Hosea 12:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Law of Moses ordained that in the seventh month, on the fifteenth day, the Feast of Tabernacles should be observed. The purpose of this celebration is explained by the legislator in the Book of Leviticus: "In the seventh month, you shall celebrate it; in booths you shall dwell seven days; all native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 23:41-43). Consequently, they established a celebration to commemorate the exodus from Egypt. He then questions, “How could you forget Me, who liberated you from Egypt, now being in the booths and using this as an occasion for celebration?” For "I will yet cause you to dwell in the booths as on the day of the feast." The phrase ‘I will dwell’ refers to establishing a presence in the booths during the days of this festival. Thus, forgetting is utterly inexcusable.

You have sinned greatly, celebrating in your transgressions, counting your iniquities as wealth, declaring, "I have become prosperous, I have created an idol for myself; in all my endeavors, my sins are invisible." But I, the Lord your God, who liberated you from slavery under Pharaoh and helped you build with clay and straw, now offer you a chance for repentance, urging you through great promises to return to Me, granting you an opportunity to dwell as in the days of the feast. This refers to the Feast of Tabernacles, which begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. Just as in that time, I freed you from Egypt and you lived in tabernacles while rushing towards the Promised Land and the future temple, so now I will rescue you from suffering, trials, and impending captivity, provided you adhere to My commandments. For I am He who has through the prophets and various visions conformed Himself to humanity, beckoning you towards repentance. Does not Moses, by lifting his hands heavenward in prayer for Jesus to triumph over Amalek, symbolize the mystery of the cross? Do the prophets not liken God to Job, who spent three days and nights in the depths, prefiguring the Lord's resurrection on the third day from the grave? Across the pages of the prophets, we see an abundance of visions. Ezekiel witnesses the Lord upon the cherubim like a charioteer. Isaiah proclaims, "I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the seraphim were around Him, calling to one another, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts'" (Isaiah 6:1-3). Habakkuk stood watch to perceive the beauty in the Saviour's hands, which concealed His might (Habakkuk 2:1; 3:4). Thus, the Psalmist declares, "I will hear what the Lord God speaks to me" (Psalm 84:4). Remember that all prophecy is referred to as vision in the Holy Scriptures, and that all people witnessed the voice of the Lord (Exodus 20:18). For this reason, the prophets were formerly known as seers. Those misled by heretics are encouraged to turn to the Lord, who desires repentance more than the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18), for He has led them out of Egypt, symbolizing liberation from the darkness and errors of the pagans. To prevent them from being too late in their conversion, He declares, "I will dwell among you in the wilderness, as in the days of the feast," signifying that the results of baptism should mirror those of repentance, allowing them to reside in the Saviour's wilderness, namely, the churches. It is proclaimed, "They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God" (Psalm 91:14). However, to deter heretics and leaders of falsehood from claiming they are inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is stated: "I have spoken to the prophets, not to your false teachers; I have enriched visions and have been revealed by My prophets set within the Church."