Diamond in the Rough (Hosea 5-8)

A Diamond in the Rough
Hosea 7:8-13

INTRODUCTION:
We’re studying a minor prophet, Hosea, who had children named by God as an object lesson, a message, to the children of Israel. Each year I focus on one of the dozen minor prophets just to help us understand these books, to encourage all of us to read these books, and to see why their message is still relevant for us today. Hosea and the other “minor” prophets are called “minor” because they are smaller, shorter, than the “major” prophets; that’s the only reason they are called that.

Israel had one job throughout the OT: to stay faithful to God. That’s all. It was so important for Israel to stay faithful to God because they needed to accept Jesus Christ when He came into the world and become His followers, become Christians, and then continue sharing the message about Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. That’s why it was so important for Israel to stay faithful to God. One job. But they couldn’t do it.

Israel could not do it because they - like us - had a tendency to put their trust in someone else besides God and His written word in the Law of Moses. Let me ask you this… How do you know you are right with God? How do you know that God is pleased with how you are living? Different people across the country would answer that differently.

Some might say, “I know I’m right with God because I try to do what the pastor preaches I should do.”

Others would say, “I know I’m right with God because I try to do what the priest tells me to do.”

Yet others would say, “I know I’m right with God because things are going so well for me. I’ve got good health. My income is steady. I’ve been blessed beyond my expectations. That’s how I know that God is pleased with me.”

But none of those are accurate! We are going to see with Hosea that there is only one way to know if we are right with God, if God is pleased with us, and that’s if we are obedient to His commands. It is just that simple. And that’s our one job! Stay faithful to Jesus Christ and obey His commandments. Let’s not mess that up!

I need to make one more point before we get into Hosea 5-9: Because of Israel’s idolatry, God is going to bring the nation of Assyria into Israel and carry off many of her citizens, her leaders, into exile. That is the threat of punishment that we see in the book of Hosea…

THE "SPIRIT OF HARLOTRY” - HOSEA 5:
Israel is accused of harlotry in verse 3. This would be unfaithfulness to God but because many pagan religions included sexual activity as a part of it, this could also be physical adultery. In verse 4, Hosea says that Israel’s deeds will not allow them to return to God. Repentance is always a possibility but one can sink so low into depravity that one’s conscience is seared (1 Tim 4:2) and they find it impossible to repent (Heb 6:6). Perhaps you have spoken with someone who is so immersed in their ideas about what Christianity is or who Jesus is that they really can’t bring themselves to look directly at the Scriptures to see what the Bible actually says.

It is so dangerous to put our confidence in man.

Pride (vs 5) was the underlying issue. Leaders think they have the wisdom and/or intelligence to set aside God’s commands and reinterpret the word of God as they deem best. When you don’t follow God, you will stumble, walking in darkness. In verse 6, God says they will seek the Lord but they will not find Him. Why not? Because they want to live in sin but give “lip-service” to Jehovah God. They want to look like they are worshipping God externally but inwardly, they are serving the false gods.

The “Illegitimate children” (vs 7) refers both to their physical adultery and their spiritual adultery: “They were the children of apostasy/adultery, and they were the children of foreign gods” (Garrett).

“Moving the boundary” (vs 10) refers to God’s prohibition about such (Deut 19:14; 27:17). This verse might refer to that practice or it could simply refer to the leadership behaving in such a deceitful and contemptible way.

Verse 11 - Israel was “determined to follow man’s command.” But God wants Israel to repent (vs 15).

It is simply dangerous to trust what man says when it leads us away from the commandments of Christ (Matt. 15:8-9).

LOYALTY VERSUS SACRIFICE - HOSEA 6:
Hosea Calls to Repentance - 6:1-3: “Return” is a play on the word since it can refer to the exile but more directly to the idea of repentance. Observe that Hosea includes himself in this call: “Let us…”
We wonder if this text was the one Paul had in mind in 1 Cor. 15:4. Ezekiel developed the idea of a resurrection in his vision of the valley of dry bones in 37.

These are the characteristics of true repentance:
1. A turning away from human systems of security;
2. A demonstration of devotion to the Lord with the same intensity;

Jehovah God feels Sorrow - 6:4-6: God is frustrated at Israel and Judah’s shallow religion. In verse 4, the word translated “loyalty” is the Hebrew word chesed which is often translated “lovingkindness” or “steadfast love.” Here, God is referring to Israel’s so-called “steadfast love” and God says it lasts about as long as the morning dew! Israel would shift her loyalty faster than you could turn around. It is so easy for us to do as well. After being in worship on Sunday, we turn around and sin on Monday. Or, just as soon as we finish praying, we say something or do something sinful. Hopefully, the difference is that Israel willfully chose to be disloyal. Is our choice to sin a momentary act that does not really define who we are, or, is that who we are really?

Verse 5 pictures God’s word / mouth, in the mouth of the prophets, as a two-edged sword: Jer. 1:9-10; 5:14; 23:29; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16.

The heart must be in the worship and obedience (vs 6) as well as the outward actions. Jesus quotes this verse in Matt. 9:13; 12:7.

METAPHORS OF REBELLION - HOSEA 7:
They simply did not consider (vs 2) in their hearts that God would remember “all their wickedness.” But, they were evident to the face of God.

If God does not rule your heart, He does not rule your actions.

“Oven” occurs three times (7:3-7) and “to consume” is used twice. Verse 3 pictures deceit among the kings’ advisors. But, they are like an oven that is not functioning properly or it could refer to an oven that is so hot that the baker does not need to heat it any further. These ovens were domes, about 3’ high.

Verse 5 - Princes were drunk; one reason why they could not advise as they should.
Verse 6 - There is wickedness in these men’s hearts that smolders at night and then heats up in the daytime, when they have the opportunity to do evil.
Verse 7 - The advisors “consume” the rulers and the kings have fallen. None call on God - there is godlessness in the land.

International treaties and relations with Egypt, Syria, and Assyria are behind the imagery in this paragraph (7:8-16). What good is a cake that has not been cooked throughly and properly?

As we have said before, pride is the fundamental problem (vs 10) that keeps Israel from returning to the Lord. Hoshea, the last king of Israel when Assyria took over, attempted to make a treaty with Egypt and then withheld tribute from Assyria (2 Kings 17:4). That did not end well.

A “silly” dove (vs 11) is a dove with no sense. Literally, the dove has no heart. Speaking lies “against God” (vs 13) likely refers to claiming divine authority for their teachings / work which was not true. They did not have “book, chapter, or verse” for their teachings and behavior.

Here are some lies people still tell “against God:”
God is too loving to condemn anyone.
God is cruel and forgiving and does not deserve our love and loyalty.
God created the universe but now, He does not concern Himself with what is going on.
God is what you see all around you. God and nature are the same thing.
God is a helpful idea when you are depressed or sick but we should not take the stories in the Bible seriously.
God is the invention of ancient man.
God exists in many different forms. There are lots of ways to get to heaven.
God does not care about your religion. He only cares that you treat each other respectfully.

We will not take the time to examine each one of these but we could and we could show that each of these ideas are lies against God and they are still spoken today.

Rather than seeking their support from God (vs 14), Israel sought “grain and new wine” from her “lovers.” “Wailing” on the beds might have been a part of the ritualism of Baal worship, as in 1 Kings 18. The LXX (Greek) has “gash themselves” which suggests ritual cutting that was practiced among Baal worshipers. Notice here that Israel did not cry to God “from their heart.” God wants our hearts first and foremost. The obedience will be there if the heart is there.

Israel will return to Egypt (vs 16), just as Moses had predicted (Deut. 28:68). This, of course, is a perfect reversal of the exodus from Egypt - all because of sin.

SOWING AND REAPING - HOSEA 8
The “covenant” was a matter of God’s grace that called Israel to be His possession, His special people. The “law” was a direct result of that covenant, to keep Israel in a right relationship with God.

They claim to know God (vs 2) - they were “Israel” after all but we have already seen that God said they did not know God (5:4). Cf. Matt. 7:21-23

God rejects their efforts at being religious; it is not according to His covenant / law (vs 5). Jeroboam I set up the calf in Bethel around 931 B. C. The nation fell in 722 B. C. God let the calf sit there for over 200 years!

God will break their calf to pieces just as He did at Mount Sinai in Exodus 32 (vs 6). Of course, if you can destroy a “god,” then it is not a “god” after all. Like in El Dorado, one of the men bleeds which allows the antagonist to see that he is not a “god.”

Verse 7 is a proverb and its point is reiterated several times in Scripture. Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, exact a higher price than you want to pay. Sin is no joke. There is also a play on words that is not evident in English. Israel has sown the wind (ruah) and it will reap a whirlwind (supha).

Assyria is one of Israel’s lovers (vs 9). Sending ambassador’s to Assyria would have been well known and a constant occurrence at this time. But, it was all a mistake because it illustrated a lack of faith / trust in Jehovah God.

Israel had a syncretistic mentality (vs 11); they offer sacrifices to all the gods, cover all your bases. Except, all they were doing was multiplying their offense before God. Their altars backfired on them.

How could Israel think God’s laws are strange (vs 12)? The laws are treated in the exact opposite way they should have been.

God does not accept worship if the worshiper is involved (vs 13), in sin. God does not forget, ignore, overlook, their sin and iniquity. They will return to Egypt. Their sacrifices have the exact opposite effect. “For modern readers the lesson is that we need to beware of how easy it is to substitute culture and prevalent opinions for true Christianity. It is possible to regard true examples of Christian spirituality as alien” (Garrett).

It does not matter what kind of building projects Israel has done (vs 14), God will destroy them all. Do you remember that Solomon’s palace took 14 years to complete? This verse pictures a new “Sodom and Gomorrah” moment. Assyria would invade Judah in 701 B. C. and take over 46 cities before they would be repelled by God’s angel.

A WITHDRAWN LOVE - HOSEA 9:
Israel thought what they were doing was going to bring prosperity and fertility. But, they will be mistaken. They will expect fertility but God will bring barrenness and that will be indicative of military defeat and exile. Additionally, Israel will not be able to offer sacrifices to God; they ignored their prophets.

Israel loved the earnings from the threshing floor (vs 2; is that where they “played the harlot” or is it a reference to their expectations of bountiful crops?). But, they will not feed from their labors. God will cause a bad harvest to strike them.

Either they will not have to offer / sacrifice to God (vs 4) or their sacrifices will not be accepted. Their festivals were performed just for the sake of it so when they end up in exile, they’ll ask themselves what all those festivals were for (vs 5)!

Verse 7 sounds like the taunts of the prophets but they have been driven crazy by the sins of their people. Cf. 2 Cor. 2:15-16.

Grapes and figs (vs 10), early in the season, would be such an excitement. We might not appreciate this idea if we do not live on “seasonal fruit.” But Israel was a disappointment since they devoted themselves to shame. Baal-Peor was the location of the Baal shrine, on the plains of Moab, 12 miles (20 km) NE of the Dead Sea. In fact, Israel had started their apostasy at Baal-Peor (Num. 25) and there were drastic measures taken at that time (25:6-9). Twenty-four thousand were killed at that time.

The fertility cult of Baal worship (vs 11) was intended to increase women’s fertility yet that same cult accepted child sacrifice! God is leaving (vs 12)!

Gilgal (vs 15) seemed to epitomize all the wickedness of the house of Israel. Notice God says, “I came to hate them there! …I will love them no more.”

Baal worship was going to backfire on them (vs 16). There is a pun on the name “Ephraim” and “fruit.” In fact, you might remember that Joseph named his son “Ephraim” because God had made him “fruitful” in the land of his affliction (Gen. 41:52). But, because Ephraim has given itself to idolatry, God will take away her “fruit.”

Israel loses its status as God’s precious possession (vs 17; cf. Deut. 26:5). Interestingly, the verb “cast out” is used in the account of Cain’s murder of Abel, who also became a “wanderer” (Gen. 4:14, 12).

Take home message: Let us learn from Israel’s mistakes. Trust God; follow Him. Give our highest allegiance to the commands of Christ.