“Corruption Brings Judgment”

Series: “God Speaks”

Hosea 5: 1-15

Introduction: (What?)

Although in chapter 4 we saw many charges that God brought against the Priests (those who should be teaching the Law) and against Israel (God’s Priestly Nation) God was not finished. In Chapter 5 He continued with charges and then moved to action. Often, we think that because discipline does not happen immediately that we have gotten off the hook. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Examination: (Why?)

1. More charges against Israel and Ephraim (vv 1-7)

Hosea 5:1-7 “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. V 2. Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter; I will be a punishment for all of them. V 3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now, Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled. V 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. V 5. Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. Both Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their iniquity; even Judah will stumble with them. V 6. They go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord but do not find him; he has withdrawn from them. V 7. They betrayed the Lord; indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their fields.”

God, through Hosea, pronounced additional charges against the corrupt leaders of the Northern Kingdom. We know that these charges are directed toward the leaders because the admonition to “Hear!” is given to the “royal house of Israel”. The reason for the judgment is because Israel has been a snare at Mizpah. Mizpah (meaning “watch tower”) was a city of the tribe of Benjamin in Gilead (which was a center of idol worship). It was east of the Jordan River and SW of the Sea of Galilee. Originally it was an altar that Jacob and Laban built to mark a truce between them. Sometimes today people repeat the words of Laban when parting from friends or as a benediction at the end of a service. “May the LORD keep watch between me and thee while we are absent from one another.” Given the context this is not applicable to the parting of friends or church members. It was one cheat talking to God about another cheat. The altar, or pile of rocks, indicated a boundary that neither Jacob nor Laban would pass in the future. Evidently the house of Israel had also been devious at this same location, thus bringing about the judgment of God. Also Israel had “spread out a net” on Mt. Tabor, another of the “high places” of idol worship.

Again in this passage Hosea mentions Ephraim in v 3. which sometimes is used as a name for Israel, was Joseph’s second son and the name of a tribe of Israel. It was the largest tribe in the Northern Kingdom. Although Ephraim (the tribe) and Israel(the kingdom) tried to hide their sins from God, v 3 warns that they cannot do it. God knew about their promiscuity and adultery. In v 4 they had gone so far into sin that they could not repent. Their extreme pride in their idolatry created an insurmountable wall between them and God. Also they (Israel and Ephraim) are bad influences on Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and causes them to stumble spiritually. Something must be done!

2. Action! (vv 8-11)

Hosea 5:8-11 “Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, Benjamin! Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless.” Quickly Hosea moves from pronouncing the judgment of God to Israel, Ephraim and Judah to describing God’s actions against them. The enemy was at their borders and God called upon the watchmen to sound the alarm in Gibeah, Ramah, Beth-aven (house of wickedness) and Benjamin (the entire southern kingdom). If the watchmen do not sound the alarm and the enemy overwhelms the area, the blood of those who are killed will be on the hands of the lazy, incompetent watchmen. The result of the attack was the desolation of Ephraim.

God then turns His fury on Judah and says that they are like those who move property lines (boundaries) in the night. The boundaries He was speaking of are the spiritual boundaries. Today the spiritual boundaries are almost obliterated. People call themselves Christians, but never darken the door of a church or crack open the Bible, and only pray when they are in trouble. The end result is that the witness of true followers of Christ is made more difficult. God does not take this “moving of boundaries” lightly. His response to Ephraim and Israel should be a wake up call to people today.

3. Judgment! (vv 12-15)

Hosea 5:12-15 (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 announced that He will be destructive to Ephraim and Judah just as rot and decay are destructive to wood or other materials. However, just as some of us do today, Ephraim sought help from other directions rather than turning to God in repentance. They, just like us, make God a last resort rather than a first response. When we do that, God will go to great extremes to get our attention. If we continue to ignore Him, His pronounced judgment will fall on us.

Ephraim sought help from the king of Assyria. When they did, God ramped up His judgment against them. (vv 14-15) His purpose is to cause them to “recognize their guilt and seek My face”. That is the same thing that God told Solomon in 2 Chron 7:13-14 “If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” We usually do not look at the context when we quote 2 Chron 7:14. God is the one who causes or allows disaster to come upon His people in order to get them to repent and return to Him.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

What Has God done to try to get your attention? (story of Manley Beasley)

Do you understand what it means to seek God’s face? Seeking someone’s face is to seek their presence. In James 4:8 we are admonished to “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” You can draw near to God as you read His Word. You can draw near to God as you sing His praises. You can draw near to God as you meditate on a verse or passage of scripture. In each case this is “seeking His face (presence). In order to draw near though you must “Cleanse your hands” (confess your sins) and “purify your hearts” (control what enters your ears, eyes and mind)

Are you willing to turn from your wicked ways and seek God’s face right now?