Israel: The Faulty Bow

“Tell all the truth, but tell it slant— / Success in Circuit lies . . . / The Truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind.” This famous poem by Emily Dickinson reminds us of the power of subtle, indirect, poetic language. When we tell the truth “slant,” it often has the capacity for greater power than if we made a full-frontal assault with our words.

The Minor Prophets certainly don’t mince words. We saw this at the beginning of Hosea, which opens with the shocking accusation that Israel has committed sins of “whoredom” against the Lord. But we also see the prophets’ fondness for figurative language. With poetic force, Hosea highlights the sins of Israel by using similes and metaphors: Israel is like a hot oven (v. 6); she is a flat loaf that a baker has forgotten to turn (v. 8); she is an aging head of hair, gray strands appearing without much notice (v. 9); she is a senseless dove (v. 11); she is a faulty bow (v. 16). All these images powerfully convey something about the nature of Israel’s sin: that it has reached a point of crisis; that it is scarcely been noticed by God’s people; that it has inspired foolish decisions; that it has taken her far from the Lord.

Historically, these accusations all bear up. The religious syncretism that characterized Israel’s worship did not alarm God’s people, and despite prophetic warnings, they continued in their idolatrous practices. And though they flew to Assyria and Egypt in times of national crisis, neither nation could be relied on for salvation. In fact, Assyria eventually marched into Samaria and took captive the people of Israel in 722 B.C.

God calls His people to return to Him, but they—like all of humanity, as Paul tells us in Romans—are a faulty bow.

Pray with Us

Today and tomorrow, we have the privilege to pray for the faculty in the Pastoral Studies department who train future shepherds of God’s people. We ask that the Lord would guide and encourage Winfred Neely, John Koessler, and Pamela MacRae.

BY Jennifer Michel

Jen Pollock Michel is a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics blog. Her first book, Teach us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith, is published by InterVarsity Press. Jen earned her BA in French from Wheaton College and her MA in Literature from Northwestern University. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and five children, and serves on staff at Grace Toronto Church.