God Condemns Israel’s Idolatry
August 11, 2020
Commentary
God brings a charge of disobedience against Israel (v. l). The religious leader had replaced true worship with ritual prostitution. The nation had gone downhill spiritually and morally, breaking God’s laws. The people were quick to condemn Hosea’s wife for her adultery but slow to see their own unfaithfulness. Even murder was being taken casually in Israel (v. 2). Israel’s lawless behavior had brought judgement upon them in the form of increased violence and an ecological crisis. Israel’s priests were quick to point out the people’s sin, but God would not allow them to overlook their own sinful actions. Instead of instructing the nation in religion and morality, they were leading them toward idolatry and immorality. Every time a person brought a sin offering, the priest received a portion of it. The more the people sinned the more the priest received (v. 7). Therefore, instead of trying to lead the people away from sin, they encouraged sin so they would receive more.
“Whoredom and wine” (v. 11) are the sins that commonly accompany idolatry. These sins dull sensitivity and understanding. Instead of consulting the God (who made the trees), they consult the wooden idols that they made (v. 13). Their worship of the Canaanite gods (Baal and Asherah) included rituals accompanied by vile practices. Both men and women had sex with temple prostitutes and priests (v. 13). Judah was warned to avoid the sins of her sister (v. 15). God spared the Southern Kingdom 135 years longer than the Northern Kingdom, but eventually they also went the way of Israel. Israel’s problem was not a lack of knowledge but a failure to appreciate the importance of knowledge. They willingly rejected the truth and lacked obedience. The Lord allowed Israel to go her own way, and the wind (Assyria) blew them away 20 years later (v. 19).
Application
A desire to be free from all restrictions could move me completely out of God’s will. If I allow the circumstances of life to cut me off from God’s Word, I run the risk of judgement. It is better to obey God than to make a lot of sacrifices in His name.
Hosea 4:1– 19 (NET)
1 Listen to the Lord’s message, you Israelites! For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God.
2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.
4 Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests!
5 You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; you have destroyed your own people.
6 You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law of your God, I will reject your descendants.
7 The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace!
8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity!
9 I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the Lord by pursuing other gods.
11 Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people.
12 They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner’s staff answers with an oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual adultery against their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills; they sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant. As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery!
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots, they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true: “A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!”
15 Although you, O Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal. Do not go up to Beth Aven. Do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives!”
16 Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the Lord will put them out to pasture like a lamb in a broad field.
17 Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him!
18 They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior.
19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship.
Illustration: Astronaut Duke Landed with sixty seconds of fuel remaining
General Charles M. Duke was a former astronaut who went on the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. I asked, “Once you were there, weren’t you free to make your own decisions and carry out your own experiments?” He smiled and said “Sure, if I didn’t want to return to earth!” He went on to describe the intricate plan, the precise instructions, the essential discipline, and the instant obedience that was needed right down to the second. He explained how they landed with sixty seconds of fuel remaining. Talk about obedience! (Charles Swindoll, Strengthening Your Grip).