Hosea 4 - 7

A prophet’s first task is to confront a nation with its sin.  In chapter 4 Hosea catalogs Israel’s offenses against God.  “No faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God” (v.1) they “swear…lie…kill..stead..and commit adultery (v2) “the priests are wicked, the people are too” (v.9) “prostitution (v.13) “stubborn…wedded to idolatry” (v. 16-17).  The indictment is severe judgment … will come soon!

Ch. 4 Adulterous Idolatry – Debate

Ch 5 Priestly Apostasy – Displeasure

Ch 6 Return from Iniquity – Demand

Ch 7 Halfhearted Holiness Condemned

The doctor carefully examines his patient but can find no explanation for the young boy’s unusual and persistent abdominal pains.  Suddenly the child blurts out, “I know what the problem is—green apples!”  But how can you know for sure? The doctor inquires.  The boy replied, “I have inside information!” 

Truth is transforming, but only when it is internalized.  God’s Word brings conviction – but only when you expose your life to its convicting truths.  God’s Word is likened to milk (I Peter 2:2) meal (Heb. 5:12,14) and honey (Psa. 19:10) but it is only nourishing when you feed upon it.  An untouched pantry full of food is as useless PHYSICALLY as an unopened Bible is SPIRITUALLY. 

Israel’s spiritual bankruptcy could be traced to her vast treasure of untouched truth.  It wasn’t that the people didn’t know about God, In fact, their very existence as a nation was based on that knowledge.  Rather, they had failed to live by that knowledge—to embrace its implications in their individual and national lives. 

How about you?  Do you have “inside information” based on a living relationship with Jesus Christ?  If you have never done so before, invite your loving Savior to come into your life.  You will discover that to know Him is to love Him.

“Becoming a Christian is not making a new start in life, it is receiving a new life to start with!”

No news is new news!  If we compare our world today with all the news headlines from every paper and from t.v. news, with Hosea 4, we discover that with all the cleverness of modern man, he has yet to invent any new sins!  Hosea’s call to repentance is as timely today as when it was first delivered more than 26 centuries ago!

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”  The prophet Hosea would have said something similar as he surveyed the kingdom of Israel.  From the experience with his wife, he knew first hand that sin not only breaks the heart of God, but also offends the holiness of God.  God wanted to forgive the sins of His people and restore their fellowship with Him, but they were not ready.  They would not repent, but they would not even admit that they had sinned.  The guilt of conviction had to be known before the glory of conversion could take place.

God convened court in the first verse.  “The Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land.” And the charges were read. 

God’s people had promised to do what the LORD had instructed Exo. 19:8   Gomer did not take her marriage vows seriously just as Israel reneged on her promises to God and turned to pagan idols.  The more hardhearted that people become toward God, the more hardhearted they become toward one another. 

The basic sin was ignorance…NO knowledge of God…not speaking of knowledge about God but personal knowledge of God. 

God’s covenant promises are always kept…whether to bless or to judge!  And the people had broken their promise and had broken all the commandments. 

4:4-14 There were many corrupt priests…knew neither the Lord nor His law.  They were primarily interested in having an easy job that would provide them with food, clothing, and pleasure…”Don’t blame the people for what is happening…they are following your bad example!” 

Worldly and ignorant spiritual leaders produce world and ignorant people…ultimately brings destruction to the land.  As goes the spiritual leadership, so goes the church…so goes morality; and as goes morality, so goes the nation.  When salt and light are no longer Being what we are, society becomes corrupt. 

The paths of the priests longing for an easy life would come to an end…their sins would bring judgment to their families and to the land. 

v.15-19 Now, the prophet turns to the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah who were carefully watching events in Israel…the warning is clear…do not meddle in the affairs of Israel because their doom is sure!

5:1-7 You people, priests and public have done it all – you went down and you took MANY with you.  Even if you seek Me now with all your money, you will not find ME because I have withdrawn from you.

v.8-15 Judgment comes…the verdict is guilty!  The inner decay of the nation was like a moth, but the coming of the Assyrians was like the sudden open attack of a lion.  Both were unavoidable and both brought ruin.  Israel and Judah were weak, sick nations, but instead of turning to the Lord for healing, both of them turned to the king of Assyria for help.  Instead of prayer and true repentance, they trusted politics and useless treaties.  All the Lord chose to do was withdraw and wait for them to seek His face in truth and humility. 

6:1 – 7:16 The nation gave false repentance (v. 1-3) What was wrong with their confession?  …their concern was for healing and not for cleansing.  They saw that they were in trouble and wanted the Lord to make things right…but there were no broken hearts and surrendered wills.  They wanted happiness and not holiness, a change of circumstances, but not a change in character. 

They were like a physician putting suntan lotion on a cancerous tumor instead of calling for drastic surgery.  They wanted a ‘quick fix’ and did not want to pay the price for deep cleansing.  They saw forgiveness and restoration as a mechanical thing that was guaranteed and not as a relational matter that involved getting right with God.  (v.3) The Christian life is a relationship with God, and the relationships aren’t based on cut and dried formulas.  They depended on religious words rather than righteous deeds.  When we truly repent, our words will come from broken hearts and they will cost us something.  V.11 Alas, O Judah, there is a harvest of divine judgment, appointed for you.  When I would return My people from their captivity in which THEY ARE SLAVES TO THE MISERY BROUGH ON BY THEIR OWN SINS!!

The people wanted HIM to act on their terms and not according to the condition of His holy covenant.  They thought they could get away with their many sins, but God saw them all and remembered them. 

Many vivid similes and metaphors are given to describe the people and their present condition as individuals and a nation.  V. 8 a half baked cake…the Lord wants us to be thorough and not halfbaked.  His gracious work must permeate our whole being so that heart, mind and strength are all devoted to Him.  Compromise with the world leads to unbalanced conduct and immature character. 

The final image is a faulty bow v. 13-16.  God had called Israel and trained them and trained them so they should have been able to “hit the target.”  But because they had strayed from the Lord, rebelled against Him, lied to Him, and refused to call upon Him, so they could not win the battle. 

Review these images and take note of the characteristics/weaknesses of each and make a personal inventory of your own devotion to the Lord.  How lasting is it?  How deep is it?  How strong is it?  How serious is it?  How dependable is it?