A Hatred of Sin

Introduction

The book of Hosea changes from here on out

the imagery of the marriage of Hosea and Gomer to Israel and God is done.

Everyone’s favorite part

Now we move the judgment that God is going to bring upon Israel for their sin

The only part of sin that we like to discuss is the forgiveness of it

We do not want to speak specifically about it to others

but are ok with generalities that lump us in with everyone else

We try to set up rules for ourselves so that we do not sin anymore, or at least sin in the same way

this is called religion by the way

a set of rules, actions, behaviors meant to connect us to God

I notice that it is always about us

how we can find forgiveness, how we can stop doing

but we never look at sin from God’s perspective

Hosea 4–5 CSB

1 Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! 2 Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. 3 For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear. 4 But let no one dispute; let no one argue, for my case is against you priests. 5 You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons. 7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me. I will change their honor into disgrace. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they have an appetite for their iniquity. 9 The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. 11 Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding. 12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. 13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed. 15 Israel, if you act promiscuously, don’t let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives! 16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. Can the Lord now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow? 17 Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone! 18 When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel’s leaders fervently love disgrace. 19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. 1 Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, royal house! For the judgment applies to you because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor. 2 Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter; I will be a punishment for all of them. 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled. 4 Their actions do not allow them to return to their God, for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, and they do not know the Lord. 5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. Both Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their iniquity; even Judah will stumble with them. 6 They go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord but do not find him; he has withdrawn from them. 7 They betrayed the Lord; indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their fields. 8 Blow the trumpet in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin! 9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. 10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless. 12 So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. 14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them. 15 I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.

God hates sin. We must learn to see sin as an assault on a Holy God. only then will we hate it as well.

PRAY!

Sin is Indefensible

One of the things that drives me crazy about politicians

nothing is never their fault

as soon as something happens it is always the other sides fault

then they go to the media, social media etc.. and tell you why its the other teams fault so that you can get all fired up about it and join in on their blame game

I would love one time for somebody to come out and say, “Wow! Were we ever wrong about that one.”

good thing the other side was there to help us see the and understand this correctly

We can laugh about it when we look at others

so often we are the same way with our sin

there is somebody else to blame

there is a reason that we can acknowledge that what we did was wrong, but excuse away the why

Hosea 4:1–6 CSB

1 Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! 2 Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. 3 For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear. 4 But let no one dispute; let no one argue, for my case is against you priests. 5 You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother.

Mother = Israel

Israel has been called the wife, daughter and now mother in Hosea

Hosea 4:1–6 CSB

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons.

Hosea 5:3 CSB

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled.

We attempt to Justify

the ends justify the means

meaning, I know that this is wrong, but the outcome was good

really it means the outcome is what I wanted and I had to sin to get it

I was afraid that God would not do it…

does this sound familiar, hit anyone

this is why Abram had Ishmael as a son

why would we ever think God would honor that?

no one got hurt

again, it looks at ourselves and not at what it does to God

It does not matter who all are guilty

leaders will be punished how they lead

the words and actions of leaders move people to the cross or away from it

the priests could have led the people to redemption, instead lead them into more sin and idolatry

people will be punished for not following the Lord

we must not simply say amen to voices, we must learn the Bible for ourselves, know him and follow

Sin is about gratifying our flesh and saying no to God

Hosea 4:10–13 CSB

10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. 11 Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding. 12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. 13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

leaders prospered when the nation sinned and sacrificed

explain the process of the people bringing sacrifices to the priests, the priests eating portions of the meat of the animals

it would be like me serving as Pastor on commission, the more I bring in the more I get paid that year

followers did what was easy and comfortable

they worshipped and trusted in idols because of the ease of getting to them

Jeroboam stopped Israel from going back to the temple in Jerusalem

but worshipped where is was easy and pleasent

Sin is Punished

Have you ever watched kids test their boundaries

tell them no, and they push it to see if you really mean, no

or even as adults we way the possible punishment to see if it is worth the chance of getting caught

I wonder if we would do this if sin was punished immediately

or at least known, a mark a voice

this person just had an evil thought about you

this person is lusting after that person

Hosea 4:14–5:3 CSB

14 I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed. 15 Israel, if you act promiscuously, don’t let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives! 16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. Can the Lord now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow? 17 Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone! 18 When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel’s leaders fervently love disgrace. 19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. 1 Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, royal house! For the judgment applies to you because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor. 2 Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter; I will be a punishment for all of them. 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled.

Every sin is punished

if not, God is not just

walk through if God allowed some sin to go and others to be punished

or sin by some people to be punished but for others it was overlooked, as if he had favorites

as if he told the people of Israel that the people they would drive out of the promise land were evil, but then when the Israelites begin to do those same things it was suddenly okay

for those who do not submit to God by faith, they will stand in judgment for every action

for those in Christ, every sin that we have committed and will commit was placed on him

this is why every sin we commit should break our hearts

the lie I told, that punishment was on him

that wrong thought, that punishment was on him

he is not excusing prostitution v14

but the men are not excused from judgment as if the women are the ones who was guilty of prostitution

the men could not make the excuse that it was a part of worship, but that the women were guilty of prostitution

because this is what we do…

look at their sin…

I am not admitting to my guilt, but I know that they’re guilty

explain what cult prostitution was

it was believed that Baal, a fertility god, would bless you, your crops and other things by participating in sexual activities

so there would be people, women and children that would be in these places of worship for men to come and worship by gratifying their fleshly desires

we must understand how much God hates sin

it is not simply overlooked, but each sin deserves the full wrath of God

Sin is Warned

Paul says in the NT that he did not know what sin was until the law revealed it to him

this is what the law does for us, it warns us and reveals the sin in our hearts and lives

but more than this, God warns us about what will come because of our sin

he warns us of the coming punishment

Hosea 5:8–10 CSB

8 Blow the trumpet in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin! 9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. 10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water.

If God does not warn is he still just?

yes! he could simply punish us at our first sin

Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira, lying to the Holy Spirit, they dropped dead

is this unjust, should have God told them not to do it again

if this is the case, then aren’t we guilty for telling people what sin is

it would be better for us to not warn them

In his mercy and love for his people he warns

His desire is that none would perish

I believe that if Israel would have repented God would have welcomed them back

but Israel is is stubborn and obstinate

His desire today is still that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance

he is warning that there is a consequence for your sin and that coming on a day and time that you do not know that sin will be judged

Three times God warns them that punishment is coming

Hosea 4:19 CSB

19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.

Hosea 5:12 CSB

12 So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah.

Hosea 5:14 CSB

14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them.

God has warned us that if we do not repent and trust in Christ for the forgiveness our sin we will face eternal punishment

Sin is Removable

I love that in all of this about judgment, that God reminds them of the grace and mercy has to offer

Hosea 5:15 CSB

15 I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress.

A major contrast between v13 and v15

Hosea 5:13 “13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.”

Here Israel and Judah realize their sickness, their weakness and instead of going to the Lord, they run to the kings of this world

hoping that Assyria would protect them

notice the end of Hosea 5:14 “14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them.”

We look for all kinds of ways to make up, take care of our sin…

v15 The lord departs until…

when the people turn and repent, He is there to welcome them back

James 4:8 CSB

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God is Holy! He hates sin and it will be punished. He has warned us and is waiting with open arms for you to repent and turn to him.

Memory Verse

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Discussion Questions

What specific case does the Lord have against the inhabitants of the land?

How does the lack of knowledge among the people impact their relationship with God?

In what ways are the priests held accountable for the moral failings of the people?

What are the consequences of Israel's promiscuity?

How does God express His displeasure with Israel's sacrifices and worship practices?

Why does God reject Israel’s leaders and what does that signify for the people?

Explain the nature of repentance and God's readiness to forgive?

In what ways are both the people and priests described as failing to uphold God's commands?

What is the significance of the metaphor of the lion used in the sermon in relation to God's judgment?

What role does understanding God’s holiness play in how we view sin?