Hosea 8

Background

I’m sure you guys know the background...

Let me refresh and get new people caught up quickly

Two kingdoms after king Solomon - Israel north, Judah South

Eventually, both would be conquered and the people exiled

Israel first by who? Assyrians...

Judah later by who? Babylonians...

Israel was in big trouble by the time Hosea comes

Biggest issue is idolatry - what god were they primarily worshipping? Ba’al...

He’s been a problem from the very beginning...

Hosea was a prophet at the end of Israel’s sin before God enacted punishment

That’s when Assyria came in and took Israel into captivity

They never formerly returned and so the ten tribes (Judah and Benjamin in south) were essentially lost

Hosea focuses on this process, a call to repentance before the bad stuff happens

As we go, it’s important to think of two representations of God’s relationship in Hosea:

God as a faithful husband

You probably all remember the story of Hosea and Gomer

His wife was unfaithful and slept with a lot of men

God had Hosea go and payer her debts and restore her

That is an image of God’s love for Israel as a nation AND His love for us

Remember, Christians are heirs of Abraham so we are connected to these OT stories

When you think of God’s husbandly example, think of the type of pain you feel when your partner has an affair

That is how God felt towards Israel

Pain and hurt because of His love

Yet, just like Hosea illustrated, God still pays for our debts in sin, even though we (and Israel) have hurt Him

2. God as a loving father

When you get to chapter 11, we see a picture of God the Father and His son Israel

God taught him, loved him, led him, etc.

But Israel grows up and rebels against his Dad

This is where Israel is during the time of Hosea - in rebellion

We see God experiencing three emotions here

Anger at His son’s sin

Sadness and heartbreak for His son

Finally, His wonderful compassion

Each of those brings something to the table

Anger brings punishment - AKA exile

Heartbreak brings desperate pleading - Hosea’s poems (along with Isaiah, Amos, Elijah, etc.)

Compassion would ultimately bring Jesus and the future reestablished kingdom of Israel

I think it’s good to keep that in mind

It’s tempting to focus on - Oh Israel, you’re terrible...

But don’t forget to see who God is in this story

And it’s also helpful to realize that we are just like Israel too

So, let’s jump into chapter 8...

Hosea 8:1–3 (NASB95)

1 Put the trumpet to your lips!

Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the Lord,

Because they have transgressed My covenant

And rebelled against My law.

2 They cry out to Me,

“My God, we of Israel know You!”

3 Israel has rejected the good;

The enemy will pursue him.

We start with a trumpet -why?

Trumpets were used to assemble God’s people together and bring troops into battle

It was an attention getter - God’s saying, “Everybody listen up!”

He’s saying something everyone needs to hear - what’s he say?

Ya done messed up - You’ve transgressed My covenant, you rebelled against the Law

I gave you ten rules... you broke them all

I made deals with Abraham, Moses, David… you threw them away

I gave you a list of things to do, and people in charge of remembering… you still forgot

Now, someone’s coming for you - an enemy is coming like an eagle

Who is that enemy? Assyria...

God is responsible for this, but so is Israel

Israel kept attacking Judah - God’s chosen people fighting each other

Shouldn’t the people of God be unified?

Anyway, the north attacks, gets really close to taking Jerusalem, and then Judah asks for help

From who?

2 Kings 16:7–9 (NASB95)

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.”

8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

9 So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death.

Because Israel was attacking Judah, they paid Assyria to attack Israel, and Assyria wiped them out

Had Israel and Judah stayed one nation, this problem wouldn’t have existed

So there sins were a punishment from God, but their own actions literally made the fall happen

So God is announcing His wrath - how do they respond?

V. 2 “My God, we of Israel know You!”

No you don’t...

We’ll see that here:

Hosea 8:4–6 (NASB95)

4 They have set up kings, but not by Me;

They have appointed princes, but I did not know it.

With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves,

That they might be cut off.

5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying,

“My anger burns against them!”

How long will they be incapable of innocence?

6 For from Israel is even this!

A craftsman made it, so it is not God;

Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.

When the kingdoms first spilt, Rehoboam took over from his dad Solomon

Solomon raised taxes to build the Temple

The Temple was done, so the north wanted a tax cut

Rehoboam decided to threaten them instead

1 Kings 12:11 (NASB95)

11 ‘Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”

The north wasn’t too happy, they rebelled and made their own king - Jereboam

From the first king, it took about 97 years to tear the kingdom apart

And you thought our government was bad...

The first thing Jereboam does, is make a couple of Temples in Dan and Bethel

Then, he makes the northern version of Jerusalem in a city called Samaria

This was because the Temple and Jerusalem were now in the southern kingdom of Judah

And, he decides to change his sponsorship from God the Most High, to some golden calfs!

That’s why God is saying, “You know Me?!”

I didn’t make you king...

I didn’t make you a nation...

I am not a golden calf!

At some points these idols are removed, and replaced, and removed, and replaced...

At this point, God has had enough

That’s why Assyria is coming...

Hosea 8:7–10 (ESV)

7 For they sow the wind,

and they shall reap the whirlwind.

The standing grain has no heads;

it shall yield no flour;

if it were to yield,

strangers would devour it.

8 Israel is swallowed up;

already they are among the nations

as a useless vessel.

9 For they have gone up to Assyria,

a wild donkey wandering alone;

Ephraim has hired lovers.

10 Though they hire allies among the nations,

I will soon gather them up.

And the king and princes shall soon writhe

because of the tribute.

Notice the wind and whirlwind references

This is a picture of sin and punishment

In one sense, you might say, “Dang, my sin is wind but my punishment is the whirlwind?”

Seems a little unfair! The punishment is bigger than the crime

Sort of, but not really

Whirlwinds AKA tornados average time for existence is 5-10 minutes

But winds are constantly blowing, shaping the earth and creating destruction over time

Often with sin, it lingers and affects our lives constantly, so we don’t notice it

And then the punishment is obvious, but usually they happen quickly

And just like sin, it can have permanent consequences

For Israel, the northern kingdom will simply never exist again

However, Israel as a whole will be “gathered again” as God mentions

Judah will be exiled too, but they will return and eventually come under Rome

But then will be dispersed, and then reborn again in 1948

And ultimately, all of Israel will be united under Christ someday

So there is mercy in God’s judgement here

For now, Israel has decided to do it’s own thing and wander alone like a donkey - apart from God

What Israel has done with Assyria up to this point is pay tribute

Show map

King Pul of Assyria attacked in 740BC

18 (722 BC) years later, Shalmaneser V went after Samaria (the capital)

They pay them tribute to hold them off - but then they stop

About 3 years later, Samaria fell to Assyria

Another 18 years later (701 BC), they go after Judah but are stopped by God

Hosea 8:11–13 (ESV)

11 Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,

they have become to him altars for sinning.

12 Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands,

they would be regarded as a strange thing.

13 As for my sacrificial offerings,

they sacrifice meat and eat it,

but the Lord does not accept them.

Now he will remember their iniquity

and punish their sins;

they shall return to Egypt.

Israel built altars for sin

The altar is bad, but what’s worse is that now creates more sin because of opportunity

Often in life, our sin gets worse when we build opportunity

A young guy and gal start shacking up - it creates opportunity for sin

Even if you want to stop that sin, it’s hard because, “what about the bills, moving her stuff, too much together...”

I know a guitarist who did the whole “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” lifestyle

He found Jesus and sold his stuff

Man, why not worship?

Nope, it was an alter to sin and if I keep it I’ll go right back

Temptations are always going to happen, but when our life systems are build around sin, it’s hard to stop

The strange thing to God, is He says, “I’ve written to you, and if I wrote you thousands of times, you still wouldn’t know Me.”

That’s why studies like this are important

Remember, Israel said, “We know You.”

There’s a difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone

In Hebrew, there’s the word da’at - means knowledge

But there’s a verb yadah, means to know in an intimate way

My wife’s name is Tasha

She’s 5’5, born in Texas, is interested in home decor, loves Alaska...

I could write a book on the facts of her life and you could read it

You would gain great knowledge of her

But it’s doesn’t mean you know her like I do

I am an intimate student of her, and I know her… yadah

That’s what Israel is claiming, but God is denying that

So they will return to Egypt

Probably not literally - probably a figurative illustration of slavery/captivity

But the ten tribes are said to be lost, so maybe there’s a literal sense there too

Hosea 8:14 (ESV)

14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker

and built palaces,

and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;

so I will send a fire upon his cities,

and it shall devour her strongholds.

To close the chapter, we see judgment not just on Israel, but Judah too...

Israel committed the outright, clearly visible sin of idolatry...

Judah was a little more subtle, but just as sinful

They put their hope in fortresses and other nations

As well as themselves

And here’s the thing we need to take home

Israel trusted false gods to provide for them

They let taxes come before seeking the Lord

They believed they were holier than they were

They thought they could choose to duplicate everything God did

What about Judah?

They decided to be ruthless in stead of peaceable

They chose to out their hope in their own physical buildings

They chose to seek help instead of desperation...

But it didn’t have to be that way...

Later on, Sennacherib of Assyria will go after Hezekiah of Judah, and look at what happens:

Isaiah 37:33–36 (ESV)

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

36 And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Why would God interfere? What was different?

Isaiah 37:15–20 (NASB95)

15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying,

16 “O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

17 “Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.

18 “Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands,

19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

20 “Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God.”

King Hezekiah saw his need to repent and he called out to the Lord

That has been the story of mankind from the first sin until today

Don’t bother trying to fix it yourself,

But don’t be foolish enough to think you don’t need fixing!

Call out to God

Yes, we have all fallen short, but God is so excited to change everything when you seek Him out

If you learn anything from these Israelites, learn that!

Seek the Lord...