: God healed their diseases in Exodus 15:26, sweetened bitter water, fed them with manna, and protected them from enemies. But each time He blessed them, they complained or turned to sin.

The Old Testament shows God’s long‑suffering love again and again.

In Hosea 11:4, God says,

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

God led Israel gently, not as a harsh master.

His law was meant for their good, like a parent giving rules to protect a child. Exodus 19:4 says He bore them “on eagles’ wings.”

Deuteronomy 1:31 says He carried them “as a man doth bear his son.” Deuteronomy 32 describes Him guarding Israel as “the apple of his eye,” like an eagle caring for its young.

Isaiah 63 recalls His lovingkindness, mercy, and pity as He redeemed and carried them. God, through Hosea, reminds Israel of this history: God removed their yoke, fed them, protected them, and treated them with tenderness.

But Israel has forgotten.

They now serve idols, trust in themselves, and give God only lip service. The same people God carried through the wilderness now reject Him in prosperity. Hosea shows the contrast: God’s faithful love versus Israel’s unfaithfulness.

In Hosea 11:5, God then says,

He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.

Israel longed for Egypt in the wilderness, wanting to go back to bondage.

Now, in Hosea’s day, they again refuse to return to God.

So God says they won’t go back to Egypt, but they’ll fall under Assyria. Assyria is called “the rod of mine anger” in Isaiah 10:5.

If Israel rejects the loving Father who freed them, they’ll serve a cruel king instead. Egypt enslaved them; Assyria will destroy them. God’s saying, “If you refuse My care, you’ll face the ruler you’ve chosen.”

Hosea 11:6 says,

And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.

Israel refused to return to God.

Prophets called, and God Himself called, but they chose their own way. Their downfall is not fate—it’s the fruit of their decisions.

Hosea 11:7 says,

And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they [the prophets] called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

Backsliding means moving away from God after being set on the right path.

Israel was called out of Egypt and placed on the road to the kingdom God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

When God said “return,” they went the opposite direction. Backsliding’s not simply sin; it’s refusing God’s call to come back. It’s a relapse into old ways, walking after the imagination of their own heart instead of God’s revealed will.

This term, backsliding, belongs to Israel under the covenant.

They had a destination—the promised land, the kingdom—and they had to walk the straight path God laid out.

When they turned aside, God called them back. When they refused, they were “backsliding.”

The church, the Body of Christ today, however, is placed in Christ by grace. We don’t walk into our position; God puts us there. We may sin, fail, or wander, but we can’t “backslide” out of Christ.

Israel could lose their kingdom; we can’t lose our standing in Him. We did nothing ourselves to get us into that position in the first place!

Hosea 11:2 already pictured this: “They called them, so they went from them.” That’s backsliding—moving away when God calls them to draw near to Him.

Jeremiah gives the clearest definition.

Jeremiah 3:6–7 says Israel went to every high place to worship idols. God said, “Turn unto me,” but she did not return. Jeremiah 3:17 says backsliding is Israel walking after the imagination of their own evil heart.

Under Israel’s covenant, backsliding meant failing to reach the promised destination.

Jesus warned Israel in Matthew 7:14 that the way to life is narrow—if they turn aside, they’ll not find it.

Jeremiah 3:21 says they “perverted their way” and “forgot the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:22 shows God’s heart: “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” Hosea 14 will echo this promise.

Jeremiah 8:5–6 describes perpetual backsliding: they hold fast deceit, refuse to return, never asking, “What have I done?” and they rush ahead on their own course. They do not consider God’s will.

This is Israel’s condition in Hosea’s day—they’re not merely sinning; they’re rejecting God’s call to repent.

There’s a parallel here for today: many believers pursue their own plans and call them God’s will, without knowing Scripture. God’s will for the church is clear—thankfulness, holiness, evangelism, truth, and making all men see the fellowship of the mystery.

But people often want a private message for their personal situation rather than the revealed will of God.

Jude 5 reminds Israel that God saved the people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not continue with Him. They were redeemed from Egypt, yet never entered the land because they turned back. This is why preachers sometimes use these passages to teach loss of salvation.

It’s true for Israel under the covenant, but it is not true for the church. Believers today are placed into Christ by grace, not by walking a path. We can’t “backslide” out of Christ, even though we can certainly sin and wander away from God’s word.

Revelation 2:16 shows the seriousness of Israel’s position:

Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

If Israel refuses to return, they lose the kingdom and every covenant promise. This is very different from the body of Christ, which is not under a covenant of land, kingdom, or national restoration.

God still calls Israel “my people.”

Hosea 11:8 shows God’s own inner struggle:

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

These were cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah.

God’s asking, “How can I treat you like those places? How can I hand you over to destruction?”

Hosea 11:9 continues to display God’s struggle,

 I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

Hosea 11:8–9 reaches the emotional centre of the book.

God recalls the destruction of Admah and Zeboiim, two cities wiped out alongside Sodom and Gomorrah, and we see that in Genesis 14:2 and Genesis 19:17–25.

The whole valley was once lush, like “the garden of the Lord”, as Genesis 13:10 says, yet four of its five cities were completely destroyed.

Only Zoar survived because Lot pleaded for it. When God says, “How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboiim?” He’s saying, “How can I treat you like those cities that vanished forever?”

Israel deserves that level of judgment, but God can’t do it because He made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This is the heart‑cry of God spoken through Hosea: God’s justice demands judgment, but His covenant love restrains Him. “Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.”

God’s not repenting of sin—He has none. He’s changing His course of action because His love and His promises compel Him.

Repentance in Scripture means a change of mind or heart, often with deep feeling. If repentance meant “stop sinning,” God could never repent. Instead, He’s turning from total destruction to future restoration.

Israel’s heart’s hard, but God’s heart is always toward restoration and His desire to bless.

They refuse to return; He refuses to abandon them. Their backsliding is stubborn, but His faithfulness is stronger. This contrast is the point: Israel’s heart doesn’t move, but God’s heart does.

This tension appears throughout Scripture.

Hosea 11 shows God wrestling with His own attributes: His holiness demands judgment, His love demands mercy, and His faithfulness demands future restoration. He remembers Israel as His son, remembers carrying them, feeding them, healing them, teaching them to walk.

Now He sees their rebellion, yet he still calls them “my people.” Judgment must come, but annihilation can’t. He can’t make them like Admah and Zeboiim.

Hosea 11 echoes the tenderness of verses 1–4:

God loved Israel as a child, taught them to walk, carried them, fed them, and healed them. Now He says, “My people are bent to backsliding,” but they’re still His. This reveals His grief and compassion. He remembers the love He had for them in the wilderness.

Repentance for humans is also inward—a change of mind and heart.

It’s not stopping sin to earn salvation. Salvation today is by trusting Christ’s finished work. We must know we’re a sinner and believe Christ died for our sins; that change of mind is repentance. After salvation, believers still repent as their understanding grows and their mind is changed and conformed to Christ.

In Hosea, God’s repentance is His inward turning from total destruction toward mercy.

Israel’s repentance would be their turning back to Him. God’s heart burns with grief because they’ll not return, yet He won’t cast them off forever. Judgment will come, but restoration’ll follow, because He’s faithful to His promises and His love for His son, Israel, endures.

But Israel refused to return, choosing their own counsels, idols, and the imagination of their own hearts. Their backsliding means they’re going the wrong way when God calls them to come back.

Because they won’t return, the Assyrian will be their king. God will judge, but not with total destruction.

Scripture shows God repenting in this sense: Genesis 6:6 before the flood; Exodus 32 when Moses intercedes; 1 Samuel 15 when Saul is rejected. God never repents of His promises, as we see in Numbers 23:19, which says,

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Romans 11:29 echoes this,

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

He may change His dealings with people, giving mercy or withholding it, but He never lies or breaks covenant.

Hosea 11:10 goes on to say,

They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

Israel will “walk after the Lord” instead of backsliding. He’ll “roar like a lion,” a picture of Christ’s second coming from Joel 3:16 which says,

The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Revelation 5:5 also depicts this,

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

His roar brings justice for the nations but hope and strength for Israel. The trembling of the children is not terror but awe at the Holy One who finally comes to save them, like Habakkuk’s trembling with joy in Habakkuk 3:16–19.

Hosea 11:11 promises,

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.

Verse 11 promises God will gather His people from Egypt, Assyria, and every direction, placing them back in their own houses in the land. This is earthly restoration, not heaven.

Isaiah 11:11 says the Lord will recover Israel “the second time,” bringing home the remnant. Even if men lose track of the tribes, God has not. He knows where His people are, and He will call them back.

Hosea 11:12 says,

Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Verse 12 describes the present condition: Ephraim surrounds God with lies and deceit, yet Judah still “rules with God”. This is most likely referring to Hezekiah’s faithfulness.

Judah still had a few good kings in the southern kingdom, but there were none in the northern kingdom. Some of the northern kings made an outward profession of following God, but they were using lies and deceit. Though Judah was in a better place than Israel, God still made the promises with full knowledge of their present state, and even Judah would soon fall, as Jeremiah later shows.

Hosea 11 reveals God’s heart: despite Israel’s sin and backsliding, He’ll not abandon His covenant. He’ll judge, but He’ll also save, restore, and dwell among them as their Holy One.

God bless you all until we open up Hosea 12 in the next episode.