Hosea, Luke and the Lion of Judah

I was reading Hosea the other day and came across this interesting passage:

Hosea 5:14 - 6:2

For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

I was struck by how rich this passage was with the theme of Israel's exile and return. YHWH carries off and no one shall rescue. YHWH leaves his people to return to his dwelling. But YHWH leaves only to await for his people to acknowledgement their guilt seek His face.

Nor had I made the connection before to this passage:

Luke 9:20 - 22

Then he said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Peter answered, The Christ of God. And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Having this passage from Hosea in the background of Jesus's ministry and passion makes even more spectacular the corporate and covenental implications of what God was doing in and through his Messiah.

(On a side note, I was also intrigued at this Biblical image of the Lion of Judah.I don't think that's what most people have in mind. Put that in a precious moments series.)