God’s Charge Against Israel
“Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing, and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away. “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; for your people are like those who contend with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; the prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. “The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; they set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; they shall commit harlotry, but not increase; because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,
And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, and they have played the harlot against their God. They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is good. Therefore, your daughters commit harlotry, and your brides commit adultery. “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore, people who do not understand will be trampled.
“Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth Aven, nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—“For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the Lord will let them forage like a lamb in open country. “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.”
Here Hosea is specifically speaking out against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Israel was founded when Jeroboam led ten of the tribes in a rebellion against King Rehoboam, King Solomon’s son. Rehoboam was a proud weakling who refused to take advice from the elders who had tried to advise Solomon. It seems that the glories of Solomon’s building programs had come at an extremely high price. The elders advised Rehoboam to speak gently and respectfully to the people and to relent from the high taxes and forced labor drafts that had blighted the latter part of Solomon’s regime. Unfortunately, Rehoboam chose to listen to fools his own age who advised that he show that he was large and in-charge. “My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” This ridiculously arrogant answer was all that Jeroboam and ten tribes needed for them to vote with their feet, saying, ““What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!” When the dust settled, Rehoboam found himself king of only Judah and Benjamin, while Jeroboam was king of the remaining ten tribes.
Fearing that fickle people would desert if they kept attending feasts in Jerusalem, Jeroboam established his own religion with huge altars at Dan and Bethel. This new religion suited many of the Israelites just fine-they could do anything they wanted-no limits! No pesty restrictions! No commandments! No demands for personal holiness! Given paganism as a foundation, the nation of Israel could only deteriorate spiritually, and it did. Now the Israelites are reaping the results of generations of paganism. “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing, and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.” Even the land and the water bodies in the Northern Kingdom are languishing. “Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away.”
The most horrible result is that the knowledge of the Lord God of Israel is nowhere to be found in the kingdom of Israel. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. “The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; they set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; they shall commit harlotry, but not increase; because they have ceased obeying the Lord.” Israel is about to suffer the consequences of rebellion against God. And God is also warning the nation of Judah that if Judah copies Israel, Judah will suffer the same fate. “Though you, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend.”
APPLICATION: What happens to a nation that forsakes God and worships idols instead? We become what we worship. If we worship demons, demons will take over our lives and even our country. Our spiritual deterioration will blight the land, the water bodies, and the animals and birds will also suffer. But by the same principle, if we repent, turn back to God and worship Him and Him alone, we can transform our entire society as well as our environment.
Today there are lots of arguments regarding control of weapons. But as long as people entertain themselves with violent video games, pretending to be assassins, people will always know how to kill and maim. Those skilled in marital arts fully realize that any object can be turned into a weapon. As long as people refuse to acknowledge their sins, society will continue to deteriorate.
Change depends on us. If we continue to blame others, nothing will change. We must repent and change if we want others to change.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to face our sins and repent. Please forgive us and cleanse us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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