In this post I will continue the study of Hosea and start the climb into the hill country of Ephraim. If this combination sounds strange, consider that the Lord had Hosea specifically use the name of Ephraim over thirty times in eleven chapters.

Hosea – In verse 1 of Chapter 1 is the timestamp of his ministry; the three kings that I want to call attention to is Uzziah, Jotham, and the king of Israel/Samaria, Jeroboam. Jeroboam II is a grandchild of Jehu, the crazy chariot driver. This places Hosea with Amos, primarily, and Isaiah. He would have seen one Assyrian king conquer the Northern Kingdom and then another one smash Judah but not defeat Jerusalem. The shadow of the Assyrian storm cloud covers the ministry and writings of seven prophets (maybe 8) and Assyria was cruel to anyone who opposed them. Each of these writings share the heart of God as He talks to Jacob’s children and gives us glimpses of what is to come. I will encourage you to read this Assyrian period as a block; start with 2 Kings 14:23 and 2 Chronicles 26 and read all of the “Assyrian books”.

Chapters 1,2, and 3 are Hosea’s personal story and sets the allegory of his marriage to Gomer while giving the tone for the rest of the Book. On one level I know this Book is addressed to Israel the Northern Kingdom, but on level two I can see it is addressed to all of Israel starting with Judges and maybe even in the Exodus. In Hosea’s part of God’s song, he sings “Ephraim” framed by his own turbulent marriage.

Names

Names by this time in biblical-history are not just a person but large groups of people; they are tribes and kingdoms. The city names are more than just a place; many are wordplays with secondary meanings or events tied to them. I feel that some of the people names can represent different groups and are still connected with the namesake.

• Ephraim – He was Joseph’s second son, a tribe, and here he, at times, represents the Northern Kingdom. Ephraim | The amazing name Ephraim: meaning and etymology In other books he is also the Tribe of Joseph, some of those will include Manasseh.
• Jacob – The second-born twin of Issac and Rebecca, his name was changed by God after a wrestling match.
• Israel – This is Jacob’s other name. It was taken by the North as their national name.
• Jacob/Israel – I think when these names are used in the same verse or thought, they represent the natural children of Abraham (Jacob) and the spiritual seed of Abraham (Israel). You are a ‘Jacob’ by birth and an ‘Israel’ by choice; both are important to God. There are verses that this may not apply too, but I have found very few that it would not fit. (This is for your consideration only.)
• Judah – He was the fourth son of Jacob by his first wife, Leah, and was advanced to the role of leadership by Jacob and God. His name represents the Southern Kingdom and is where the name Jew comes from.
• Gilead – He was a man that lived in the time of Joshua and is associated with the east bank tribes. The name has been a city and a region in that area of Israel. In Hosea I have taken this name in the place of Manasseh, but Manasseh had inheritance on both sides of the Jordan.
• Joseph the first-born son of Jacob with Rachel, the second wife, I did not find his name in Hosea. Manasseh, Joseph’s first-born son. That name is not used in Hosea.

No, I did not give meanings for most of those names;) you should look them up, you can use the link for Ephraim, there is a button on the left. The birth order is/can be a touchy subject that you can read many things into. Images, parallels, connections, and “always’ can get in the way of God’s big picture; He loves His people and wants us to follow Him not idols.

Ephraim – His part in God’s song covers the full range of notes, from high to low but always a very prominent part. When I started this study, Isaiah 28:1 was my paradigm for him as a tribe. As I read all of the verses with his name in them and his actions and God’s thoughts; I knew I needed a new paradigm. Now, he is a/the PRODIGAL SON. Hosea is the condensed version of his story, so it is a good place to start. I tend to think very linear; I am glad God is not confined to that. So, I sorted out the mentions of Ephraim using five very loose topics. They helped but they still need to be read in context, because pulling ‘A verse’ out can be misleading. I will list chapter and verse and highlight some, but all thirty-two mentions would be a very lloonngg read. I used the NIV as my reference.

• At First – 11:3 “I taught Ephraim to walk”, start at verse 1 and go to 4, yes, it starts with Israel; 13:1a “When Ephraim spoke, men trembled”.
• The Sin – 13:1b “But he became guilty of Baal worship and died”; 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols; Chapter 5 is a series of warning and judgments with sins, plus some other named participants; 6:10 Ephraim is given to prostitution (You can read Israel in these as everyone other than Ephraim); 8:11 Ephraim built altars that became altars for sinning; 12:8 Ephraim boasts they are rich and wealthy, and that hides their sins; 6:8, 8:5, 10:5, and 12:11 are Gilead and the calf idol. Sure, there are more, hopefully you have the idea. The sin of Ephraim, making idols and picking non-Aaronic priest started in Judges.
• Judgment – 5:9 and 14; 9:8 snares and hostilities wait for Ephraim; 9:11-16 are about Ephraim’s children (it is not pretty); 10:6 the calf idol will be carried off; 10:10-11 nations will put bonds on Ephraim; 12:14 Ephraim has provoked and the guilt of bloodshed remains and his contempt will be repaid.
• Assyria and Egypt – 7:11,9:3, 11:5, 11:12-12:1 mention both; 5:13b Ephraim sent for help from the ‘great king’ this is a term Assyria liked to use. I think it is used here and other places in a mocking of Israel/Ephraim and Judah; 7:8 Ephraim goes to the nations and is compared to a ‘flat cake not turned over’ that means it is stuck and burnt; 8:9-10 Ephraim sold herself and is under the oppression of the great king; 10:6 Assyria carried off nations gods as an insult, some were put on trial and found guilty; 10:14 is a reference to an Assyrian king.  
• Mercy and Godnews – 6:1-3 Let us return to the Lord, He will heal, bind up wounds, revive, restore, plus He will appear as the rising sun and the winter and spring rains; 11:8-9 God says, “How can I give you up.”, 11:11 has His children coming back from Assyria and Egypt; Chapter 14.

Ephraim as a prodigal son/tribe/nation: he starts well, goes downhill, and the Father is waiting for him to comeback. The second-born child of a favored wife, who is put ahead of his brother, has his story told by Hosea in a ‘Reader’s Digest’ version of Ephriam’s story.