Hosea 4

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. Hosea 4:1

Commentators generally agree that this is the setting of a court case with God as the plaintiff and the Israelites as the defendants. The case is essentially a breach of contract. [1] God has leased his land to his people, but with the agreement that they would keep his laws and commands. The people failed to keep their end of the bargain. They were no longer even acknowledging God. Boice sums up their disobedience, saying: “God is charging Israel with having: (1) no faithfulness, (2) no devotion, and (3) no knowledge of himself…the key concern and most important ground of accusation is Israel’s failure to acknowledge God.” [2] The same legal setting is seen many times in Scripture as reported by several of the prophets (Isa. 1:23; 41:21; Jer. 2:9; 25:31; 50:34; Mic. 6:2; 7:9).

“There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed” (4:2). It is amazing how so many sins people commit result in bloodshed. We do not normally associate stealing and adultery with bloodshed. However, the thief, on many occasions, gets shot or else shoots others. The adulterer also runs a similar risk. So many times, the one committing adultery gets killed by the wronged partner. Also, often there are abortions of the unwanted child who is the product of an adulterous relationship. This is the Hebrew plural used here, meaning bloods touching bloods.

Paul Butler says, “When the divine standard of truth, God’s revealed word, is rejected, moral and political suicide is the result. This is exactly what happened to Israel in Hosea’s time, and to Judah in Jeremiah’s time, complete moral and political anarchy. The same will happen to any nation that rejects God’s Word, the Bible!” [3] In the Interpreter’s Bible, we read: “The ultimate cause of the decline and final collapse of every nation or civilization has been moral and spiritual rather than material.” [4]

“Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away” (4:3). In the Bible, there is a very close connection between humankind and all of nature. God chose to have human beings rule over nature (Gen. 1:26-28). When that rule becomes depraved, all of nature responds with turmoil and shock. It is probably true that nature feels our tiniest sins.

“You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother” (4:5). Hosea is here setting the stage for verse 6 and following as he attacks the priesthood. Israel is a nation of stumblers concerning God’s commands. For this, God will destroy their mother. Feinberg sees this as the destruction of the nation of Israel. [5] Actually, the TEV version reads, “ and I am going to destroy Israel, your mother.”

A Polluted Priesthood

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. Hosea 4:6

Here, Hosea begins his attack on Israel’s priesthood. They had no knowledge because they did not have God’s law. Coffman sums it up, saying: “The wife of Ahab, the notorious Jezebel, had murdered practically all of the true priests and had imported a vast horde of pagan priests from Sidon. As time went on, it must have been a rare thing indeed for any descendant of Levi to have enjoyed the office of the priesthood in Israel.” [6] It appears that some biblical traditions were mixed in with the paganism, but the whole thing was grossly perverted. We can assume that the pagan priests were leaders in much of the debauchery.

The priests were bringing a curse upon themselves. They were leading the people to sin rather than leading them toward righteousness. Guthrey says that the expression “forget your children” was a threat to the whole future of the priesthood. [7] And yet, twice in this passage God still refers to Israel as “my people.” What amazing love! God will just not let go of his sinning people. [8]

“The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful” (4:7). Jeroboam (I) had set the stage by placing golden calves at Dan and Bethel. Wicked Jezebel had used that idolatrous situation to bring in many pagan priests, as we have said. Godliness and godly people really did not have a chance in the northern kingdom. We see this sad verse in 2 Chronicles 11:14: “The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD” (cf. 1 Kings 12:31; 13:33).

It seems that the priests were the leaders in all the wickedness, adultery and disgrace. Our own day may not be too far removed from this picture. The spirit of adultery has brought down many ministers in our time, some very great and popular ones. What a shame that their sin is now advertised on TV and social media worldwide.

“They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds” (4:8-9).

The priests were chief offenders in their sinning. They were relishing the sins of the people and looking forward to the nice, tasty offerings they would bring to the shrine. So, the priests were no better than the people. Coffman says, “Even God’s chosen people have at this juncture come to be exact copies of the reprobate pagan priesthood and at last had reached a state of total apostasy from God.” [9]

The Many Sins Of Priests And People

They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the LORD to give themselves to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding. Hosea 4:10-11

I do not think that many commentators have stopped to imagine what it was like to worship at a pagan shrine. It was like a family trip to a whore house. There was every kind of sex available for everyone. There was prostitution, homosexuality, and all kinds of forbidden kinky sexual activity. The priests were right in the middle of it all. We can begin to understand why pagan worship had such an appeal to the Israelites, especially the men or the leaders of families. We probably don’t want to know everything that went on in the shade of the spreading trees and on the hilltops of Israel.

Of course, it was all a crime against nature and destined to fail miserably with the destruction of the nation. We can imagine the high price people paid for this “worship.” The sexual diseases and unwanted pregnancies ran rampant. In such an environment, there was probably the sexual abuse of young children. Surely, the children would end up with a totally depraved sexual understanding. The emotional price was high as families were ripped apart through adultery. What would a father think if his newborn son strongly resembled one of the priests at the shrine? Anger and bitterness must have run high within the Israelite community. People murder others for such things, and blood touches blood. The whole thing would eventually destroy God’s wonderful plan for the stability of families and society.

Phillips says of it: “In a system where fornication, adultery, and sodomy were not only tolerated but also encouraged, and where male and female prostitutes were available to help consummate worship at every shrine, to go ‘a whoring’ after strange gods was much more than a mere figure of speech.” [10] We must also understand that at these shrines, many evil spirits lurked to capture the minds, hearts, and spirits of the worshippers.

“My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God” (4:12). Pett says, “Illicit sex and drink are thus dulling their minds and preventing them from thinking straightly.” [11] Almost every aspect of pagan religion appealed to the flesh – the illicit sex, intoxicating drink, sumptuous meals from the many sacrifices.

The people of Israel seem to have adopted many pagan forms of worship. They had wooden idols (cf. Jer. 2:27; Hab. 2:19). They also practiced divining with rods. I remember as a small child that one of our relatives, who was supposed to be a preacher, tried to teach us to witch for water. The tree branch in hand was supposed to dip when there was water present underground. At least he had the “witch” part right. The NAS version even calls this stick a “diviner’s wand.”

“They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery” (4:13). What a mess! A lot of the pagan rituals took place on the high hills and under the shade trees. The high hills probably made them feel closer to their god, and the shade trees kept them cool on Israel’s hot summer days. One popular shade tree was the terebinth (cf. Isa. 6:13). The terebinth ( pistacia terebinthus ) is native to the Mediterranean region and is still known for its shade. Undoubtedly, the thick groves concealed some of the lewd activity.

We can quickly understand why God gave this instruction to the Israelites when they were coming into the land: “This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire” (Deut. 7:5). Israel did not follow this instruction and these pagan sites became the undoing of both houses of Israel.

“I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes – a people without understanding will come to ruin!” (4:14). Adam Clarke, early Methodist theologian, comments: “The state of the people at this time must have been abominable beyond all precedent; animal, sensual, bestial, diabolical: women consecrating themselves to serve their idols by public prostitution…men and women acting unnaturally; and all conjoining to act diabolically.” [12] Men are here receiving much of the blame, although it was a male-dominated society.

The people of Israel had not only let go of their morals, but they had let go of common sense and of reality. Had God allowed all this foolishness to go on, the Hebrew people would have vanished from the earth. Pagan worship was anti-God and anti-human.

Reminding Ourselves Of God’s Great Plan

When we stop and remind ourselves of God’s great plan for humankind, we are almost astounded. God has given us so much and trusted us with so much. He has allowed us to become co-creators with him through holy marriage and childbirth. The husband and wife are to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). The Lord has given much true pleasure and satisfaction in this union. God has given the holy family, where there is love and acceptance. God has given newborns the tender love of the mother and the protection of the father. He invented the family unit where the process of birth and family love could function. It is a masterful invention.

The family unit must be kept intact. There can be no divorce. There can be no affairs or any type of unfaithfulness. Husband and wife become “one flesh” as Genesis 2:24 says. They are both required to leave their parents and cling to each other. We can see how adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and other sexual abuses spelled the death of the family and death to the nation of Israel. Indeed, polluted sex will eventually bring about the death of any nation.

I am so thankful that God allowed me to experience this wonder. Although I did not deserve her, God gave me a wonderful, faithful, and loving wife. Together, we brought forth three very special children. There were plenty of struggles in parenting and providing, but somehow the Lord brought us through. After 65 blessed years together, my darling was called to heaven, and my loving daughter, her husband, and large family took me in. They provided me with a roomy section of their home with all amenities. What a blessing to visit with my many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I constantly marvel at God’s wonderful plan for the family.

What a tragedy that Israel had almost corrupted that wonderful plan. Also, what a tragedy that our Western societies are busy corrupting that plan today with things like homosexuality, lesbianism, feminism, transgenderism, pornography, and other sexual abuses. These things are socially acceptable, but they chop at the foundation of society and civilization. God help us!

Warnings For Judah

Though you, Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, “As surely as the LORD lives!” Hosea 4:15

Judah is warned about following the bad example of Israel. It was a shame that the hallowed places of Israel’s history were being turned into pagan shrines. Gilgal was Israel’s first encampment in the Holy Land (Jos. 4:19-24) and should have had many happy memories. [13] It was the place where Elijah and Elisha trained prophets (2 Ki. 2:1; 4:38). Bethel was the House of God and a very special place in Israel’s early history. It was a place where God appeared to the fathers and where the Tabernacle once stood. Now, because of the idolatry of Jeroboam (I) and Israel, Bethel is called Beth-aven, or house of vanity or idolatry. [14] There seems to be a warning here about trying to mix the worship of the Lord with idolatry.

“The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?” (4:16). Pett comments, “Within the prophet’s heart was always a fear that Judah would go in the same way as Israel, whilst his hope was that if Judah remained solidly behind YHWH it would be a constant encouragement to him in the face of Israel’s coming demise.” [15] Coffman comments, “Instead of behaving as a lamb and following patiently in God’s flock, Israel was like a stubborn heifer that refused to submit to the yoke.” [16]

“Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!” (4:17). These words have a terrifying finality about them. The Almighty God is giving up on Israel. Guzik says, “All God must do to make certain a man goes to hell is simply let him alone. Our prayer should always be, ‘LORD, don’t leave me alone. Keep working on me.’” [17]

“Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways. A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame” (4:18-19). Even when happy hour is over, Israel will continue in her shameful ways. The people will prostitute and adulterate until they hear the whirring winds of chariot wheels and until the fierce Assyrian soldiers stand glaringly with drawn swords over their defiled beds.

Footnotes

1. Henry McKeating, Cambridge Bible Commentary, Amos, Hosea and Micah (Cambridge: University Press, 1971), p. 95.

2. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 42.

3. Paul T. Butler, The Minor Prophets (Joplin: College Press, 1968), p. 468.

4. Harold Cooke Phillips, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VI (New York: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 600.

5. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 28.

6. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. vs. 4:5-6.

7. Guthrie, et. al. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 708.

8. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 48.

9. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 4:9.

10. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 49.

11. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, v. 4:12.

12. Adam Clarke, Clarke Commentary, Hosea. v. 4:14.

13. Guthrie, et. al. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 708.

14. John Roberts Dummelow, Dummelow on the Bible, v. 4:15.

15. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, v. 4:15.

16. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 4:16.

17. Guzik, The Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Hosea, vs. 4:16-19.