Hosea 5:11-6:7

Hosea 5 11-15

v.11 This final section of chapter five will be a rebuke to Israel for forming an alliance with Assyria (see v. 13). 2 Kings 15:19-20 describes the oppression that Assyria brought against Israel. Menahem, king of Israel, paid off the government of Assyria to keep them from conquering Israel. Thus, Ephraim willingly obeyed the commandment of the wicked Assyrian king. In this they showed that they feared man more than they feared God. Their actions proved that they had lost faith in God. As a result, they would experience judgment. It is sad that we too often forsake the strength of the Lord when the enemy comes against us. We should remember that if God is for us no one can be against us.

v.12 Once again we see that Judah and Israel would experience judgment. Obviously, Judah would not heed the warning Hosea gave them (4:15). God’s judgment is described in vivid terms. He would be as a moth to Israel. Moths were known for their ability to destroy. Most of their damage is done when in the larvae stage. They can destroy a person’s clothing as well as infest food items. They were known as more than a pest. They were known as destroyers. God would be a destroyer to Israel (4:5). He would bring judgment upon them and take what was most precious to them away.

God would be as rottenness to Judah. The word used for “rottenness” means “to cause decay”. The picture is of a wound that has begun to decay. It could be implied that it is a dead body rotting and full of maggots. This would not be hard to imagine as we understand the warfare of Hosea’s day. The dead bodies of the Jewish people would be lying on the ground and rotting after the invading armies had their way. The moth and the rotting both suggest that the Jewish people will be eaten up by a coming enemy. This enemy should be seen as a part of God’s judgment on each of the nations.

v.13 The sickness and wound of Ephraim and Judah should be understood as waning political power. As the nations began to grow weak, they became an open target for the enemy. Both nations subjected themselves to pagan nations to strengthen themselves: Israel and Syria (2 Kings 16:5-6), Judah and Assyria (2 Kings 16:7-9), Israel and Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-3), Israel and Egypt (2 Kings 17:4-5).

The pagan nations did not heal the sickness of Judah and Israel. The two became sick because they forsook the Lord. The only remedy would be repentance and faith. It seems to be the habit of man to find restoration in the world. We do well to remember that the world cannot give us what we need. We need the strength of the Lord to enable us to endure the trials of life.

v.14 God had described Himself earlier as a moth and rottenness (12). Now He describes Himself as a Lion. He would be a fierce Lion to both nations. He will tear them apart in judgment and carry them off as a lion does its prey. No one would rescue them because no one would approach a hungry lion! This is the fiercest of judgments we have seen in this chapter. The moth and rottenness imply a slow death. The lion is a picture of sudden and certain death. When judgment came it would come quickly. It would be irreversible. The nations should take this to heart and prepare themselves now. The lion could be hiding in the bushes and ready to pounce at any moment.

v.15 This verse continues the metaphor of the lion. He would return to His place after the attack. It pictures a lion returning to its den after it has killed and devoured its prey. God would bring armies against the two nations to take them into captivity. Then He would wait for them to return to Him. Notice what He waits for:

*They acknowledge their guilt. The people would have to admit their sin to God. The time in captivity would be a time to think about their actions. Away from the pagan celebrations and enjoyment of sin they would have time to be sober and serious about their actions. As they recognized their sin they would confess it to God.

* They would seek His face. Instead of the false Gods they would seek the face of God. This implies intensity in relationship. It would no longer be mere religion. They would seek God Himself rather than rituals.

* They would seek Him early. “Early” implies that the people would earnestly seek God. They would seek Him because they knew they needed Him. He would become their priority in life.

The “affliction” of God would accomplish its goal. The captivity of the nations would bring them to their senses and they would return to God. It is sad that it often takes God’s hand of discipline to bring us to our senses. It is wonderful, however, that the same hand that wounds us also heals us.

Thoughts to Consider

1. If you make a deal with the world don’t expect them to keep their side of the bargain.

2. Sin will slowly eat us away until we are weak and pitiful.

3. The world cannot solve our problems.

4. God has a way of getting His way.

Hosea 6 1- 6 7

v.1-3 This chapter opens with the words of Israel. At first glance one might think that Israel has finally gotten the message.

*Israel makes an appeal to return to the Lord.

*Israel recognizes God’s hand of discipline. “torn and struck down”

The problem is that there is no mention of sin or repentance. True, they make the decision to return to the Lord. That decision was spoken of in 5:6. The problem was that they were not sincere and therefore God did not honor them with His presence. God’s response to Israel’s actions proves that Israel was not sincere (4-18).

Israel assumed that God would forgive them and just start blessing them again.

* He will heal us, He will bind us up.

* He will revive us, He will raise us up, we shall live.

* He is faithful. (as the sun rises in the morning, as the seasonal rains come).

Israel was right in much of their understanding of God. He is a healer and a reviver. He is faithful as well. He will reward those who seek to know Him. Israel erred in thinking that God would heal them without requiring sincere repentance and faith. Israel believed that God would not allow their oppression to last very long. After a couple of days, they were sure that He would deliver them. God had already told them how long the affliction would last. He would heal them when they (5:15):

* Recognized their sin.

* Sought Him in a personal relationship.

* Mad Him their priority.

v.4 God addresses this question to both Israel and Judah. The question reveals the frustration of God. “What am I going to do with you?” He sees right through their insincerity. They are quick to make a decision for the Lord without counting the cost. Israel, like Gomer, made vows to love and be faithful to her husband. In the end both showed that their feelings were anything but loving or faithful. Israel’s love was like a cloud that soon disappeared or dew that quickly evaporated. Her words were empty. We should remember that God is not just looking for us to tell Him and others that we are going to get right. He expects us to show our love through sincere repentance and faith.

v.5 This verse describes the ministry of the prophets. God, through His grace, supplied the people with prophets who preached the word of God. Many priests had abandoned the truth (4:6). There were still faithful men of God that preached God’s word to Israel.

Metaphors are used to show the effect the preached word had upon the people.

* They were hewed in pieces. (Heb. 4:12)

* They were slain by the word. (Rom. 7:9-11)

* They were confronted with the truth (judgments as light goeth forth”).

The reason that God sent the prophets with such a stirring message was the sin of the people. Their determination to continue in sin dictated the type of messages God sent through the prophets. We would do well to realize that God sends messages that relate to our level of maturity. We should not blame the server bringing the meal when our lives are ordering what he brings (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

v.6 In this verse God reveals what truly please Him. It is not the rituals of sacrifice and burnt offerings. These things were not bad in themselves. In fact, God had commanded the people to sacrifice to Him. The problem with Israel was that they observed the ritualistic aspects of worship without a personal relationship with God. The Lord mentions the two most important things He is looking for:

* He is looking for steadfast love. God wants us to love Him above everything else. All the rituals that we observe in our religion must be rooted in a deep love for God. If they are not, they are useless.

* He is looking for knowledge. God wants His people to know Him. Israel knew a lot about God. They simply did not know God. God wants us to have a real relationship that is not based on rituals, but on knowledge of Him.

v.7 “Adam” is the Hebrew word for man. It is important to understand this because this verse uses the term in two different ways. It is used to describe people as well as a place (“there”). Adam is known as the one who caused us all to have the sentence of death placed upon us (Rom. 5:19) and as a city (Joshua 3:16). The city was probably known to have a shrine used for idol worship.

Adam broke covenant with God. Israel is like the man Adam in that sense. In the city of Adam, the people dealt faithlessly. Israel was like the people who went to the city of Adam and were unfaithful to God.

Thoughts to Consider

1. It takes more than good intentions to get right with God.

2. More than our prayers, our actions reveal our hearts.

3. Hard preaching is the result of hardened hearts.

Hosea 6 8- 7 3

v.8 In this verse another city is mentioned. “Gilead” was:

* a city of evildoers- This phrase describes those who plan and commit sin. Gilead, as well as other cities in Israel, was full of people who planned on sinning and always kept their plans. There was no intent on living godly. The intent was to live rebellious lives.

* tracked with blood- This refers to the loss of life. The people no longer feared the Lord and therefore did not have any respect for human life. This could be through unjust judges or through murder or false witness.

v.9 In this verse we have another wordplay that refers to a geographical location. If you have a KJV “Consent” in Hebrew is “Shechem”. Shechem was a city in Palestine. It was here that Simeon and Levi killed the people of that city in a brutal way (Genesis 34). Simeon and Levi found out that the prince of the country raped their sister, Dinah; they concocted a plan of revenge. They offered the women of Israel for marriage to the pagans if they would become circumcised. After the men were circumcised, they ambushed them in their weakness and killed them.

Levi was the father of the Levites, the priests of Israel. The priests of Hosea’s day were supposed to bring life to the people. Instead, they resembled troops of robbers. The priests were described in two ways.

* First, they were deceptive. They were like a gang of men who hide and wait on innocent victims. They would suddenly jump out of the bushes and overtake you. The priests were deceptive in the sense that one would not think the priests would hurt them. Their calling in life suggested life and healing, not death. The priests of Hosea’s day, however, did not care about the welfare of the people. Through the preaching of false doctrine, they were deceiving people. The deception would result in their spiritual death.

* Second, they committed shameful sins. “Villainy” suggests sin that is shameful. The priests were supposed to be an example of godliness. They were anything but that. They engaged in shameful activities of sin. They had become a stumbling block to the people.

In Genesis 34 Simeon and Levi did two things to the men of Shechem. They deceived them and they killed them. This was what the priests of Hosea’s day were doing to the people of Israel.

v.10 God reminds us that Israel’s sin has not been hidden from Him. He has seen her deeds. This verse echoes what the Lord said about Israel in 5:3. The entire house of Israel has become defiled. She has prostituted herself to the pagan people of the land. She has bowed at the altars of their false gods.

Notice God says that what Israel has done is “a horrible thing”. This comes from a word that means to shiver in fear. It describes the motion of one’s skin when deeply afraid. In a sense, Israel made God’s skin crawl. They were disgusting to Him. Often people commit sins to become more attractive to someone. In God’s eyes, however, sin makes us hideous.

v.11 This chapter ends with a warning to the Southern kingdom. Judah would fall as well. “Harvest” refers to a day of judgment. Because Judah would follow in her sister nation’s sin, she would also face the judgment of God. It is sad that we do not learn from the failures of others. We should remember that if God judges one for a sin, He will no doubt judge another for that same sin. The latter half of this verse goes with verse one of chapter seven. We will deal with it there.

v.1 Verse 11b of chapter 6 begins this section. God wanted to bring His people back to Himself. He wanted to heal His people. To do that their sin would have to be revealed. If we want to be healed, we first must admit that we are sick. In our admittance we agree to confront what is causing our illness. In this case it is Israel’s sin. As they come face to face with it, they will then seek healing from the Great Physician.

The second half of this verse describes their sin in three different ways.

* They commit falsehood. The people have become liars. They deceived one another. People lie for many different reasons. Lies are told for personal gain, to cover up sin, to accomplish goals, to gain favor, etc. The society had become a group of liars.

* The thief breaks in. The people stole from one another. Homes were being burglarized. There was no respect for people and their property.

* The bandits raid outside. These were gangs of people that attacked and robbed people on the street. Such people are described in Proverbs 1:11-19.

Israel had become a dangerous place to live. You were not safe in your home or on the street. Crime and deceit were rampant. This is true of America as well. Our culture has decayed to such a point that our citizens must be constantly aware of their surroundings. Our prisons are crowded, and crime continues to occur.

v.2 In all of their sin Israel had completely forgotten God. They did not even consider the fact that God was aware of their doings. Their sin had surrounded them. When God looked at Israel all He could see was a sinful nation.

v.3 The king and princes should be understood as the political rulers of the day. This verse does not suggest the people had any real allegiance to them. They simply pleased them in order to get what they wanted. They practiced wickedness and lied to the political rulers to gain his favor. We see much of that in our society. “Friendships” are based on deals and convenience. When one person or group ceases to get what they want they result to blackmail or other pressure tactics. Israel revealed their lack of allegiance to their kings in Hosea’s day by the assassination of many of them. In Israel the people would party with the king or without Him. Whatever was the most convenient at the time determined which they would do.

Thoughts to Consider

1. The most deceptive people are also the most convincing.

2. Not all criminals carry a gun, some carry a Bible.

3. If we could see ourselves covered in our sin we would shake with disgust.

4. Delighting in our sin will cause us to forget that God is watching.