Hosea 5:4
Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not the Lord.
Hosea is preaching to a nation fully committed to spiritual adultery. Note that Hosea speaks of their choice of worshipping a thing (an idol) as being the very thing that restricts them from worshipping the Living God. The decision of Israel’s leaders to kneel at the altar of idols results in the inability to worship God, and the Lord warns Israel of her rebellion and that they are in the midst of judgement.
A nation once in relation with the Living God is now in rebellion, and out of that rebellion, judgement will fall on the people. Hosea speaks of this judgement as a creeping, slowly consuming judgement, such as a moth eating a robe, or a rottenness spreading through a nation. This slow creeping judgement may be seen as a mercy of the Lord in the midst of judgement, providing opportunity for the nation to return. Yet their commitment to idolatry has trapped in their spirit of whoredom, committed to gods they know not.
Hosea 5:12 But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.
Hosea speaks of the nation as not knowing the Lord due to this commitment to idols This duality of the nation’s “allegiance” is a smokescreen to the very ones thinking they can worship the Lord and idols simultaneously.
Hosea 5:6 With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them.
Hosea is blunt. Take sacrifices to the Lord, even as you think of the idol worship you also take part in. This commitment to spiritual adultery results in an empty Temple, for the Lord has withdrawn.
He is not to be found. He is gone!
The nation is without her Savior, for she has dealt faithlessly with the Lord. Now to make things worse, Israel approaches her enemy Assyria, even as she sees her desperate condition, and turns to a foreign nation.
Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.
There is no hope to be found for Israel in a foreign nation. There is no hope available as they seek assistance from anyone other than the Lord, and He has left their company. A terrible situation to be in, abandoned and alone!
But to be abandoned is not the end. The Lord Himself reveals just a few verses later that He has not simply abandoned the nation, but He will act as a lion, a beast that will tear the nation apart, carrying the victims away.
No one shall rescue God’s people from God.
Hosea 5:14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.
Israel has went from being a people of God to being God’s enemy. The life they chose has caused this tragic state of affairs. The very idol worship the nation takes part in, that Israel learned from the nations surrounding them, from the very leaders of Israel who were to direct them to God, restricts them from returning to the Lord. Actions have consequences and this decision on the part of Israel, specifically her leaders, has brought about the departure of the Lord. His stance toward the nation has not simply went from a loving kindness and care to abandonment, but to actively taking part in the very destruction of the nation.
Hosea 5:15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.
He will leave the nation, returning to His place, His throne in heaven, until the very affliction heading their way brings them to their knees.
Why is it that we cannot simply humble ourselves before Him without the trials and suffering? I understand trials are not always a form of getting our attention, as I see Hosea describing the situation here. But it is so sad to hear of this unnecessary pain due to stubbornness of heart! The state of affairs for the nation is dire, and the Lord has been patient with a people who have rejected Him for centuries.
Centuries?
Yes, Solomon was the last king of the unified nation, and upon his death (aprox 975 BC) Israel followed after the idol. The northern kingdom’s first king, kiing Rehoboam made it convenient, and the nation loved the convenience!
All during the two centuries between Rehoboam and the capture of the northern kingdom, the Lord reached out to them with prophets, seeking their repentance from idolatry. Thankfully, there was a remnant that escaped from the Assyrian capture, heading to the southern kingdom during Hezekiah’s reign. (refer to Conditional Security – 2 Chronicles 30:9 for some additional information)
Although the northern kingdom disappeared, fully disciplined by the Lord, there were a faithful remnant that escaped the doom of the Assyrian destruction and captivity. They sought the light of the Lord, even though they were torn down and their land was stripped from their possession .
Hosea prophesied in chapter 6 of those who would turn to the Lord Jesus when he arrived, but chapter 6 may also speak of those who saw the Assyrians heading their way, realized the threat on their doorstep and fled to the south, returning to the Lord.
Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
Hosea 6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
Hosea 6:3 Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
The Lord is patient and full of loving kindness and mercy, even for those who have rebelled to the very brink of destruction.
Let us not continue to ignore the call of God on our lives until it is near too late. He is calling us to return, even to press on to know Him.
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