Hosea 4
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (7379 “controversy” [riyb] means cause, strife, dispute, quarrel, case at law, contention, lawsuit, or legal dispute.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever been taken to court for one reason or another? If you are represented by a good lawyer they can give you the entire defense that you might need if you are not guilty. With a good lawyer you would receive from the judge a verdict of “not guilty.”
The problem with Israel was that they were guilty. God brought them to court and found them guilty of breaking HIS laws. This was primarily blamed on leadership. The priests and the false prophets were instructing the people away from the laws of the LORD.
It got to the point in Israel that there was no truth regarding the law of God. The people showed no mercy to one another and everyone was ignorant of the truth regarding the LORD.
Can this really happen? It is happening here in America even now. We have many leaders or pastors in the pulpits of this land that are twisting the Word of God into new meanings that were never true. Therefore people are listening for false teachers who are just itching their ears with things they want to hear and calling it the Word of God.
Some are so bold as to go on television with their false teachings and think that no one will understand that it is false. People want to hear that they are OK with God even when they know they are not. One day they will stand before HIM and find out the truth.
The false teachers will receive the greater judgment just like the Pharisees were promised by Jesus because they were leading people away from the LORD rather than toward HIM. They sounded religious but they were not true to the Word of God.
Watch whose example you follow. Watch out who you listen too. The people of Judah were warned of the LORD not to follow the example of the nation of Israel.
CHALLENGE: We have to so the same. Don’t look for teachers that are going to tell you everything is OK with God. Look for teachers that will convict you of your sin and want you to repent and turn to follow the LORD correctly. Be like the Bereans who checked out what they were taught.
: 4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!
DEVOTION: Have you ever watched children when an adult comes up to them after they are fighting over something and asks the question: “Whose fault is it?” The fingers go in all directions. Everyone is blaming everyone else for the problem. No one wants to take the credit for starting the fight.
The children of Israel did the same thing. They would like to blame everyone else for the problem. They could blame the people for not listening to their leaders. They could blame the leaders for not instructing the people. There was enough blame to go around but no one wanted to be the one who was at fault.
Today we do the same thing. If there is a problem we like to blame our parents for the way we are. We want to blame the teachers for what we don’t know. We want to blame the pastor for not being a good teacher of the Word of God.
The Bible states that there is enough blame to go around in our world. We each have to take responsibility for our actions after we grow up. Many people never grow up, so they continue to blame someone else even in their old age.
Change is hard but it is possible for all of us. God can give us the strength. Stop blaming others for your spiritual maturity and face the facts – you either want to grow or you don’t.
CHALLENGE: If you do there are many good instructors to listen to and the Holy Spirit will instruct those who are believers through the reading of the Word of God.
: 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. (1847 “knowledge” [da’ath] means perception, skill, discernment, understanding, a knowledge with focus on moral qualities and its application or wisdom.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel are morally and spiritually dead. They are morally ruined. They are morally wiped out. They are perishing in their sin. They despised moral qualities. Why???
The responsibility of the priests and the prophets was to teach the people the way the LORD wanted them to live. They were to set the example by the way they lived. They were failing to do their responsibility and the result was that the people were following their example. The list of sins in this chapter is long. They had no truth. They had no mercy for one another. They had no understanding of the way of the LORD. They were swearing. They were lying. They were killing. They were stealing. They were committing adultery. They were breaking every commandment of the LORD.
Hosea is warning Israel that they have chosen not to listen to the word of the LORD. He states that they are destroyed for a lack of understanding what the LORD is teaching. It is not just a lack of understanding but they have rejected any teaching given them concerning the law of the LORD. This was not only the people but also the priests and prophets.
There are some people who are ignorant because they have never learned about something. Ignorance is not bliss as it can get us into trouble when we face a situation that requires some understanding of a field, like computers or law. The children of Israel thought that they didn’t need to apply the word of God to their lives. In fact, they rejected the word of the LORD. The LORD rejected them and their children because they rejected HIS laws.
Our decisions can affect not only our lives but also the lives of our children. When a father rejects the LORD and the mother serves the LORD, the children are affected. They look at both parents and decide which way to go. If they follow the father – they reject the LORD and live for themselves. If they follow the mother – they accept the LORD and live for HIM. In eternity the parents have to stand before the LORD. All parents are going to have to give account for how they teach their children. Fathers will have a greater responsibility. The greatest responsibility will fall on those who are supposed to be teaching the Word of God.
CHALLENGE: Raise your children to understand the truth of the Word of God. Teach them daily or as often as you can. Find good commentaries on the Word of God and read them.
: 16 For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place. (5637 “stubborn” [carar] means rebellious, revolters, slide back, backslide, to be or become obstinate, or unwilling to change.)
DEVOTION: Too often we don’t want to change our bad habits. The children of Israel were called “stubborn.” Have you ever been called “stubborn?” Most of us have at one time or another. We think we are right and we are not going to change.
Israel was stubborn. They knew what the LORD expected of them but they didn’t want to change no matter what. The LORD had warned them of coming captivity. The LORD had sent prophets. The LORD had sent heathen nations to fight with them. HE wanted them to change their ways.
Today we find that many people are still stubborn once they become a Christian. They say that the LORD accepted me the way I am and so that is where I am going to stay. That is wrong.
Yes, the LORD brings you into HIS family the way you are but there is a teaching called Sanctification. Once we become a follower of the LORD HE expects us to change to be more like HIS Son Jesus Christ. This takes a lot of work on the part of the Holy Spirit in our life. It is a lifelong process. There should be noticeable progress each year of our growth in Christ.
Bad habits should be replaced with good habits. Each of us struggle in this area but the LORD has promised strength. HE isn’t finished with me yet but HE is still lovingly working with me to see me change.
CHALLENGE: Please pray for me to change in the areas the LORD wants change. I want to grow in the LORD – Do you?
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