“Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From Me is thy fruit found.” (Hosea 14:8)
In this chapter, Hosea is pleading with Israel to return to the Lord. Then he begins to prophesy about Ephraim. Ephraim was Joseph’s second son, born in Egypt. Jacob chose Ephraim over his older brother, Manasseh to be part of the twelve tribes of Israel. In this prophecy we see that Ephraim will leave its idolatrous way and return to the Lord.
Ephraim’s turn to the Lord is a picture of the repentant sinner who believes on Jesus and makes Him Lord. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1Peter 1:13-16) And again Peter writes in chapter 4: “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” (1Peter 4:3-5)
Ephraim declares he has heard Him and seen Him. As a result of the misery that idolatry and sin bring, Ephraim cried out to the Lord and the Lord had mercy on him according to Jeremiah who prophesied about Ephraim. “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:18-20)
The Lord then says, “I am like a green fir tree. From Me is thy fruit found.” The Lord refers to Himself as a green fir tree, in other words, strong, straight, unbendable, green and flourishing in any storm or adversity. It’s from the Lord that we receive what we need in spirit, soul or body. (Galatians 5:22,23) “And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16) It’s only from the Lord that we receive what we need to be whole in body, soul and spirit. And it only when we’re connected to the Lord that we can receive. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:1-7)
From the beginning of time, the Lord has been the Provider of everything we need. He is Jehovah Jireh. When we connect with Him, He provides what we need. Apart from the Lord we can do nothing, and we have nothing. Some think that because they have connected with the Lord once, that is enough for eternity. But we must remain in Him. John 15:4 reads, “Abide in me, and I in you...” The word abide means remain, to stay and to be present with Him. When we abandon the Lord to do what we want, we are not abiding in Him. We are not staying with Him nor are we present with Him.
The Lord wants us to turn to Him as Ephraim turned to Him. He wants us to leave the idols we have set up in our minds, in our dreams, hopes and our daily lives, anything we have set up against the Lord and anything we have placed before our Lord. The Lord is the provider of everything that will make everything right in our lives. He is the strong fir tree Who gives us the fruit we need in our lives. And from Him we can receive whatever we need.
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