Hosea 5

Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. Hosea 5:1

God continues to prosecute his people and to bring many charges against them. Boice asks this question, “How do you deal with one of whom it is written, ‘Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:13)?’” [1]

The command “hear” is often used by the prophets. God’s people were hard of hearing and remain with that impediment. Jesus often called out, “Whoever has ears, let them hear” (Matt. 11:15; 13:9; 13:43). Jesus is still making the same call to us as we see in Revelation (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9).

Evil snares were set everywhere in Israel. These idol snares were like the nets set by hunters on the mountains of Mizpah and Tabor. Mizpah in Hebrew has the meaning of “outpost” or “watchtower.” There are many towns by this name throughout Israel, so the exact location is impossible to determine. [2] Some scholars feel that this site was located in Gilead. Tabor is the prominent and picturesque mountain near the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley. Like the hunters ensnaring birds on these mountains, the priests were attempting to ensnare faithful worshippers into the worship of fertility gods.

The evil priests probably snared the few devout souls who may have wanted to return to the Jerusalem temple. Pfeiffer & Harrison say, “The idolatrous shrines at Bethel and Dan had political implications. They were devised to prevent the people from taking part in the worship at the Jerusalem temple.” [3]

“The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them” (5:2). This has been a very troublesome verse for interpreters from ancient times. [4] Since the Hebrew word Shittim is used, it may have a reference to Israel’s great, infamous place of sinning (Num. 25:1-3). They have simply made the pit deeper. The RSV translates this: “And they have made deep the pit of Shittim; but I will chastise all of them” (Hos. 5:2).

“I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt” (5:3). Coffman, citing J. J. Given, says “Note that in this passage, as frequently in Hosea (some 37 times) Ephraim is the name used for Israel… The tribe of Ephraim led the defection of the ten tribes to form the northern kingdom, and it also enthusiastically supported the calf-worship…This powerful tribe, ever envious of Judah, was the ringleader in the calf-worship of Jeroboam, and other idolatries; and through Ephraim’s evil influence, the other tribes, and so all Israel were defiled.” [5] God knows about Ephraim, but Ephraim does not know about God.

“Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD” (5:4). Utley comments, “The people of Israel had become so settled in their evil character (i.e., ‘spirit of harlotry’) that they had passed the point of no return (cf. Hos. 4:17; Ps. 81:12; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).” [6] We have come to a point in our Western society that we can hardly judge Israel.

Here we will cite just a few shocking things in the US and on the internet. It is reported:

“By the age of twenty, 81 percent of today’s unmarried males and 67 percent of today’s unmarried females have had sexual intercourse.” [7] “According to sworn testimony before the US Senate, experts reveal that by the time a female in this country is 18 years old, 38 percent have been sexually molested. One in eight women will be raped. Fifty percent of women will be sexually harassed on their jobs during their lifetimes. [8]

“Many people seem to think having sex with children is a good thing, as one hundred thousand websites now offer illegal child pornography, according to Internet Filter Review. Worldwide, child porn generates three billion dollars in revenues every year.” [9] Even as early as 2005, there were already 4.2 million pornographic websites, and that amounts to 12 percent of all websites in the world. [10]

Christian philosopher and researcher Nancy Pearcey gives some shocking news about the church and porn. She says, “About two-thirds of Christian men watch pornography at least monthly, the same rate as men who do not claim to be Christian. In one survey, 54 percent of pastors said they viewed porn within the past year. [11] For a Christian father to watch porn is to leave the spiritual door open so that all kinds of evil can invade the family. We should say, “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it” (Psa. 101:3). Like Job of old, we must make a covenant with our eyes. (Job 31:1).

A lot of Christians take porn lightly, but they are making a dreadful mistake. They are essentially doing the same thing that Israel was doing. They are mixing gross sexual perversion with their Christian faith. Just like Israel, the judgment of God is on the way for them.

“Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them” (5:5). It might be said that pride is the basic sin. It was pride and arrogance that brought Satan down. It was also pride that brought Adam and Eve down. Guthrie says, “The whole nation is stumbling, unaware of their imminent fate.” [12] We see clearly here that Judah was also being dragged down with Israel.

“When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them” (5:6). Here, the prophet has reference to the sacrificial system of bringing animals to offer for their sins. This will now be in vain for Israel. She, in her pride and wickedness, has caused God to turn away from her sacrifices.

“They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children. When they celebrate their New Moon feasts, he will devour their fields” (5:7). The expression “illegitimate children” is translated variously in several versions, as alien, strange, and pagan. Nothing good happens by adopting a pagan religion. Again, we in the US need to check our own devotion.

Donald McCullough writes: “We will be tempted, therefore, to create for ourselves gods who will not threaten us with transcendence, gods who will be manifestly useful in a world of confusing voices, and gods who will conform to the contours of our individualistic desires.” [13]

A lot of Americans may not serve a pagan god, but they have, in one way or another, made themselves their own god. Sociologist Robert Bellah writes about “Sheila Larson, a young nurse who describes her faith as ‘Sheilaism.’ She says, ‘I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice.’” [14]

The Christian philosopher Nancy Pearcey says, “The lesson is that idol-based ideologies are invariably dehumanizing, and if unchecked, they lead to repression, coercion, oppression, war, and violence.” [15]

Sounding The Trumpet

Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven; lead on, Benjamin. Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. Hosea 5:8-9

Gibeah and Ramah both mean hill or height in Hebrew. Both were in the area of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. Gibeah was the first capital of King Saul. Ramah was a key administrative center in the north. Ramah was the birthplace, hometown, and burial site of the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1:1, 19–20; 25:1). Today it stands out very prominently on a hill in the northwestern outskirts of Jerusalem.

The sounding of horns and the battle cry mentioned probably have reference to the Syro-Ephraimite War (c. 735–732 BC). Briefly, in this war, King Pekah of Ephraim and Rezin, the king of Aram, allied together to attack King Ahaz in Jerusalem. Ahaz sent a large gift, including temple treasures, to Tiglath-Pileser (III), king of Assyria, requesting his help. The Assyrians came and conquered Aram (Damascus), sending its people into captivity. They also did some conquests in Ephraim (2 Kings 15:29 and 1 Chronicles 5:26). Apparently, sometime later, even Ephraim sought help from the Assyrians (Hos. 5:13), which may have halted their total conquest at that time.

Interestingly, the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 7 was given by the prophet at this hour. It was a pledge to Judah that the two kingdoms attacking her would not be successful. They themselves would be broken and defeated. A virgin would conceive and bear a son whose name would be Immanuel. Before the boy would learn to reject the wrong and choose the right, the two threatening kings would be laid waste (Isa. 7:14-16). In Matthew 1:23, the Holy Spirit applied this passage to the birth of Jesus the Messiah.

Since this was the day before technology, all communication was done by trumpets and horns. The trumpet could be made of brass or silver. It was a straight instrument that was used in wars and solemn occasions (Num. 10:1-10; 31:6). The horn was the common curled ram’s horn that was used for many purposes.

“Judah’s leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water” (5:10). Here, the prophet briefly turns his wrath upon Judah. Pett says, “So Israel and Judah are both in trouble, the difference being that Israel has gone too far, while for Judah, there is still hope.” [16] The pronouncement is against those who move landmarks or boundary stones. Coffman says, “In their ancient culture, the lowest class of crime was that of tampering with landmarks.” [17] Why was this such an offense? God had given to each tribe a holy plot of territory. It was a grant from God and could not be changed (Deut. 9:14; 27:17; Job 24:2; Prov. 22:28; 23:10). A similar thing was true with each family plot. It was to remain intact through all their generations. It was probably a big temptation for a farmer to nudge the boundary stone just a little in his favor, but it was a crime against God. In Leviticus 25, we read about the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year or the Year of Jubilee. At that time, people could return to their original property and to their original tribe.

Guthrie submits an idea that this also might be speaking of Judah’s King Asa, who annexed some Israelite territory (1 Ki. 15:20-22). [18] It is clear that private and public holdings must continue intact (Lev. 25:8-10).

“Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah” (5:11-12). Simply, Ephraim was oppressed and beaten up because of its idolatry. The work of idolatry was much like the work of a moth on garments or rot on a building. It works slowly, little by little, and in complete silence until the garment, building, or nation is destroyed.

On one of our trips to Israel, my wife and I purchased a beautiful woolen wall hanging. We brought it back to the US and proudly hung it on one of our walls. However, we began to notice that we had to sweep under it quite often. Then it became apparent that the hanging was infested with small larvae, and they were having a banquet on our hanging. The moths had done their work, but the destruction was not noticed until it was too late. We sadly put our once beautiful wall hanging into the trash.

Crying Out For Help

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. Hosea 5:13

This is the first mention of dreaded Assyria by name in the book of Hosea. The king of Assyria is referred to in Hebrew as Yareb. The Texas Bible scholar Bob Utley sheds some light on this strange word. “‘King Jareb.’ This seems to refer to a nickname for Tiglath- pileser (III), who was king of Assyria. The term means ‘king pick a quarrel’ …A brief listing of Assyrian kings of this period would be: Tiglath-pileser (III), 745-727 B.C.; Shalmaneser (V), 727-722 B.C.; Sargon (II), 722-704 B.C.; and Sennacherib, 704- 681 B.C.” [19]

We might mention that Tiglath-pileser had already carried away Israel’s tribes of Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in 732 BC. These tribes lived on the east side of the Jordan River. Wiersbe sadly remarks, “Israel and Judah were weak, sick nations (Isa. 5-6; Jer. 30:12-13), but instead of turning to the Lord for healing, both of them turned to the king of Assyria for help (Hos. 5:13).” [20] Of course, Israel was playing right into the hands of the Assyrians. Later in 722, the nation fell to Assyria, and its people were carried away into captivity. Since that time, they have been referred to as “the Ten Lost Tribes.” Only in recent years have some in these tribes begun to return to Israel, as we have mentioned.

“For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face – in their misery they will earnestly seek me.” (5:14-15). This is the picture of a great lion or king of the beasts after he has made a kill. There is no concern that anyone can take it from him. He walks leisurely back to his lair with the helpless kill in his mouth. God will wait through the years until Israel earnestly seeks him. In the case of Israel or Ephraim, no one could have guessed that it would take over two thousand years before they would earnestly seek him.

Footnotes

1. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 50.

2. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 5:1-2.

3. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 806.

4. Ibid.

5. J.J. Given, cited in Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 5:5.

6. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 5:4.

7. Josh McDowell and Dick Day, Why Wait, What you Need to Know About the Teen Sexuality Crisis (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1987), p. 21.

8. David Kupelian, The Marketing of Evil, (Nashville, WND Books, 2005), p. 21.

9. Ibid., p. 131.

10. Ibid., p. 129.

11. Nancy R. Pearcey, Love Thy Body, Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2018), p. 11.

12. Guthrie, et. al. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 709.

13. Donald W. McCullough, The Trivilization of God: The Dangerous Illusion of a Manageable Deity (Colo. Springs: Nav Press, 1995), p. 24.

14. Ibid., p. 22.

15. Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth (Colorado Springs: David Cook, 2015), p. 135.

16. Pett, Pett’s Commentary, v. 5:10.

17. Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Hosea. v. 5:10.

18. Guthrie, et. al. The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 709.

19. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 5:13.

20. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1399.