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In the first three chapters of Hosea, the personal
life of Hosea is intertwined with his message to the nation
of Israel. In chapters 4-14, the message is more direct. The
sins of Israel are brought into the open court. God was
going to prove by the deeds of the people that He was
perfectly righteous and just to bring His judgment upon the
children of Israel.
The nature of the Sins of Israel (4:1-2)
The sins of Israel can be classified into sins of omission
and sins of commission. Sins of omission result from the
people’s failure to do what God commands them to do. Sins of
commission result from the people actually violating the
commandments of God.
A. Sin of Omission
The children of Israel were omitting three things: they had
no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God.
·
They were not truthful
people. They did not what is right according to the Word of
God.
·
They were also lacking in
mercy. The word “mercy” is used in the context of a covenant
relationship (Joshua 2:12-14). The children of Israel were
bound together by a covenant relationship, which included
certain mutual obligations that the children of Israel had
for one another.
·
They had no knowledge of
God. The children of Israel did not have the knowledge of
God because they rejected God’s truth.
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To know God is to live in the constant awareness of
who He is, and to live in accordance with His Word.
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As God’s covenant people, we have obligations to and
responsibilities for one another.
B. Sin of Commission
The rejection of knowledge of God is
the reason for the spiritual and moral decline that is in
Israel. The sins in verse 2 were all taken from the Ten
Commandments. They swore (2nd). They lied (9th).
They killed (6th). They stole (8th).
They committed adultery (7th).
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The rejection of the Word of God will lead to a decline in
the morality of a society. Ungodliness will lead to
unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-23).
The effects of the sins of israel (4:3-5)
The children of Israel have no knowledge of God; therefore
they commit all manner of sins, and sin has its
consequences. “The whole land would mourn.” There was
widespread devastation of the land either through
catastrophes of nature or as a result of man’s folly and
wickedness. The “people are as they that strive with the
priest.” There would be dissension from the
people with regard to God’s assessment. “I will destroy
thy mother.” There would be destruction of the
land.
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Do not presume upon God’s mercy. Israel’s sins caused
God to leave her alone (4:17, see also Romans 1:24, 26,
28).
The root cause of israel’s sins (4:6-14)
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”
(4:6). Who was responsible for the lack of knowledge? God
placed the responsibility on the spiritual leaders of
Israel. “They eat up the sin of my people, and they set
their heart on their iniquity” (Hosea 4:8-9). The
priests were using religion for their personal gain. They
were making a profit of the sins of the people by
encouraging the people to indulge in idolatrous worship. The
more the people worshipped idols, the bigger the priests’
share of the offerings.
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God’s saving grace is not incompatible with holy living (2
Cor 5:14-15).
The people’s idolatry had an effect on their family. Their “daughters
shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit
adultery” (4:13).
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adultery of the parents will result in the adultery of their
children.
The warning of israel’s sins (4:15-19)
“Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone”
(4:17). Israel was bound to her idols that there was no more
hope. God said that He would leave Ephraim [another name for
Israel] alone. However, God would remain faithful to His
covenant. God had not given up on His people, and He has not
given up on sinners.
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The hope for sinners is that “if we confess our
sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
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The lesson for Christian is that we are called out of the
world – not separate from the world, but to be separate from
worldliness of the world. God’s people must be the light
that shines for our Lord Jesus Christ. |
