Feeding on the Wind - Hosea 12:1

In the book of Hosea, Hosea shared how Jehovah God said, “Ephraim compasses me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet rules with God, and is faithful with the saints”, and in chapter twelve and verse one of Hosea, Hosea shared how Jehovah God said, “Ephraim feeds on the wind” where we read,

Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind: he daily increases lies and desolation;

and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.

The verse begins, “Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind: he daily increases lies and desolation;”Hosea began with the word, “Ephraim” whose name means “double ash-heap or I shall be doubly fruitful and was the name sometimes used for the northern kingdom” “feeds on the wind” which means “pastures and grazes upon the breeze, spirit or breath of air”, “and follows after the east wind” or “and pursues, runs after and chases the breeze, spirit or breath of air coming from an eastern direction”: “he daily increases lies” which means “he, Ephraim, continually and day by day makes numerous, multiplies and enlarges deceptions, falsehoods and deceit” “and desolation” or “and havoc, violence, destruction, devastation and ruin”. Hosea said “Ephraim” grazes upon the breeze and pursues the breath of air whose origin is from an eastern direction. 

The verse goes on to say, “and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.” Hosea continued with the words, “and they do make a covenant” or “and they, the people of Ephraim, enact an alliance, league or bargain” “with the Assyrians” which means “alongside the Assyrians whose name means a step and refers to the land or county of the people of Assyria”, “and oil is carried” or “and fatted medicament or unguent is brought and lead” “into Egypt” whose name means “land of the Copts and a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows”. Hosea shared how the people of “Ephraim” also make a league with the people of “Assyria” while bringing medicament and unguent into the land of “Egypt”.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Hosea how the people of “Ephraim” pursued the breeze or vanity of falsehoods and deceptions, and rather than aligning with Jehovah God, they made a league with the “Assyrians” and took “medicaments and unguents” to “Egypt”. God provided Himself and the possessions that were carried away by “Ephraim”, but they chose to follow other leaders and rulers instead of Him. Much is the same today. God makes Himself available to every person through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a desire to make a league with Him alone and use whatever He has provided to us to give Him worship and promote His Kingdom and not any other. 

Next time Hosea says, “the LORD has also a controversy with Judah”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".