Hosea 4: Strange Love

​Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. 4 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. 5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall 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 reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. 9 And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
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10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. 12 My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. 13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.
 
15 Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, “As the Lord lives.” 16 Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the Lord now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? 17 Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. 18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. 19 A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
 
Meditation
God’s love restores what is broken. Hearts rejecting God’s love will be ruined. Hearts trusting in God’s love will be honest with their sin, repent, and walk towards restoration.
 
After Hosea shared the message of God’s covenant love with his life (Hosea 1), The Lord spoke His case against Israel through Hosea’s lips: there was no faithfulness, steadfast love, or knowledge of God in the land (1). God’s people were full of unfaithfulness, injustice, hatred, and knowledge of the idol of Baal. The Lord loved Israel but they had rejected the Lord (6). 
 
Love speaks truth. Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom where Jeroboam had erected golden calves to worship in Bethel and Dan to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship in the temple (1 Kings 12:25-33). This is idolatry and syncretism, a trajectory of tragedy “leading to ruin” (14). The Lord’s love for His bride compels Him to address the real heart issues. 
 
The particular focus of God’s furry against Israel’s sin is on the leaders, namely prophets (5), priests (6), and men (14). The people are going astray because they are following wandering leaders.
 
God is the Great shepherd of His sheep, the true leader and lover of His people. God is faithful when we are faithless. God reveals steadfast love when we reject Him. God remembers the knowledge of the covenant when we forget Him. From His great love for us, God identifies our rebellion, invites us to repent, return to Him, and find restoration in His love.

Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the focused truth Hosea communicates to Israel?
 
-Where do we identify with Israel’s idolatry and syncretism, their unfaithfulness and rejection of God’s steadfast love?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus, God showing His love to us in Christ’s death for us while we were still sinners, compel your heart to return to your first love- The Lord? Where (specifically) do you need to embrace this invitation?
 
Key Verse
14b “…and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.”