Called out of Egypt: Hosea 11:1-4

As we continue moving forward looking at prophecies Jesus fulfilled from the Old Testament, we come to a prophecy that seems a little out of place. This prophecy, while appearing to be fulfilled clearly in Jesus’ life in a very real way, seems to not fit very nicely in the passage it is placed in within the Old Testament.

While I will be quick to acknowledge that the original language may read more smoothly than the English translation, when reading the English translation of this prophecy, the verse which contains the prophecy is written differently than the verses that follow it.

However, while there may be some awkwardness in the way this prophecy and passage are written, the way this prophecy is written into this passage points to some very fascinating ways of understanding Jesus’ ministry, as well as God’s people in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

With that said, let’s read this passage, with its included prophecy, and discover some things we can learn from it. Our passage and prophecy are found in the book of Hosea, chapter 11, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 1, Hosea writes:

¹ When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
² The more they called them,
The more they went from them;
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
And burning incense to idols.
³ Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
⁴ I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,
And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and fed them.

Let’s stop reading here. While reading verse 1, it is fascinating seeing how Hosea frames and contrasts Israel and Egypt. In this single verse, we have two statements that seem to stand independent of one another, and each statement doesn’t align with the other, while also not opposing the other.

The first statement says, “When Israel was a youth I loved him”. While Israel is written in a singular form in this verse, this name contains a bunch of different ways we can understand it. At the most literal level, God is speaking of Jacob, who was later renamed Israel, while he was young. Moving to slightly more symbolically, we could also understand God to be speaking of the nation of Israel, and while the nation was young, God loved them.

Before sharing a third way of understanding this statement, some people might be quick to draw a conclusion that if God says He loved the nation of Israel early on in their existence, then that means He stopped loving them at a later point. While I won’t claim to speak for God regarding this point, nothing in the verses we read prompt me to think God’s love for the nation of Israel ever stopped. Instead, God’s love may have expanded into a third way of understanding this statement.

The third way we can understand this statement is seeing Israel as a spiritually connected body of people who are united in bringing glory to God. While the verses surrounding our prophecy draw our attention to how God’s people repeatedly fell away from God, this type of criticism or observation could be made towards every group of people who have ever claimed to be God’s people. While there may be exceptions, on the surface every group of people who God has called seems to struggle with staying allied and aligned with Him. We might fall into this same classification if we say we are allied with God while also not actively doing the things He would want us to be doing.

With that said, let’s move to the second statement, which was the prophecy. Hosea finishes verse one by writing: “And out of Egypt I called My son.”

This statement is classified as a prophecy in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, following Jesus’ birth. In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 2, starting in verse 13, we read:

¹³ Now when they had gone [referring to the wise men who came with gifts to visit Mary, Joseph, and Jesus], behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. ¹⁵ He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

In this short passage that begins Matthew’s transition out of Jesus’ birth, we find a direct reference to Jesus’ time in Egypt being predicted through Hosea’s writings.

From the way Matthew’s gospel frames Jesus’ first years living within this world, we can see an amazing piece of symbolism present. While the literal nation of Israel which had been slaves in Egypt might not have ever believed their time in Egypt, or their exodus, would be prophetic, through Hosea, God draws this connection together.

This type of truth is the same in our lives as well. While some of us begin our journey in a positive place, others among us might begin in what would be considered a very negative place. Some people may feel as though every advantage has been given to them, while others appear to experience non-stop trials. However, regardless of how our stories began, when we were born, which we had no control over, we were given a situation that we must contend with.

While every situation is different, and I can only speak from my own perspective and observation, as we grow up and mature, we will be called into and through a time where we must wrestle out what we believe about the world. One might consider this as forming a worldview or as looking out at the state of the world where we live.

When looking out at the world, whatever it is we are looking to find, we will find. If we want to find examples of love, caring, acceptance, and inclusiveness, there are plenty of examples of this. However, if we set our focus on looking for examples of hate, hostility, violence, and segregation, then we will not have to look far to discover this either.

From a spiritual mindset, we were born into a tyranny, into a world that is filled with sin. Some might metaphorically equate this with the spiritual nation of Egypt. When God calls us to Him, He calls us to come out of the tyranny of the world, and into a life that is closer to Him, into a life that is lived to a higher standard than those around us, and into a life that leaves the past, with its spiritual baggage, behind.

In the history of the nation of Israel, we find this being portrayed as Israel leaves Egypt headed towards the Promised Land. We also discover this in Jesus’ life as He is born into a sin-filled world, with its tyranny, and as we watch Him overcome sin throughout His life and ministry. And we can experience this too when we accept that we were born into a world filled with sin and resolve to invite God into our lives and lead us forward, towards Him, and away from sin.

With God, and faith in Jesus, we will outlast sin, and this happens when we have allied and aligned our lives with God, placing our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, and when we live each day to bring glory to Him.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to live for God today, and each day moving forward. Lean on Jesus for help and guidance, and look forward to the day when He will return to bring us home.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God each and every day of your life. While authors, speakers, pastors, or even podcasters have ideas to share, take what you read, hear, and learn, and test it against the truth in the Bible. The more you prayerfully test ideas against the Bible, the stronger your wisdom will grow while also growing your relationship with God.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!