Hosea 5: Adultery in High Places
The Divine judgments against Israel. (1-7): Studied last week.
Approaching desolations threatened. (8-15):
V.8…Horn… Horn is to alert people to danger and summon them to a religious feast.
V.9…make know what is sure… The Judgement of God on impenitent sinners is not just a talk to frighten them. Rather it is a REAL sentence that will not be recalled. HIS Mercy gives us timely warning that we may repent and flee the wrath of God.
V.10…remove a landmark… Moving the boundary of neighbor or neighbor’s field is strictly forbidden in the Law (Deut. 19:14, 27:17). God’s wrath will be on such people.
V. 11…willingly walked by human precept… The people suffer because they follow the way of other men in worshiping idols.
V.12…moth …rottenness: both work silently, surely, & from the inside to bring devastation. Moth is like a termite in homes.
V.13…his wound… This is the common practice by the prophets of OT to describe spiritual corruption to physical infirmities.… he is not able to cure your or heal your wound… Israel went to Assyria’s great king for help. When God wounds you, who can heal you? Isn’t only God can heal?
V.14…I will be like a lion… means that only God can control the nation’s fate, and not the great king.
V.13…I will return to my place… Now, God will withdraw to His place, to heaven, and leave the Israel to consider the consequence of their evil acts. …till they…God’s absence is not permanent, and HE will not return until they repent. God is so clear on what HE expects from HIS people.
Hosea 6
A call to repentance. (1-3):
Vs.1,2…Let us return…We can infer few thoughts from these verses. The Prophet Hosea, like other people like Nehemiah, is including himself with the people of the nation of Israel. Also, we see the prophecy for Jesus’ coming and His resurrection (Luke 24:46). …He will revive us…No sinner is beyond the Lord’s healing.
Deliverance out of trouble should be to them as life from the dead. God will revive them: the assurance of this should engage them to return to him. But this seems to have a further reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us admire the wisdom and goodness of God, that when the prophet foretold the deliverance of the church out of her troubles, he should point out our salvation by Christ; and now these words are fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ, it confirms our faith, that this is He that should come and we are to look for no other. – Matthew Henry Concise Commentary.
V.3…let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord… Hosea is calling forth the people of Israel to know God. His going forth is established… If the punishment of God is SURE and unchangeable apart from repentance, His return also is SURE to save us.
Israel’s instability and breach of the covenant. (4-11): The transgression of Israel is not simply violating the laws of Moses, but they renounced the gracious covenant of God give as the foundation of their life and destiny.
Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which produces holy fear and love. This exposes the folly of those who trust in outward observances, to make up for their want of love to God and man. … May the Lord put his fear into our hearts, and set up his kingdom within us, and never leave us to ourselves, nor suffer us to be overcome by temptation. – Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
V. 4…what shall I do to you… God is lamenting over Israel and Judah. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus reflected this lamentation over the city of Jerusalem. …like a morning cloud…early dew… The repentance of Israel and Judah was inconsistent, and transitory like cloud and dew.
V. 5…hewn them by the prophets… But the people rejected correction, and brought punishment upon themselves.
V. 6…desire Mercy…knowledge of God …The words ‘mercy’ and ‘steadfast love’ interchangeable. God desires STEADFAST LOVE, AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD in us. The love is a LOYAL COVENANTAL LOVE. The Hebrew word (hesed) has rich meaning in it. The steadfast love we have received from God should reflect in showing MERCY to others in our day today life. Jesus used this in Matt 9:13. The God who lamented over Israel’s failure to practice Mercy over sacrifice, practiced when HE was on earth. However, the religious leaders were still not practicing Mercy during Jesus’ time; 750 years after God spoke through prophet Hosea.
V. 7…like Adam they transgressed … Though God did not have an obvious covenant, there was an expectation of God from Adam to follow his instruction.
V. 8…Gilead… Gilead, once was considered as a place where Jephthah defeated Ammonites. And now it is one of the place where they are worshipping idol.
V. 9…Shechem … The priests involved in a conspiracy to kill defenseless people. …lewdness The other word is ‘Villainy’ means wickedness and treachery, or depravity of human.
V.11…harvest is appointed… This harvest is not a ‘harvest of joy,’ but a ‘harvest of tragedy.’ This is Thus it is a “harvest” of judgment (cf. Joel 3:13; Rev. 14:18–19). …when I return the captives of My people…This ‘harvest of tragedy’ will happen when God return the captivies of His people.