Commentary by Charles Box Questions by John C. Sewell 1 Israel Had Been Wicked Hosea 5:1-15
Israel Had Been Wicked 2 by Charles Box Text: Hosea 5:1-15, 1. "Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, O royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. 2. The rebels are deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them. 3. I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt. 4. "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. Israel's arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. 6. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. 7. They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children. Now their New Moon festivals will devour them and their fields. 8. "Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven; lead on, O Benjamin. 9. Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. 10. Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. 11. Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. 12. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah.
3 13. "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. 14. 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. 15. Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." (NIV) Introduction: I. Hosea five (5) pictures God's prophecy of destruction and punishment against the Northern Kingdom known as Israel. A. These people are sometimes called Ephraim. B. The priests, rulers and the people had committed spiritual whoredom against God. C. Hear the words of Hosea 5:3, "I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled." D. Their spiritual idolatry had led them far away from their Creator and had even had a negative impact on Judah. E. God had withdrawn Himself from them and now they would feel the consequences of their sinfulness. (Hosea 5:6) 1. Hosea 5:6, When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. (NIV) II. "Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke" and Judah could not escape her punishment.
4 A. God said the punishment will come, "till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face." (Hosea 5:15) 1. Israel went into Assyrian captivity in 721 B.C. to face the consequences of their wickedness. 2. Sin had overtaken the house of Israel. 3. They were full of pride. 4. They sought the Lord with their flocks and herds but not with their heart. B. Now they must deal with the result of their idolatry. C. "Therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them." Hosea 5:5 (NIV) III. God gave these people the opportunity to repent but they were unwilling to change. A. Their punishment came slowly like a moth or like rottenness. 1. It would take the rod of correction to cause Israel to seek the Lord. B. God said, "For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him." (Hosea 5:14) Israel is Defiled Hosea 5:1-4, "Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, O royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been
5 a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. The rebels are deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them. I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt. "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. (NIV) I. It was the duty of the priest to lead the people into worship of the true God. A. Instead they set a snare and got the people caught in the snare of idolatry. B. At Mizpah and Mount Tabor even the royal family had become a trap for the people instead of a blessing. C. In the instructions that God gave to Aaron concerning the priesthood He said, "And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses." (Leviticus 10:10-11) D. The priests had failed miserably by not fulfilling their responsibility before God. II. At the very place of worship the priests had despised the authority of God. A. In their ungodliness they were so treacherous that even murder was not outside of their evil schemes. 1. God knew all about Israel and He found them unacceptable to Him.
a. He said, "Thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled." (Hosea 5:2) 2. Ephraim, the capital, was guilty, as was all of Israel. a. Much of the evil in Israel had its beginning in Ephraim. B. The people had become so corrupt that their evil deeds kept them from returning to God. 1. The spirit of spiritual whoredom kept the people from knowing the Lord God. 2. Their spiritual whoredom had also lead to the practice of physical whoredom. C. They were corrupted more and more by evil. The Pride of Israel Hosea 5:5-7, Israel's arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children. Now their New Moon festivals will devour them and their fields. (NIV) I. The pride of Israel contributed to their sins. A. Pride is: (1) an overvalued sense of one's own personal value or an excessively high opinion of oneself, (2) arrogant or disdainful conduct, (3) haughtiness or conceit. B. The pride of Israel testified to their guilt and pride also caused Judah to stumble. 6
7 C. The corruption of Israel caused God to withdraw Himself from them. 1. Even when they came to offer their sheep and cattle as sacrifices God had no pleasure in it. 2. It is true that God called for the sacrifices, but the people had to first give God their heart. II. Sadly, the people of Israel had been unfaithful to the Lord God. A. Israel s faults included: 1. They had worshipped idols. 2. They had produced children by prostitution. 3. They had "dealt treacherously against the LORD." (Hosea 5:7) B. God s response to Israel s sins. 1. He promised, "Now shall a moth devour them with their portions." 2. In a very short time all of their possessions shall be devoured. 3. Their disobedience brought sure and certain destruction. An Opportunity to Repent Hosea 5:8-12, "Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, the horn in Ramah. Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven; lead on, O Benjamin. Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of
8 Israel I proclaim what is certain. Judah's leaders are like those who move boundary stones. I will pour out my wrath on them like a flood of water. Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah. (NIV) I. God said, Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin. (Hosea 5:8) (NIV) A. Trumpets were used to warn a nation that they were under attack. B. This warning was to be heard in Gibeah, Ramah, and sinful Bethel. C. Benjamin was told to watch out! D. This warning provided them the opportunity for repentance. E. This was a prediction that Israel would be attacked by the Assyrians and that there would be the captivity of the ten tribes. F. God gave His solemn promise that Israel would be wiped out. II. Judah is similarly now brought into the prediction. A. Her leaders were also like a bunch of crooks that moved boundary markers. B. They likewise would be flooded with God's anger. C. Wickedness and spiritual whoredom destined the people of God to be invaded by the heathen nations. D. Ephraim is oppressed and broken by God's judgment.
9 E. They got what they deserved for worshiping useless idols. F. The commandments they kept were not God's commandments, but those of Jeroboam in which he told the people to worship idols at Dan and Bethel. (1 Kings 12:28-33) 1. 1 Kings 12:28-33, After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. (NIV) G. Both Judah and Israel would feel God's wrath. H. Just as moths and rottenness attack and destroy material things, just so the Lord promised that His unfaithful people would soon be attacked. I. God gave them opportunity but they simply would not repent.
Seeking the Lord 10 Hosea 5:13-15, "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. 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 go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." (NIV) I. Sadly when the punishment started God's people turned to Assyria for help. A. How sad, "When Israel and Judah saw their sickness and wounds, Israel asked help from Assyria. 1. Jareb is "A symbolical name for Assyria." B. Assyria could not help or cure Israel of her wounds. C. Many turn to the wrong source for help when they should turn only to God. II. It grieves the heart of God when His people look to strangers for help instead of to Him. A. His anger was pictured in the words, "So I'll become a fierce lion attacking Israel and Judah. I'll snatch and carry off what I want, and no one can stop me." B. It is a tragic sin to lose faith in God. 1. Appealing to someone else for help will always fail!
2. The appeal to others for help brought no help, but it did bring down the wrath of God. III. It must have been very difficult for God to leave His people in the hands of the heathen. A. God said, "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early." (Hosea 5:15) B. God's people would be left in the hands of their enemies until they became desperate and begged for my help. C. The purpose of this punishment was to cause the people to see their sins and to come to repentance. Conclusion: I. Today is the day when we should seriously consider God's judgment against the wicked! 11
Questions Hosea 5:1-15 12 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Hosea pictures s of and against the known as These tribes are sometimes called. 2. The, and the had against. Their had led them from their and had even had a on. 3. What was God s response to this state of affairs? 4. Of what did Israel s punishment consist? 5. Why did Israel not repent? Why do we not repent? Give careful thought to your answer.
13 6. How did the priests and royal family contribute to Israel s problems? How do our religious leaders and political leaders contribute to our problems. 7. According to Leviticus 10:10, 11 what did God command the priests? 8. How does God s description of ancient Israel compare with this view of our country in regard to morals and ethics? 9. What is pride?
14 10. The of caused to from. The of consisted of, by and against the. 11. How do moths figure in this chapter s pronouncements? 12. Explain verse 8. Locate Gibeah, Ramah and Beth Aven (Bethel). 13. Of what sins were Judah and Benjamin in the South guilty? 14. How was the Southern kingdom influenced by the Northern kingdom? How is our country influenced by other nations in regard to morals and religion? How are they influenced by us.
15 15. When trouble came where did Israel seek help? Where do we seek help in time of trouble? Is this wise? 16. Define Jareb. 17. Because of Israel s and Judah s sins, God became very angry. According to verse 14 how is God s wrath to be evidenced? 18. s would be in the of their until they became and for his. 19. What was the purpose of this punishment and isolation?
16 20. Then I ( ) will go back to my until they their. And they will my, in their they will me. is the when we should consider s against the!